Roswitha narrowly watches Ciri with the child, then decides that Arielle can judge the woman for herself if she's already acquainted. She addresses Oleg. "I would like to unpack my mule and stable her, if that works for you, Mr. Leveton. There are some goods that may interest you here. We should talk after dinner. In the meantime, Stem needs water. Ali, can you help me unload her?" She watches the young man carefully, not certain how welcome his former acquaintance's attention might be.
Miyari observes Ciri's interaction with Arielle for a moment, but figures they must know each other since the girl shows no trepidation. "I suppose I don't have much to trade at this time, unless I have forgotten something, but in the near future I will hopefully have enough to at least purchase a new journal, or something else I can put the quill to."
"I brought some things specifically to trade, though many of them would be useful starting a settlement," Roswitha says with some pride at her unwonted practicality. She leans in to whisper in Miyari's ear, "Though I probably could use some help haggling."
Glen, shuffles around from behind the others so he can get a look at the new people that are about. "Thank you Mr. Leveton, your hospitality is most appreciated. Glen is somewhat apprehensive about venturing out into the unknown, but is please that there is a friendly place that we may return to. Like Miyari Glen has very little to trade for the time being, but hopefully soon he will have goods for commerce."
Looking up at Ciri when she talks to Miyari and offers Arielle a scarf like thing Glen nods deciding she seems alright. "Yes, Ali is a good friend, it is nice to meet another friend. Glen is Glen" The little goblin says introducing himself.
"Hey, didn't expect to see you back here. Can't stay away from Ciri, huh? That reminds me, I have something..." With an exaggerated look of concentration, she digs something from a belt pouch with long and arduous effort, finally drawing forth a length of wide, satiny ribbon. "Look! I thought you might like this for a neck ribbon, or a belt. Or maybe a cravat for Mr Bubbles?" She cocks her head at the child, offering the frippery.
Arielle looks up at Ciri, her brown eyes wide but without concern or surprise.
"Hullo, Surry. Thank you very much," the girl says simply. "The ribbon is very pretty."
"That sounds reasonable. For my part, generally I expect to be purchasing notebooks so that I can take notes and write, and then various survival gear..." says Miyari, as she considers, "Well, and weapons and armour, of course. As much as I value my father's sword, well... the edge was far sharper in his time than in mine."
She shrugs lightly and says, "I suppose it all depends on what we find out there and how valuable it is." She begins to toy idly with her broken pocket watch now that she thinks of her father. It was easy to form an association between him and all manners of broken machinery, since his workshop was always filled with such things.
Oleg announces the roasting pig done, and soon his wife, Svetlana, appears with some baked bread and a salad of locally grown veggies.
Sergeant Kesten Garess returns from his visit to one of the locals nearby and introduces himself. His manner seems quiet but competent, and he only sticks around the expedition for as little is required, but always politely.
The night passes uneventfully in the fort turned trading post and a new day dawns...
Ciri grins at Miyari. "Ali here brought some of his pals to visit, didn't you?" She gives a soft woof, then her attention wanders to the small child. Surprises flashes across her face as she walks briskly to the little one, then kneels in the dirt before her, to get to eye level.
"Hey, didn't expect to see you back here. Can't stay away from Ciri, huh? That reminds me, I have something..." With an exaggerated look of concentration, she digs something from a belt pouch with long and arduous effort, finally drawing forth a length of wide, satiny ribbon. "Look! I thought you might like this for a neck ribbon, or a belt. Or maybe a cravat for Mr Bubbles?" She cocks her head at the child, offering the frippery.
"Aye, Ms. Ciri hope you're doing well. Glad to be rid of those blighters, I am." Ali says with a touch of heat in his voice, but that softens as Ciri shows her kind side to Arielle.
Turning to explain to the rest of the party; "I'm from 'round 'ere, after me house burnt down I got captured by bandits. They came t' Olegs & Ciri, Grub and a their friend stopped 'em from raiding t' place." Ali says softly with a strong hint of understatement.
Anyway Ali moves onto the tasty roast pork & apple sauce, as he tries it he mentions to the party; "So we restock 'ere, then try and map out t' area? Try t' find good land and smooth paths."
Come the morning Ali get the supplies together and tries to find Oleg; "Any advise? Or good routes about t' place, I'm from t' local woods but I didn't really get aboard much. And what's t' weather like? Don't want it too damp out."
"If we are just going on short trips to map the nearby areas and plan to return here, I would like to leave the bulk of my supplies and trade goods here, if I might, Oleg. Many of these are suitable for starting a settlement, but not the best for scouting. Would that be agreeable with you, perhaps for a small storage fee?" Roswitha asks the keeper of the trading post.
Kalica readies her horse and props Arielle on top of it. Pats her on the head and turns to her comrades. "What is the plan my friends? I myself have discovered something of a mystery on our way out here. I don't know if it is something we want to investigate further but I am certain it leads to underground ruins of some sort."
"Yes, Glen is aware he is outside the norm, but he appreciates you pointing it out" Glen responds to Oleg's calling him odd, it's hard to tell if he's being sarcastic or not.
The little goblin is pleasant and thankful for the meal, and when morning comes he starts getting his things ready with the others, his floppy ears perk up when he hears Kalica "A mystery? Certainly we would investigate, tell Glen all about this mystery, you say it is linked to underground ruins? Most interesting" Glen says coming over and looking as if he's ready to take notes on this mystery Kalica discovered.
Miyari's ears do perk when Kalica talks about this mystery of hers, and she looks to Glen and is about to say something when Glen tosses in his opinion. "Well, I would always be happy to help uncover such mysteries!" She nods a couple of times cheerily and says, "Maybe this time, I'll actually be right on a hypothesis!"
About exploration, she says, "Anyways, I figure we just fully explore the nearest bit of land and just explore strips of land a little further out each time. That way we'll be as close as we can be to known land where we can resupply or seek help in case of an emergency."
"I'm definitely leaving the supplies here, then. I am not sure about mysterious ruins, but I suppose if they are here, we should find out what they are. It wouldn't be good to put a settlement near, say, the lair of a necromancer. Right?" Roswitha looks a little worried.
"Have fun storming the castle... er, ruins," Ciri calls from flat on her back on the catwalk at the top of the palisade, one leg crossed over the other as she watches the birds fly overhead. "I can't go. Guard duty."
The rising sun shoots a beam through the logs of the palisades and directly into her left eye. She sighs heavily and wriggles over a couple of inches so her eyes are in shade. In a moment, she's snoring.
Be it so known that the bearer of this charter has been charged by the Swordlords of Restov, acting upon the greater good and authority vested within them by the office of the Regent of the Dragonscale Throne, has granted the right of exploration and travel within the wilderness region known as the Greenbelt. Exploration should be limited to an area no further than thirty-six miles east and west and sixty miles south of Oleg’s Trading Post. The carrier of this charter should also strive against banditry and other unlawful behavior to be encountered. The punishment for unrepentant banditry remains, as always, execution by sword or rope. So witnessed on this 24th day of Calistril, under watchful eye of the Lordship of Restov and authority granted by Lord Noleski Surtova, current Regent of the Dragonscale Throne.
"Aye, we'd be best t' be well stocked an' under good weather. I take it t' fort were t' same on t' stout lad mentioned. T' haunted one? Sounds a trifle fishy, good thing we've a couple of grand investigators." Ali says a trifle distracted, but glad Ciri isn't coming along.
"Well, I'm about ready to at least scope out the local area. It will be good to get familiar with the landmarks nearby, so that we can quickly navigate back here if we are in a hurry. Just let me know when you're all ready to move on," says Miyari, "I am not sure how urgent the ruins will be... as curious as I am. How far back are they?"
"The ruins were back where we camped for the night. It had a very menacing presence. I remember walking down the stairs and stepping on stones that lit up. I wasn't really sure what to make of it." Kalica furrows her brows in deep thought over the moment. Trying her best to give as much details as possible without revealing too much of how she is supposedly tied to it. I am not sure if I should reveal more or not. She quietly contemplates inwardly.
"Are you talking about my little safe camp?" Grub says around a mouthful of porridge clearly spooned from the bowl he holds in one hand. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Luscious Legs, but that place is all buried in that hill. Unless you're excavators as well as explorers, all you'll find there is broken stone and a mound of dirt to walk over."
He hops off the barrel he's sitting on and wanders closer.
"'Sides. That's all in Brevoy anyway. Thought you guys were here to see the Greenbelt." He squints at the party with a smile.
"Aye, that we are." Says Ali quickly, nearly interrupting to hopefully minimise any backlash from Kalica at the compliment. "Good memory, Kalica. And we're all packed and ready to head south off the road and into the rolling dales. Make sure you've got good hats, best t' keep warm."
"Well Glen is quite interested in any mystery that we might discover, but his interest can wait, as Mr. Grub has said we're en route to the Greenbelt. Kalica perhaps we should come back to your ruins." The little goblin shakes off his hat and positions it back on his head where it shadows his ugly mug straightening the brim. "Glen has his hat prepared Ali, and is ready for exploration."
"Well, we seem mostly ready," says Miyari, gesturing for the others to start off with her, "Onwards and forwards! Adventure ho!" She starts to wander wildernesswards, only picking up the pace to a full march from a wander once everyone is with her.
Roswitha loads up Stem with the camp gear, leaving the trade goods behind in Oleg's care. She stops to buy a broad-brimmed hat from Oleg - not much for warmth, but it will definitely keep the sun from burning exposed skin.
"Mr. Grub? How long do you think we will be gone?" she asks the halfling, a bit worried about their food supplies given the way he eats.
Seeing Roswitha glance at their food supplies, Ali tries to reassure; "Tis fine, we can always scavenge if we needs. Willow bark makes a tasty tea as well as fine bog roll."
He then looks down at his notebook with the start of a sketch of various plants and foliage of the area & a basic key for their exploration. Before hurrying off after Miyari & Kalica as they trot onwards to the South of Olegs base.
"Mr. Grub? How long do you think we will be gone?" she asks the halfling, a bit worried about their food supplies given the way he eats.
Grub blinks, a dribble of porridge on his bottom lip. "Uh..I dunno. How long do you plan to be gone?" He cocks his head. "Or is this some kind of riddle? I'm not terribly great at those I'm afraid."
Armin turns in early, helping himself to a long, uninterrupted night of meditative "sleep." By the time he stirs from his torpor early in the morning, any paranoia he felt toward the place was gone. For the most part, anyway. At the very least, he could accept that Oleg's is a safe place. A good thing, seeing as they would be returning fairly often.
As everyone discusses their next (or first, technically speaking) course of action, the android peruses the charter's text. He was hardly familiar with documents of the sort, but it struck him as surprisingly concise. What few limits it imposed on them aside, the charter gave them a rather hefty amount of freedom with how to proceed. That much Armin could appreciate.
"We should check out the immediate area, for now. Get a lay of the land," he says in agreement with Miyari, trying to keep everything within the scope of the charter.
The Greenbelt spreads out before the expedition...finally. The wilderness beckons. Its danger. Its unknown mysteries. Its freedom. the first day is bright with scattered clouds clearing pushed along by high winds in the jetstream. Only a cool breeze heralding some rain to come rustles the cloaks of the travellers this day.
Around Oleg's place stretches miles of rolling plains. For all but Ali, the eye can see far into the distance. The youth, however, seems unconcerned as he pays more attention to the feel of the road ahead and does his best to document the rise and fall of the land along the meandering path the party takes.
Miyari looks rather oblivious as she marches forward, acting cheery that their journey has begun. "Smell that?" she says, forgetting that her sense of smell is sharper than the others so they might take the expression too literally, "It's the smell of adventure!"
Armin sniffs at the air dubiously. He could pick up on plenty of scents, but he could not describe any of them as being "adventure." "Are you sure? I don't smell anything like that."
"What's that, Bubbles?" Arielle mutters and holds her teddy bear up to her ear as if the toy was whispering a secret.
She turns to look up at Kalica who had placed the girl on her horse today.
"Bubbles says there's something with those snakes there."
She points to the bushes next to the lamp on the stump.
"What, where...?" replies Ali softly, trying not to startle anything or anyone.
Miyari sniffs the air again and says, "Ah, yes, snakes too. It smells like snakes and adventure." She draws her sword and approaches carefully to see what is happening with the snakes.
"Yes, Glen sees something as well, there is an object shining amongst the snakes." Glen shifts a little closer and peers down at the nest of snakes "Glen is not keen on putting his hand in there to find out what it is though."
"We could await nightfall, aren't snakes sleepier then.... or is it more aggressive. I can never remember." Ali says pondering. "Or maybe smoke them out, or do you do that with fish." The youth has obviously gotten up a little too early and the tiredness is befuddling.
"Ew. Maybe you can move them away with a stick," Roswitha suggests to Miyari, not approaching the snakes herself, "I think they get sluggish in the cold. I can stand ready with a freezing spell in case they have a hissy fit."
She chuckles inside at her own humor but doesn't crack a smile.
Armin dismounts Aeon and follows after Miyari. He looks first to the rusted lamp, and then to the bed of snakes.
"Well, I do not have a stick, exactly, but I do have this," the android says, tugging one of his javelins off his back. The weapon was clearly not meant for this kind of work, but Armin does not fret as he pokes the swarm with the sharp, pointy stick, trying to move the snakes out of the way, or perhaps uncover the object they were swarming over.
The simple garden snakes disperse into the grass and bushes as their healthy fear of pointy sticks sets in. Once all of their coils have slithered out of sight, a set of three tarnished brass keys is revealed. There are some shiny spots here and there, as if the snakes' scales had polished them as they wound around them.
"Eh? Keys?" says Miyari, not seeming terribly impressed. She reaches towards them tentatively with her clawed hand. "Great," she says, waving her opposite hand around the area, "We can use them to unlock all the doors around here."
She examines them for any marks.
The three keys are small, about 1½ inches in length suggesting they are likely for something with a tiny lock as the typical door key is 3-4 inches. They are all threaded onto a single loop of brass also fairly tarnished.
Miyari sees some markings on the stem of each of the small keys. But they are difficult to make out under the tarnish.
The equally tarnished brass lantern sitting on the stump nearby stoically remains silent regarding Miyari's joke about the doors. It doesn't even crack a smile. Oh...right. It's a lantern.
"Doors? I don't see distances reet grand, but...." Ali looks around the grasslands towards the hills, that are way beyond his vision with a perplexed look.
The expedition spends the day wandering the plains to the south of Oleg's while Ali charts the topography based on his own observations and what the party relays to him.
To the east and southeast the plains continue while to the west the plains fade into forest some distance away. The southwest has scrub vegetation blooming into full-fledged forest quickly. The lands are lush and full of greenery while wildlife is also abundant. One perhaps over curious male elk bellows at the party after it comes fairly close to where it's grazing. It bounds off into the distance after signaling its displeasure.
The first night of camping is a little awkward as some of the more civilized learn the ins and outs of setting up tents and how to do chores without easily obtained amenities. It will certainly be a learning curve.
Miyari helps pitch the tents, trying her best to be helpful, but... "... and my father talked about taking us camping sometime, you know, to go hunting! How fun would that have been? Anyways, being from a nomadic tribe, he knew very well what it was like to camp. I am sure that I'll have inherited some of that know-how from him. I suppose my mother knows some things about that, too... both nomads, you see... hm..."
She gets a dreamy expression on her face and then says, "I expect that we should keep travelling east, since there is more grassland there. We can see anything dangerous coming, and avoid it if it's too obvious. Also if we ever need to retreat through it, we'll know what will be waiting for us, and we'll closer to civilization. Also, it might look more organized on the map. What do you all think?"
Glen helps with what he can preparing for the night, though he doesn't have much experience with tents either. He did occasionally have to sleep outside, but he didn't have anything as fancy as a tent. "Glen is fine with travelling East, we should be able to travel well through the grasslands, and as Miyari said we can see dangers coming... on the other hand dangers will also be able to see us quite well."
"I wonder how old t' lantern or t' keys be? What you think?"
Used to sleeping on the rough ground & under trees, Ali is a bit reticent of the tent - though luxurious it doesn't quiet offer the space the youth'd like. Whilst they set traps & prepare meals; "Aye, tho' I'm used to woods, I'd guess it'd be easier to map t' grasslands and it'd keep us from getting lost. Then with time when we're more used to roughing it, t' woods may be more sensible."
"Don't jump into t' fire, when tha' int' stewpot." Ali adds, placing a carrot into t' wrought iron kettle as demonstration.