Again you are able to travel peacefully, you arrive at the village of the Lizard folk mid-morning. Already you can see signs that things are improving for the Lizard folk. Somehow more land has been raised from the river and the village has expanded outwards.
Vashant the new leader greets you politely as you reach the gate, you can also see that nets have been laid in the river, both to fish and to form a pen for what looks to be large turtles that the lizard folk are tending.
Seeing your looks Vashant explains that thanks to the trade with your settlement the tools they have gathered have allowed them to build a hatchery for turtles, and several new mounds dedicated to growing edible fungus.
What are you doing?
As they arrive at the lizardfolk village, Darian rides a few yards ahead and holds up a hand as a show of peace and greeting. Once they are welcomed, he dismounts and bows politely to Chief Vashant before replying ”I am glad your village is prospering with peaceful trade with Silverhold, Chief Vashant.”
The Lizard folk are still wary of other races, but so far things are going smoothly. With several new sources of food being created the chances of them eating anyone wandering into their territory are much less.
While he is polite you do get the feeling that he would prefer you to make the visit brief. His people are still very xenophobic and it will take a few years before visitors are regarded as normal.
Johanna keeps to herself not interacting with the lizardfolk until they are more comfortable.
"Are you having any problems with bandits or such? I know you are patrolling the area, and we trust you to take care of your own, but we consider you part of our community, so we want to make that as easy as possible. Where would you like to have our patrols stop so that we aren't both patrolling the same space? Working together let's us cover more ground, and help keep more of our peoples safe."
The Lizardfolk are surprised at Josef's question, but do appreciate it. The combination of poverty and hostility to outsiders means that they don't seem to be regarded as a tempting target for bandits.
Darian bids Chief Vashant farewell before the party departs, their coterie turning north and headed for Silverhold. Once safely back to town, Darian sets to arranging for the sale of the various items that were deemed as treasure and making certain the men were all paid and the other leaders got their fair shares.
He then pulls a pair of trusted men aside, and says ”I would like for you to travel to Numeria. The smiths there I have heard tale of their skill with working skymetals. I’ve even seen their handiwork, once saw a man who wore a suit of full plate armor as deftly as one may wear a breastplate. Find the best available smith you can, and hire them to come to Silverhold. I have a special order I would like fulfilled.”
___________
Darian stood at the wash basin of their private chambers, quietly looking at his reflection. The latest trek out into the wilderness had been harrowing, more so than usual. He reached down and cupped some water into his hands, splashing it over his face a few times before rinsing off his hands and took a linen and dried himself off as he walked into their bedchambers.
He looked to Isabel, cradling Magnus in her arms in a chair on the balcony, watching them for several minutes from inside before making his way out to join them. He leaned on the railing and looked out over the lake quietly for a few moments. ”So...” he says to break the silence, ”quite a few close calls out there on that trek.”
_________
Darian seeks out Josef before he can head out from the Castle. ”Ho! Lord Orlovsky! You have any immediate plans?”[/ooc] he calls out as he makes his way through the training yard, picking up several of the dulled training blades and looking at them appreciatively.
[b]”If not,” he adds as he finally selects one similar in size and heft as his own blade, ”I was wondering if you’d do me the honor of a bit of sparring. Aside from the actual combat we’ve been in, I haven’t had a chance to actually practice my form. Your own is quite impressive, and I would be honored to have a chance to see how I can hold up without the aid of my magic.”
"Nothing pressing enough that we can't spar. As for my form, I've had some specialized training, but you know that. Want em to start easy, or go hard out of the gate?"
Darian returns a friendly but mischievous smile to Josef. ”An enemy wouldn’t go easy right out of the gate, would they?”
"Without magic? Just a moment, then." Josef removes his cloak, his amulet, and catches the ioun stone that's always flying around his head, setting them aside before he takes a position for the match, and returns the Baron's salute.
His blade whips out almost too fast for the eye to follow, going not for the point of a touch, but to disarm the Baron instead.
A quick flick of the wrist, and slight bend to the elbow, and the baron's sword falls to the ground as Josef's blade also smacks his hand.
Then he brings the blade around for another shot, bringing it under the arm which was pulled up by the disarm maneuver and touching the baron's ribs, to match the strike on his hand.
He sets into a stance with the point of his blade low, close to the bastard sword on the ground.
"Are you sure you want me to start this way?"
Darian chuckles, rubbing his wrist as he signals a yield. ”Well done! Another round?” he asks as he collects his sparring blade and readies a stance.
Johanna would spend her time performing by singing songs to the good people of their town and just relaxing.
Freya, when not being rather hermit-like on the outskirts the city, wanders around the town - with Fenrir and Muninn in tow - listening to and talking with the towns folk, trying to get a feel for how the citizens of Silverhold are doing and what they are thinking.
(spending inspiration)
Josef steps back and let's the Baron have a quick moment to reset before stepping up and saluting, again.
Feeling guilty about continuing to beat down the Baron, Josef decides to alter his tactics, making the decision before the Baron even sees him move. His sword drops down, tapping the Baron's blade but not starting the circular motion of a disarm. "You know how easily I can take that. Yield before I actually hurt you." There's no sign of humor or even empathy in his voice, the tone carrying a menace you don't frequently hear from your Marshall.
Once he demonstrates his aggression, Josef settles back to receive an attack.
Darian’s eyes narrow at the Marshall’s threat. He swings with his blunted blade at the Marshall, though it seemed more of a feint than anything.
"You really never had a chance, so why did you try?" The taunting continues, though the malice is far less evident, but this time his blade flashes out, first at your lead leg, then the ribs on your off-side as you instinctively step back from the first strike.
But neither lands.
Darian takes a defensive posture, but still strikes back at Josef. He gives an uneasy smirk as he replies ”Because how else does one get better but to practice?”
___________
This time Josef goes to touch each elbow, starting with the empty hand.
Landing the harder touch.
”Ow! Nice hit...” Darian says as he retaliates in kind, still his sword being parried by Josef’s.
This time he feints at the lead knee, but tries to tag the shoulders.
Again, landing neither touch.
Darian continues the defensive stance, as it seems to be doing better for him, which in turn rebolsters his confidence.
Frowning, Josef quits trying to be fancy, and goes for opportunity torso strikes.
And continues to miss badly.
His confidence restored, Darian goes on the offensive! He strikes out at Josef as he recovers his footing, striking the Aldori-trained swordsman on the forearm of his off-hand!
”Ha!”
"I see you've recovered. Took you long enough. Now, don't hold still or this will be less fun."
Josef responds to the touch by putting his blade's point under Darian's right collarbone, just a tap, before rolling his wrist to make the blade go in a great circle over Darian's blade, without touching it, and rolling around into his hip.
Then he steps back into a salute.
"You touched me once. Once. We need to work on that. Did you feel how the hilt moved in our hand when I disarmed you? We should talk about that, too."
Darian laughs heartily as he waves his hand to Josef, acknowledging his defeat before returning the military salute. ”Indeed. Indeed. We shall have to work on it more, but for now, a drink perhaps?” he asks as he claps a friendly hand on Josef’s shoulder.
He talks warmly of the differences in their respective styles, openly admitting that he tends to rely on his magic to supplement what he lacks in true skill with the blade as he pours the two of them a glass of wine.
”My father, he had hired a tutor for me when I was young. He was renowned for his skill with the blade. But what he had managed to hide was his love of the drink. He was a secret drunkard, and my father’s coin provided him more opportunity to access more of it than he ever had before. Crucias was his name,” he comments as he has a seat and raises his glass to toast Josef. He takes a sip before continuing ”When my latent magic first manifested, it helped me to embarrass him during a training session when he was, to put it bluntly, drunk off his ass. His rapier shattered from the impact of my own blade combined with my magic. He attempted to take revenge on me, but my father just so happened to enter and witness it. He immediately fired him and arranged for me to begin tutoring with others skilled in similar magic. But I never forgot...”
Darian reaches into his inner shirt pocket and retrieves a small sliver of metal Josef can recognize as a shard of a sword. Darian uses his magic to cause it to float between them as he adds ”I’ve kept it with me all these years to remind me to temper myself. Keep myself focused. Though, I do admit,” he adds with a chuckle and a smile as the sliver floats back to his hand, ”sometimes I purposely forget. Have to have some fun in this life, right?”
”Nevertheless, I was hoping that perhaps you would do Isabel and I the honor of teaching our children the art of the sword when they come of age, if it is their calling? I can think of no one better to do so.”
In an uncharacteristic movement, Josef pats and rubs the sheath his blade is in. "Sometimes fun leads to that sort of reminder. They are more common than you might think. Especially those keeping us aware of consequences, I guess." His eyes unfocus, seeing something not present while he talks.
Once Darian makes the request that Josef might train his children, the young man looks the elder in the eyes and shakes his head, sighing, before he responds. "I don't know if I am more honored that you ask, or that asking means you expect me to be here long enough to do so. I will be happy to help them learn the basics of combat, and to teach them more if it seems to be their path. You'll need to ensure we have a well-equipped training facility by then, though. Our men currently train in the street next to the barracks, or off the road outside of town. Some have to spend each session performing traffic control so that the others can train. But, you didn't want me to turn this into business." He seems to relax as he takes the topic away from training your children, though.
Darian smiles back. ”Can only do so much with our resources for now. But a proper garrison to and facilities to protect our people is of course on the docket. I wouldn’t want our neighbors: the other groups, the Sootscale, and the lizardfolk, am any others to think we are gearing for war.”
The young man nods. "Fair enough. Hopefully it won't be that much longer before the three of us are coordinating patrols and openly cooperating for the common defense." He shakes his head and can't keep from snickering a little. "Even if they are kobolds."
------------
Josef will take the elven statuette to Lily.
Heading for Lily's normal place of business (the inn?), Josef looks about for her. "Lily? Where's she gotten to?" Eventually finding her, he pulls the cloth-wrapped piece out of a bag, and smiles at her. "We found something that you've been looking for, and the Baron thinks we ought to share it with you." He unwraps the piece and sets in on a nearby surface. "That the kind of thing you were looking for?"
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He looked to Isabel, cradling Magnus in her arms in a chair on the balcony, watching them for several minutes from inside before making his way out to join them. He leaned on the railing and looked out over the lake quietly for a few moments. ”So...” he says to break the silence, ”quite a few close calls out there on that trek.”
"Too many." Isabel replies, speaking softly to avoid disturbing Magnus. "We are doing good work here, but we need more. We have to push the boundaries, cover a larger space. Our people need to be safe. We need to be safe."
She shakes her head. "I just worry that we're missing something. Something important."
|
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Darian raises a hand and halts the troupe. He looks to the others and says ”We are being hunted. The forest drake. I’ve heard it fly overhead a few times. Dante! Get the men and wagons to cover.”
The captain nods and begins directing the caravan to thicker trees to provide them cover.
”Let’s see about dealing with this drake...”
Freya nods. "I've seen it too. Nasty things."
Content to get back out on the road.
"Sounds interesting lets go find this thing. I'm till trying to find my place here in town so happy to get back out to secure the area for our people."
In the forest:
"Hunted? I haven't seen anything." She listens and pulls her wand enhancing her dexterity for what it to come.
"Okay . . .. A drake, you say? Why do I never see these things?" He prepares his bow for use.
It's easy to track the beast now you are aware of it.
You soon draw close to it lair, made even easier by the stench of rotting flesh in the air.
Lisl casts Communal Resist energy (Acid) on the party.
The Drake spits a ball of acid, just missing Josef, the ball explodes into an acid fog.
The party can now act.
”Josef! I’ll go right, you go left!” Darian says before charging at the drake. He lunges with his blade as soon as he is within range.