"You can start by calling me Asta," Asta says, as she casually reaches out and taps Elaine's forehead with one knuckle - it appears to be a gesture of mild reproach. "I have no title. Yet."
A brief smile flickers across the Ulfen girl's face.
Allysen is up early the next morning, practicing her archery in the pre-dawn gloom. The bow in her hand is well used and well cared for. Leather creaks as the tiefling falls into a rhythm.
Draw. Aim. Release.
Draw. Aim. Release.
Draw. Aim. Release...
As the sun rises above the horizon, she retrieves her arrows and climbs up to the catwalk around the fort and settles against the wall. Her tail uncoils from around her waist and the tip traces the grain of the wood.
Well, Desna, you've gotten me this far. I'll trust you to get me through anything that comes my way.
She lifts a silver pendant on a silver chain from underneath her overtunic and holds it in her palm. Her thumb traces the delicately crafted metal, formed into the shape of a swallowtail butterfly.
"Well, I guess we'll see what happens. If nothing else, it should be interesting."
A raven lands at a respectful distance from the tiefling archer and eyes her pendant with a beady, greedy eye.
"That's nice and shiny," it says in a conversational tone of voice. "Don't shoot me; I'm Asta's familiar. She'd get really mad at you. Anyway, boss-lady says we leave after breakfast. Come down to the mess hall when you're ready."
The raven starts to turn his back, then glances back at Elaina.
"By the by - if you kill anything, I'll be glad to take the eyeballs off your hands. Same goes with any entrails lying around. No muss, no fuss, just call me and I'll take care of everything."
With a harsh cawing which just might be the raven equivalent of laughter, the black bird flies away towards the trading post's mess hall.
Allysen's hands close tight around the pendant, almost by instinct. She didn't know why, but the way the bird eyed it was more unnerving than hearing it talk, at least until it mentioned taking care of eyeballs and entrails.
Somehow, that bird fits Asta.
She climbs back down after putting the pendant back down the front of her overtunic. The smells of cooking fill her nose as she makes her way to the mess hall.
Funny, I was sure I wasn't hungry yet.
She opens the doors and heads straight for a plate and some food. She smiles as she fixes her plate and turns to Svetlana.
"Thank you ma'am. If you keep this up, I may wind up staying here all the time."
"So, how did you end up helping the little guys with the statue?" Marten asks during breakfast.
"Whu-what?! Kobolds? You mean those short yappy things that like going on and on about how they're better than the rest of us because they're kin to dragons? Those kobolds?"
"Exactly! Finally, someone who understands. I'm starting to like the tiefling. However, Erastil teaches us to be good neighbors. As much as I dislike the idea, it is only right that we give them the chance to prove themselves better than their reputation."
The next morning Torod is there with his longbow. He watches Elaina practice a bit before joining her without a word. He simply stands next to her and shoots when she isn't. Strawberry's attention is on Croft. She stalks the bird, trying to get into prime pouncing position.
"No. Its a trophy. I'd love to let you hang it."
Oleg grins widely...
"Svetlana is going to love this!"
Sense motive DC 10
Why meeeeeee?!
Elaina tries not to just fall off the horse she had borrowed. She could walk for days, but riding a horse made her feel queasier and queasier as it bumped and jostled her, obviously skittish.
"Why'd it have to be horses? I'd rather walk!"
The field of flowers almost escaped her notice. Notice she did, however, and the fact that she was riding a horse was forgotten. Her mind puzzled over what could have caused this.
This is definitely weird. Never seen flowers like these. But I will be first to admit I am no expert on local flora. But it could be magical...
Just to be sure no magical effect is lingering around
Marten casts detect magic.
"Most unusual. What do you think, Deathstrike's half-elf?"
Asta looks up from the map she has been working on when the flowers' fragrance stirs her nose -- and sneezes thrice in quick succession.
"These are not quite so bountiful back home," the young Witch says as she dabs at her nose with her handkerchief, and she gazes out over the profusion. Her eyebrows draw down in a small frown. "Is it me, or all these all different? That is not natural. Species may share territory, but the strongest compete, pushing out the weaker strains..."
Asta makes a brief gesture and mutters a Word, then shrugs her shoulder so Croft launches into the air. "Go see how far this oddity extends!" she calls up to the raven. "Report to me when you are done."
Turning to the others, she shrugs again. "Perhaps we should hold position until I have gotten that report," she suggests.
Marten rides close to Asta and takes a look at the map.
"A map of the territory you have already explored? Nice."
Asta smiles briefly. "Thank you. It seemed wise to have one, and as none were readily for sale... Having a familiar with the capacity for flight and speech has been helpful."
"I agree on both accounts. And having a familiar at all is probably useful. I am thinking of getting one myself. Have not met the right one yet, though."
"I would like to study it sometime, when we have more time. Like in the evening, for example. Would it be ok with you? I may have no talent for drawing maps, but I can certainly appreciate a good map when I see one." Marten smiles at Asta.
"Not a problem, Also, I may make you a copy when we return to the trading post from our current foray," Asta offers, smiling subtly. "And perhaps I can be helpful when it comes to selecting your familiar, too. Croft may be able to coax a fellow raven into accepting you when you perform the summoning ritual."
"That is most kind of you, lady Asta. But seeing as we will probably travel together extensively in the near futuru, it is not high priority now. But I will appreciate my own map, especially once we have explored larger territory. Regarding the familiar, thank you for the offer. I will think on it."
"I wondered. Were there more people in the original chartered group? If so, what happened to them?"
Strawberry licks her lips at the thought of two birds.
Torod takes the time to examine the flowers.
Knowledge: nature
During their ride, Torod gets next to Elaina. "Your nature is making the beast edgy. You need to relax some, put him at ease. You stay tense and you will be walking, only after a fall out of the saddle."
"Not my fault. Horses just don't like me, and I'm trying to keep my breakfast down. I'd rather not find out if it tastes as good going the other way."
It's hard to tell, but it appears that Elaina's actually paler than usual. But she does try to relax.
"Easy, easy. I'm not going to hurt ya." she softly coos to the horse.
Somehow, she thinks the horse didn't get the message.
"We shall have to enquire at Oleg's whether there might have been someone living here, say, forty years ago," Asta says as she looks out over the sprawl of flowers. "Well. Time to be moving on, methinks."
After dismounting, Asta digs into her pack, brings out and unwraps the idol -- and lifts it up for the guards to see.
Torod helps Elaina if she'll allow. Handle Animal "He says his name is Maks. He is loyal and steadfast, for a horse, and has promised to make an effort to get to know you."
Torod keeps Strawberry close by him during the exchange. "I don't trust them, girl. Keep your senses sharp."
"I guess it is kinda late to ask how well you know the little fellows."
"Lead the way, lady. I will follow your commands" Marten says. Probably he even means it.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Asta follows the Kobolds -- after re-wrapping the idol and stuffinf it back into her pack, the better to prevent mishaps along the way.
Elaina gladly accepts Torod's help. When he tells her the horse's name, she reaches down and pats its neck.
"Hullo Maks. I'm glad to hear that."
Elaina doesn't trust the kobold's either. Her eyes study every shadow and her eyes listen to every sound, trying to see if there was something going on.
Without saying a word, Asta retrieves, unwraps and then presents the idol.
Trust is hard to come by.
-Posted with Wayfinder
The young Witch hands the Kobold his treasure. "And so we are bound before by our word before the gods," she says in Common. "Yes?"
Asta quirks an eyebrow. "I... see. Do you speak of the Shaman who has been urging you to war?"
The young Ulfen woman glances at Torod. "Rejoice, Torod. It looks like you'll get to kill someone today, after all."
Here it comes, The knife in the back.
Elaina's eyes search the room as her body tenses for the expected ambush.
"Come, everyone," Asta says over her shoulder as she falls in behind the Chieftain. "We have a warmonger to slay and peace to guarantee between us and these honourable, hardworking Kobolds."
"You misunderstand me, Asta. Sometimes life makes fighting inevitable or someone makes killing necessary. I don't take joy in either. I do rejoice in surviving to see another day, though, and in the pleasures of kin and community." He follows along with the others.
"So this is Kobold diplomacy, I should have guessed"
Speaking, Marten takes out oil of shillelagh and applies it to his staff. Then he joins the group in search of the shaman.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"I take it this is the usurper you mentioned?" Asta whispers to the Chief. If the answer is as little as a nod or an unequivocal "Yes" -- the young Witch launches into action! "Do not allow him to cast! Hit him from a distance!"
Asta opens hostilities by casting a brief spell, which sets up an unholy din in Tartuk's skull -- although no one else can hear it.
Wielding his oiled staff in both hands, Marten moves next to Tartuk and lanches an attack.
Upon learning that part of the deal was to fight one of the other kobolds, Elaina readies her bow. Her eyes look back and forth from Asta to Torod. Her ears prickle and her nose feels icy as she thinks.
One is blunt, quick to jump to conclusions. The other seems more thoughtful, but lacks some tact... Well, too late now. All I can do is hope for the best.
When it's obvious who they were supposed to kill, she snaps her bow up and sends an arrow streaking across the room, and not landing as solidly as she had hoped.
"I sure hope we're doing the right thing..." the tiefling mutters under her breath.