"...does your father do any forging?" Ishgha asks the barbarian. "I would like to replace my current arms and equipment."
"Certainly. Kelda got her sword from him." Kelda unsheathes her sword and holds it up with a prideful grin. She puts it away and continues. "But should find Hunting Serpent Inn first--and find the others so they may enjoy it as well."
--------------------
The steaks prove to be quite tasty, and once the three of you are finished your meals it's time to pay up and seek out Snaevald. Sandru manages to wrangle directions to the man's home out of one of the Iron Hearth's patrons, and takes the lead as the trio continues to explore Kalsgard's Amber Quarter.
The directions Sandru received lead the group down a couple of different streets thronged with well-dressed men, each of them bearing some manner of arms. Most of their weapons appear to be designed for ostentatiousness first and function second, with their hilts encrusted with gold filigree and gems of all sorts.
A harsh, cold wind blows past the group as they finally reach what Sandru was told was Snaevald's home. It's a three-story building carved from immaculately-prepared pine timbers, much in the same style of the many shops you passed on your way here. What's different about this house is the images of serpentine Tianese dragons carved into the building's front door, and the bay window on the first floor that's frosted over from the cold.
As the argument continues, Kasha clears her throat. Loudly. "Uhm... hello there....sorry to interrupt but we were looking for the services of a guide." she says hesitantly.
Friday nods at the Barbarian's suggestion.
Everything okay? he asks Zaiobe through their link, promoted by her silence.
The dark-haired lady turns at the sound of Kasha clearing her throat. Her dark eyes blink a couple of times before she narrows them at the group. She turns to face them fully, revealing a couple of nasty bruises on her cheek and jaw.
"Eh? What for?" She slurs slightly, beginning to approach. She leans on her staff for support as she moves.
The clerk at the desk gives the group a worried look before he starts shuffling a stack of papers.
Kasha frowns at the bruises, noting the woman's need to support herself on her staff. "Well we plan on traveling through the mountains. Are you alright? I can help...if you don't mind." she says drawing a slender birch wand from her hip.
"Oh, I'm sorry we should," he starts then stops once the harpy lays her head on his shoulder. He hadn't been all that concerned with the cold to begin with, but with the way his body was heating up he felt like he wouldn't have to worrry about it all.
"We should look to get a cloak or coat made for you, something that would let your wings still be free."
"But first, maybe something to warm us up?" he says aloud as they approach the inn.
"Well we plan on traveling through the mountains."
"Mountains? Why'd you want to be travelling now, of all times?" The bruised woman grunts. "It's off travelling season--the morozko storms comin' down the Crown are especially bad this time o' year."
"Now, if Ulf were here, he'd be able to find his way through 'em, no problem..."
"Are you alright? I can help...if you don't mind."
"F$&$, no, I'm not alright." She grumbles. "THAT little milk-drinking, yellow-bellied prick--" She hitches a thumb over at the distressed clerk. "--won't tell me where the f!!~ Ulf is."
She blinks a couple of times when Kasha produces her wand. "Uh... sure. Could use a bit o' patching up--the grog around here tastes awful and doesn't do a damn thing to help with bruises."
The steak had been better than she'd thought, not as tough as she'd been expecting, for a start. After the first few bites, she'd dug in heartily and ended up being the first of the three to finish. Granted; she'd cut a few pieces up for Xel, but still.
**************************************************************************
"Well, call me crazy, but I think this is the place," she joked, gesturing to the Tianese dragon carvings.
Kasha finds herself grinning at the foul mouthed outburst. "I've found that cheap grog usually leads to more bruises rather than fixes them." Kasha quips as she uses the wand to heal her wounds.
"So how did you end up getting this roughed up?"
"So how did you end up getting this roughed up?"
The lady sighs in relief as Kasha's wand heals her bruises up. "Eh... went out drinking in the Fire Quarter. Someone made the mistake of making fun of Ulf where I could hear them... and maybe I started shoving him a bit. And then tried to break a bottle over his skull when he made a point of not apologizing for his remarks. It kinda got fuzzy from there."
"Anyways, name's Uksahkka. Ulf's my business partner--best damn guide you'll ever find for crossing the Crown."
------------------
"Yeah, sounds like it." Sandru chuckles before walking up to the door and knocking on it.
There's a brief silence before the sound of shuffling footsteps can be heard from beyond. The door opens slightly. "What?!" A grumpy, old-sounding man's voice comes from beyond the door. It sounds like the man gargles with gravel and broken glass.
------------------
<That would be lovely, Friday.> Zaiobe smiles and huddles closer to the man for warmth.
"But first, maybe something to warm us up?"
Kelda laughs heartily. "Of course--step inside!" She strides up to the doors and opens them.
The large common room of the Hunting Serpent Inn is crowded and well-heated by a lit hearth in the eastern wall. Several tables have all manner of travelling folk seated at them--most of them are Ulfen warriors dressed in furs and chain, but the group can spot a few men & women in elaborate robes poring over books while they're having their meals. The northern side of the common room has a stairway leading upstairs, and near the stairs are a couple of gaming tables. Some of the patrons here are busily throwing knucklebones at the tables while alternating between cheering at their good fortune and chugging from their animal horns that function as drinking mugs.
Standing behind the well-stocked bar is a tall Ulfen man with brown hair and shining brown eyes, his hair neatly braided around his head. His beard is long and bushy enough to reach his chest. He waves the party over with a hearty grin.
"Newcomers, eh? Well, pull up a chair and sit down--never let it be said that Tosti Finehall turns away strangers with coin in their hands!"
Friday serenely smiles at the woman choosing to be so close to him as thy enter.
At the barman's offer Friday will bow and then look for a table for the group.
"Hi, um; Mister Snaevald? We heard you'd recently lost a sword?" As much as she tried to suppress it, the stereotype of Ulfen was nagging in the back of her head, and this guy's voice and manner wasn't really helping with that.
There's a brief silence on the other side of the door that's broken by a cough. "...aye. That I have."
The door opens a bit further to reveal an ancient-looking slender & wiry Ulfen man, dressed in dark brown furs and in muted green tones. His long white hair is braided at the tips, and his thick moustache & beard flow together seamlessly. Blue veins crawl across his arms and neck.
"Was a fine Tien sword, the like of which one wouldn't see in a hundred lifetimes." The old man draws himself up to his full height (which is still quite impressive, for his age) and smiles in recollection. His teeth are fairly yellow--you're certain that a few of them are actually made of gold.
"Eh, wouldn't do to have a talk where the cold can get at us, right?" Snaevald steps aside and opens his door fully. "Come in, come in--no sense in letting the heat out!"
"Sounds lie you're the ind of person who's good at backing up their friends. I like that!" Kasha says grasping the woman's forearm. "Nice to meet you Uksahkka, I'm Kasha, these are Haru and Shalelu. We'd definitely be interested in your partner's skills crossing the Crown if he's as good as you say."
Shalelu nods at Uksahkka when Kasha introduces her.
"We'd definitely be interested in your partner's skills crossing the Crown if he's as good as you say."
"He is. We've led a dozen caravans over the Crown in our careers, through storms and other dangers." Uksahkka beams with pride. Unfortunately, her moment of pride immediately gives way to despondency and bitterness.
"Of course, he would if I knew where he was now..." The tracker sighs. "See, about a week ago, Ulf was offered a job from one of the local lords around here. Just came out of nowhere, considering he's not exactly on good terms with most of the merchant guilds here in Kalsgard. Something about chartering a new route through the Grungir Forest for one of the new thanes here..."
Kasha's eyes narrow at the mention of a Thane given the people they were attacked by earlier. "If you normally work together, how come you weren't involved in the job?"
"If you normally work together, how come you weren't involved in the job?"
"That's just it." Uksahkka grumbles. "The man who offered Ulf the job was a thane named Asvig Longthews. He made the trip out to his farm to take the job about a week ago to discuss the job's final details and payment, and he was supposed to come back and get me."
"He never came back from that farm, so I went looking there myself. The bastard told me Ulf never showed up for the job and had me thrown off his land."
"Well That certainly sounds suspicious." Kasha says frowning."And expert tracker getting lost on his way somewhere, and why would they forcibly throw you out....or were you um...a little aggressive in your questioning.?" she asks flashing Uksahkka a brief grin.
Friday manages to find a table that has enough chairs for the group--it's near one of the gambling tables by the stairs up. The gamblers only really take notice of Ishgha, Zaiobe & Koya. Some of them begin to reach for their weapons, but Koya's presence stops them--especially when they see the holy symbol of Desna around her neck. They reluctantly return to their game, but a couple of them (a nervous-looking young warrior in wolf hides and a surly-looking blond dwarf with a red eyepatch and dressed in banded iron armour) keep stealing glances over at your assembled group.
A waiter comes by with several menus and hands them out for you to peruse. The Hunting Serpent Inn offers a wide variety of dishes for the discerning palate--freshly-caught fish from the Rimeflow, steaks cut from the flanks of grizzly bears, a medley of stewed vegetables from Kalsgard's outlying farms, and even some fine pasta imported from the nation of Cheliax, far to the south.
The variety of food is supplemented by the variety of alcoholic beverages on offer. Mead is right at the top of the list, costing a silver piece. Beneath it is beer, spirits, something called "Firewater", ale, and... milk.
Friday throws a few blank glances back at the unruly gamblers as he looks over the menu. "Do you see anything you like?" he asks Zaiobe while trying to decide on something for himself.
Friday nods as she points out a meal. Though he thought a good piece was a lot for a single steak, maybe it was from hard to hunt beast?
"Is that what you want? I'll try it too."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Koya looks at the menu she was given and blinks in surprise. "Are you kiddin' me?! One gold piece for a damn steak?!" She almost exclaims in sheer bewilderment.
"It'd better be the best damn steak in the North, for that price..."
"I was hoping it was..." Friday adds glumly.
Kavell was a nervous energy, his eyes ran about the place often, a little twitch of a smile on the corner of his lips everytime his eyes ran over Kelda. He managed a small little frown at the table of gamblers who eyed them nervously. For a long moment he sat there glancing them, wondering if they were going to be a problem when the others started to glance at the menu.
What kind of wolf meat costs so much?
He asked completely confused. His experiance had always been that the meat of a predator was stringy and tough... it was much better tasting the domesticated animal variety.
I'll have the Rimeflow fish, with extra vegetables and a white wine and you miss Kelda?
He asked blushing slightly.
And could you get that table right there a round of mead on me.
He said loudly enough and making the motion so that the gambling table saw him.
Friday arches a brow as the Paladin gifts the rough table drinks, his eyes shifting from the Aasimar to the gamblers.
He couldnt help but notice Fridays stare.
i dont want trouble, if that means buying them a round the so be it.
He began with a slight shrug
"And if that makes them come over?"
"Oh, thank you," she replied, remembering how bad it must be for the others.
Once they were inside and as settled as guests one can be, Valeria spoke. "We're curious about the sword because - and I realise I could be wrong - it could be one my friend's grandfather traded away while he was travelling from Minkai."
"And if that makes them come over?"
then we politley introduce ourselves, make small talk and excuse ourselves when the meal arrives.
"... we can't really excuse ourselves from our own table."
He smiled, how could he not.
what i meant was we politely wxcuse them from our table while we eat. You combat ignorance with kindness according to Shelyn. You work to prevent hostility before it starts.
Friday kept the Paladin's gaze. "I combat things by stabbing them. Works so far."
He blinked. "And the hostilities already started when we came in."
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"What kind of wolf meat costs so much?"
"The kind that's a g~@*+%n tourist trap, that's what." Koya grumbles.
"I'll have the Rimeflow fish, with extra vegetables and a white wine and you miss Kelda?"
"Grizzly steak with side of rice & mead." Kelda grins.
"I can't speak for my whole group, my brother and our friend Amiko are in charge,but I'd like to help you find your partner." Kasha says earnestly, looking to her companions.
"...I suppose I'll have the same as you, Kavell." Ishgha folds up his menu. "Except I'm going to try this 'firewater'."
Zaiobe points at the "Winter Wolf Steak" and moves her finger over to the 'Well Done' scrawled across from it. She then taps the 'Mead' on the beverage menu.
"I'll be having the veggies & pasta with milk. Sure as the hells ain't gonna shell out a whole gold piece for a steak." Koya closes her menu.
"And could you get that table right there a round of mead on me."
The waiter that comes by to take your orders stops short and departs for the kitchens. The patrons at the nearby table grin and offer their thanks as their mead arrives. The alcohol is served in large, hollowed-out horns, with a curve at the bottom to apparently discourage anyone from setting it down.
Friday smiles at Zaiobe as she insists on the Winter Wolf. "I'll have it as well. Um, medium-rare?" he slowly says, not used to ordering a steak. "And..." he stops. He wasn't feeling all that adventurous when it came to drinks but he didn't see any tea so "Mead as well."
"Is it any good?" he asks Zaiobe before turning to Koya. "You can have some of mine."
"We're curious about the sword because - and I realise I could be wrong - it could be one my friend's grandfather traded away while he was travelling from Minkai."
Snaevald's sitting room is lavishly furnished, with a polar bear-skin rug sitting in front of a roaring hearth. A velvet-lined easy chair and a (likely overstuffed) couch sit around a mahogany coffee table, upon which an image of a wolf's head is carved. Several bookshelves line the wall around the hearth, and they're nearly spilling over with a wide variety of novels, treatises and other pieces of literature.
"Really, now?" Snaevald's eyes widen and he arches a bushy eyebrow. "I've done business with quite a few Tian ladies & gentlemen who've come over the Crown in my lifetime. Could you perhaps describe him?"
"Well..." Ameiko starts. "...his name was Rokuro Kaijitsu--"
"AH! Yes, yes, I remember him, certainly!" Snaevald nods with a smile on his face. "Quite a serious young man when I met him. Desperate, too. I've never seen a man sell his family's ancestral blade so cheaply." He says with a clear tone of regret.
"Ah, but I forget my manners. What sort of host am I?" The old Ulfen claps his hands twice, and in the span of half a minute a pair of well-groomed servants step out of a doorway off the sitting room. "Would you two kindly pour some ale and bring out some bread for us? Got to have a little something to chase off the cold, you know!"
The servants nod once and disappear back through the doorway without a word. Snaevald turns his attention back on the group. "Now, what else did you wish to know of Suishen?"
"I can't speak for my whole group, my brother and our friend Ameiko are in charge,but I'd like to help you find your partner."
Shalelu nods. "I would as well. We require his services to continue our journey."
"Well..." Uksahkka looks visibly relieved. "...thank Desna for that. Finally, someone who takes me seriously."
"I don't know why anyone wouldn't. The others in our group are exploring the town right now but maybe later you could come back with us and tell everyone your story so we can figure out where we should start looking." Kasha suggests.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"You can have some of mine."
"Alright. Just to see for myself if it's actually worth a damn gold piece or not." Koya sighs.
"Is it any good?"
<Never eaten winter wolf before, myself. Lots of other creatures, sure. But not cooked winter wolf.> Zaiobe shrugs and rests a clawed talon on Friday's foot, freeing her hands for her upcoming meal.
The waiter comes back around to take your orders and menus before disappearing back into the kitchens. Several minutes pass before the orders come out--a platter of well-cooked & spiced Rimeflow salmon with a side of various vegetables & a glass of white wine, a platter of a medium-sized steak with rice, two platters of thick steak that take up their plates, another platter of salmon with vegetables, and a plate of noodles & vegetables drenched in red sauce. Aside from the wine & the 'firewater' (which come in a conventional wine glass and a thick mug respectively), each of your drinks comes served in a hollowed-out ram's horn, and they each have little wooden supports for you to put them in if you need your hands free.
The waiter bows once he's served up the meals. "Have a good meal." He says before disappearing back into the crowd.
"I meant the mea-oh, so that's what a talon feels like," Friday's thoughts stream as the waiter disappears.
"Thank you." he says to the waiter once he brings their food out. Sniffing the mead cautiously he then puts it aside momentarily as he begins cutting up the steak for himself and Koya. "Never had mead before but I've heard of it. And I had Wolf all the time back home, but never anything like this. The Wolf must have been massive..."
Friday stops cutting as a worry occurs to him. "Winter Wolves aren't werewolves are they?" he asks to no one in particular.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Winter Wolves aren't werewolves are they?"
Koya shrugs her shoulders in ignorance. "No idea."
She takes Friday's offered piece of steak and tentatively starts chewing on it. Her expression goes from grumpy, to surprised, to accepting as she chews. "Hmm."
She swallows the steak piece and chases it with a drink of milk. "Better than I thought it'd be. Still don't think it's worth a gold piece, though."