Both men's brows furrow in anger at the obstinance of these strangers. "What authority do we have? We are the border guards of Whiterook! It is our duty to stop all those who travel these waters, to ensure that the agents of the enemy do not have free travel into or out of our lands. What RIGHT do you have to trespass through our lands? And you call us brigands?! Have we robbed you? Have we demanded a toll? No. We only have asked that you let us confirm you are not spies or mercenaries in service of the witches. Yet all you tell us of yourselves is that you are 'heroes.'" The speaker sneers at Hudor. "If you're such brave heroes, what danger is there in coming along to speak to our leader? If you're so mighty, what harm is in a delay? You object to us doing our duty, yet you still have not told us what business takes you to Irrisen. This is your final warning. Tell us your business, and come to speak with our leader, or you will not be permitted to leave."
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Turning to look at Agon
"Can you tell if what they say is true, since you seem to know these lands?"
Then back to the men
"My job to to make sure that this shipment makes it all the way there. And the last few shipments never made it, most likely due to brigands. So may be next time when you step on board a ship from not your lands you might start of by saying that you are border guards of Whiterook and not just demand to search the cargo.
We are not trespassing on your lands, we are trading with the people of this land and bringing goods that they may not have and/or can not produce. And the only witch I have ever served was my ex-wife who was a cook."
Aldran tries to be diplomatic about it since he will fallow the orders if they are who they claim.
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"Gentlemen." Agon claps his hands. "My apologies. We are used to seeing banners and the colors, identifying themselve so we don't confuse them with brigands." He keeps his arms away from his weapons and walks up to the men. "Your necklace reminds me of a bird. Whiterook uses this bird, no?"
He bows, a bit too long. Condescendingly? "My friends, these two are indeed guards of the Whiterook tribe. I do wish to complete our trip as soon as possible, but we need to make peace with the local authorities. And they know this area better than us."
He turns to the guards. "I say we follow you."
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Looking at Argon ”If ye say that they're th' authority 'ere, Argon. Then by a' rights we shuid dae whit thay say.”
"Language!" Faeria says scandalized by the dwarf's words.
Turning to the two men
”You leid, we wull fallow. Sae howfur dae we git oot o` yer net?”
Faeria plugs her ears with her fingers and begins chanting as Aldran continues. "Nahnahnahnahnahnahnahnah."
"Good," one of the guards says as he relaxes and takes his hand away from the weapons as well, "I'm glad you lot finally decided to be reasonable. Now, if you'll follow us, it's this way." The guards begin moving away from the shore toward the path they had indicated earlier, one of them in front of the group and the other bringing up the rear.
After a short journey of about half an hour, you find yourselves approaching a village you can see in the distance. The village of Whiterook sits against a tall cliff wall. A line of close-growing birch trees and tangle of vines shield the village, acting as a natural palisade. One of the larger birches bears a carved bird, which lends the village its name. In the center of the village, a massive fire pit sits stocked with timbers and dry brush as if ready for a massive bonfire.
Several humanoid bodies hang naked in the trees outside the palisade. Hanging next to them is the skinned corpse of what appears to be a bear-sized wolf. "What's left of the most recent raid from those damned witches in Irrisen," one of the guards says as he points toward the hanging bodies.
"Halvor took down the wolf by himself," the other guard adds in admiring tones.
In the midst of the group, some of you hear Haltani muttering under her breath, "Savage butchers… monsters all.”
The guards lead the party to the center of the village, near the unlit fire pit, while one of Whiterook’s citizens fetches the village’s battle leader, Halvor. Whiterook is a small but well defended village. The people here seem tough, worn down by regular raids from the forces of Irrisen. While going about their daily chores, they give you wary looks, especially those of you who don't seem to be wearing any kind of clothing appropriate for the freezing cold temperatures they endure every day of their lives. You hear whispers of "spell casters" and "outsiders" as you make your way to the village's center.
You can tell Halvor has arrived to meet you before he is even introduced. He is a tall man with massive muscles, long blond hair, and a thick beard, whose face bears numerous battle scars. As he approaches your group, you can tell he is silently sizing each of you up. After a moment, he folds his arms and says loudly, "Well, what is it then? What's your business, being this far east? Or didn't you know you were on the very border of the White Witches' realm? Oh, and my men tell me you're very sensitive about introductions, so let me tell you know: I am Halvor, battle leader and chieftain of the village of Whiterook. I serve to protect these people you see here from the creatures that come out of Irrisen, looking to bring all lands under the black-hearted command of the White Witches. And you are?"
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"OH! Hello! I'm Faeria." Faeria gushes. She rushes over and shakes the air to his left. She looks around glassy-eyed and says admiringly "It's all so impressive what you've done with the place! Really amazing! It's all so authentic too, right down to the accents and smelly furs. Would you mind having a portrait taken? Now make like you are really angry at me. That's it! Now hold that pose."
She strikes a goofy quavering posse up close to the huge barbarian waiting for an unseen portrait artist to begin painting.
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Agon shrugs and... scribbles away in his notebook. "Wonderful, Faeria. I think I have the basic pose. Now, give the man his space."
"I am Agon Abstruss, and it is an honor to meet you."
Another awkward bow. I need to work on my presentation.
"We had hoped to travel to Naldak’s Point. We were sent to investigate the area, but your scouts wanted to verify our story first."
Halvor shakes off Faeria with a snarl, then grunts his acknowledgment of Agon's bow, "So you do plan to go into Irrisen? Hmm...going into Irrisen expecting anything but death is folly. Ice and pain await you there; even if you live, you will have lost much by going there. Turn back. Abandon whatever fool’s errand has sent you.
"If you insist on moving forward though...hmmm...Naldak's Point. That's north of Dalun, no? I know of Dalun. Them and their claims of peace. Bah! I believed those claims myself, up until the last moon. They sent envoys to talk of trade, but as we were about to let them in, we were attacked by winter wolves, ice trolls, and a dozen Jadwiga soldiers.” He spits on the ground before continuing. “We slew enough of them to scare them off, but lost many good warriors. I just wished we had captured that Jadwiga witch while she was here, but she vanished into the night.”
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"And I am Carini, Snowmask Sister, and I have already been to Irrisen and returned to tell the tale. The risks we take are our risks to take. We accepted our task and we intend to see it through."
Though her hackles still appear to be up, in some sense, she is calm but resolute. "We would prefer not to be detained from our trip any longer than necessary. Do you have any aid or advice for us, knowing that we still intend to cross into Irrisen despite your urgings of caution?"
"We know the cause for the attacks, elf," Halvor replies curtly. "The witches want to spread their fell influence across all of Golarion! And they send their slaves and their minions to do it! Look at these!" He produces scraps of uniforms and other equipment, all of them bearing an insignia. "Those bastards from Dalun came across our borders and attacked us. There's no mystery there lad. They're evil!"
As Agon and Carini argue for Halvor to let you go so you can carry on with your mission, the battle leader sizes them up with a serious gaze and grunts his approval. “Mmm..good. You stick by what you say you will do. That is better than what any Irriseni dog would eve do. I have a proposal for you, then. My warriors demand retribution for the raid on our village from Dalun. We will go with you to Dalun, acting as your caravan guards. Once outside the city’s walls, we’ll attack. After that, you can continue on your way to Naldak's Point without the threat of Dalun at your backs. Do you agree?”
As she hears Halvor's offer, Haltani suddenly gasps and looks at you with a look of deep concern.
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"Something about that feels familiar. Alas."
He takes a look at Haltani. "Is something wrong? It seems like a decent plan." She begins to explain inconsistencies.
"Halvor, a moment, please. Isn't this from Saarbotten?" Agon observes the symbol. "Not Dalun. Maybe Saarbotten intersected Dalun and attacked at the same time. It would be terrible if you attacked the wrong settlement, right?"
"We should go to Dalun, if they are on route. But I suggest you do not attack them unprovoked. Saarbotten needs retribution, if anyone."
Revenge is a sucker's game.
"Hmmm...you're words have some sense to them," Halvor admits, "If you're right, and this really is the sign for another town, we could end up with more than one town's worth of witch-lovers on our doorstep. Alright, then. We will try it your way. We will go to learn what Dalun wishes. If it is war, then we will give them war. If it is peace, mmm...we will see whether they wish for peace."
Halvor clearly remains suspicious of Dalun, despite the evidence Haltani has pointed out. For now, though, it seems the ulfen leader is ready to accept that you at least are not spies.
After calling to his warriors to assemble the supplies for two longships to accompany you to Dalun, he turns to your party. "Look," he begins apologetically, "I know you are in a hurry to carry on with your mission, but if we are to travel together, you will need to give my people a little time to make preparations. Stay with us one night, then we will be on our way east with you. We will sail to your ship, and you may take it the rest of the way to Dalun with you as you intended. As a token to ease the pain of the delay, I offer these potions to protect you against the white witches' icy magic. Agreed?"
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"I'd be fool to turn down your hospitality." Agon looks in the potion's direction, but he's much more interested in the citizens. Especially the more attractive types.
"Let us be ready in the morning, then." He smiles and turns to the party. "I'd love to get some good food, too many rations give me a stomach ache.."
Agon is a stranger in a strange land, and he doesn't find much entertainment overnight. "It was worth a shot, at least." He rubs his sore cheek and climbs into bed. They can hit hard!
With no one objecting to the further delay, your party settles in for the chilly evening in Whiterook. Despite the earlier tension, the border guards offer a round of drinks to you all. After all, you were just trying to do your jobs, as were they.
Early the next morning, you awake and are lead down to a small tributary where the Whiterook villagers have prepared one of their longships for the trip into Irrisen. They welcome you aboard, and it's not long before they have sailed you back to your ship, which remains safely harbored on the shore where the border guards had laid their trap. You climb back aboard your own vessel and continue your voyage toward Dalun.
As you travel into Irrisen, the temperature drops dramatically, falling to well below freezing. In the distance, log cabins march across the snowy fields, walking on knobby wooden legs. During the trip, you also see a winter wolf on the north bank, following the boat. Before long, however, it leaves without a sound, and you do not see it again for the rest of the trip to Dalun.
Stone cliffs mark the border of Irrisen on the northern bank near the town. Chill winds send flurries of snow over the edge, landing in the river and on the grassy bank of the southern shore where maple trees fight the icy doom of Irrisen’s endless winter. A long, narrow cart path winds its way up the side of the cliff from the docks to Dalun’s iron gates.
As you disembark, Halvor and his crew also climb down from their ship. The battle leader stares up the cliff at the town's wells, shaking with barely controlled rage. He seems nearly ready to launch a surprise attack, despite your agreement to approach Dalun peacefully, when he turns to you.
"Dalun is WEAK," he spits, "It is weak and it is waiting for destruction. The jadwiga like the ones who live here have committed atrocities against my people for generations, and now we come to the very gates of one of their cities, and their defenses are so pathetic! To approach in peace now, after all the witches have done..." He seems to await your word. Will you release him from his word not to attack Dalun, and perhaps even join in the attack yourselves? Or will you hold him to his promise?
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"Dalun is WEAK," he spits, "It is weak and it is waiting for destruction. The jadwiga like the ones who live here have committed atrocities against my people for generations, and now we come to the very gates of one of their cities, and their defenses are so pathetic! To approach in peace now, after all the witches have done..."
"Would be particularly clever on your part." the voice doesn't sound at all like Faeria's usual confused breathlessness, but then who else's could it be?
Halvor takes a deep breath, and his eyes seem to lose the intensity that had been welling up within them. With a sigh, he turns to you once again, apparently ready to follow your advice. "Very well," he says in a growl, "I still would rather let the river take me than sit at table with the jadwiga, but you're right. If we attack Dalun without knowing they were involved in the last raid on us, it would make us no better than them. Hmmm...or whoever was actually responsible."
He nods to his men, and they all begin moving back to their ship. "We'll stay out of Dalun for today," he tells you as he begins walking back to the ship himself. "If you see the witch who runs this place, though, tell her that Halvor stayed his hand. And let it be a sign of good faith between us."
As the Ulfen warriors board their ships, Haltani gathers you toward her and quietly thanks you for preventing the bloodshed that she was sure was almost unavoidable. "The Ulfens--they hate the people of Irrisen. They do not know that many do not live as they would like. That there are some who wish for nothing more than for friendship and shared culture, one nation with the other. Come, let us go into the city. It may not be beautiful as the cities you have told me of, but it is a place that many call home." She leads you up the cliff-side stairs to the front gate of Dalun.
When you arrive at the gates, the guards ask you the usual questions. Who are you? What is your business in Dalun? They seem suspicious at first--having seen the Ulfen ships that accompanied you here--but the head guard stops talking and seems to be listening to something momentarily just as he seems ready to turn you away. With a shrug, he turns to you after this pause and gives you permission to enter the city.
The grey stone buildings of Dalun stand huddled together, as if the stonework was attempting to withstand the cold. Snowy cobblestone streets lead to a tall white spire in the center of town, its sharp point piercing the blue sky; an icy sheen covers the surface, glistening in the muted sunlight.
Colorfully dressed merchants stand out against the blue, grey and white clothing worn by the citizens of Irrisen, who trot through the white cobblestone streets with immediacy. The occasional ice troll lumbers along, giving non-Jadwiga humans a disdainful snarl.
As she leads you into the city, Haltani gives you the names of several prominent Jadwiga merchants with whom you can trade, including Alexei Kartov, a respected jeweler. She goes on to describe some of the city's most valuable trade goods which you may wish to buy including ore, furs, or rare witch-tree seeds.
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Hudor inquires on local brewers, interested in recipes and processes that might be new to him.
"I have a small brewer where I am from, we make mostly ale and mead. My best seller is a cherry mead called Kellid's Blood. Really popular. I'm interested in perhaps learning what is popular here in these cold environment."
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Colorfully dressed merchants stand out against the blue, grey and white clothing worn by the citizens of Irrisen, who trot through the white cobblestone streets with immediacy. The occasional ice troll lumbers along, giving non-Jadwiga humans a disdainful snarl.
"OH! Souvenirs!" Faeria rushes past the troll-suited park mascots and into the crowd.
Faeria walks up to the first merchant she finds and says "Baboon" to--you know--break the ice.
"Hello?" she says to the space just to the person's right and a foot or two down. "I would like a hat with ears on it."
"The stone work here is not bad, where do they mine it from? Many times it's a by product from gem mining."
Though you have a few false-starts with the merchants of Dalun, it turns out the combination of Hudor's knowledge of fermented spirits and Faeria's... unusual personality make them fit right in here in the Irriseni city. While Hudor and the others are able to make some deals with some of the merchants offering more traditional wares, Faeria's unconventional approach provokes a particularly exuberant response from the trader she is speaking with.
"I like you and your strange talk of 'baboon,'" he says in thickly accented Common. "Come vit me. I vant to introduce you to my friend, Alexei. He is a jeweler--the best in town if you ask me. You might find something pretty to go vit your eyes there." He leads Faeria into a small, back-alley gambling hall and up to a man sitting at a table playing a card game. After making introductions, Alexei stands and bows.
"Good day, miss. I am Alexei Kartov, the famous jeweler of Dalun. I have many beautiful things I could sell you. Rubies, jeweled necklaces, circlets made with the finest silver...even the rare and beautiful ice diamond that is the signature of my people. Please, were you interested in making a purchase?"
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Carini accompanies Faeria. She probably would have anyway, just out of interest in the bartering, but now she's certain that Faeria needs someone to keep an eye out for her. I don't think she sees the world around her at all... just some vision or imagination!
She stays silent, but stands strong in support of her ally, catching Alexei's eye with a nod of the head or a cracked smile when Faeria's craziest imaginations become voiced.
Alexei seems altogether unimpressed by most of the group until Aldran steps up and begins pointing out only the most well-cut gems. "Aha! At last, here is one who sees true quality when he sees it! At last, I have found one who I can share my greatest treasure. Years ago, I came across this ice diamond. I have been waiting all this time to find the right ones to sell it to, and I think you may be the one, my dwarven friend. Listen, I have heard from my friends that you are here with a letter of credit from your Pathfinder Society. Let me have the letter and you may take the diamond. Deal?"
After you conclude your trading and bartering, Uliyara comes to you once again. "Listen," she says with a small smile, "I think you've done good work here with the people of Dalun, but if you want permission to explore Naldak's Point, you will need to speak with Baroness Nadya. Unfortunately, I cannot come with you, as I have other business to tend to here in Dalun. When you go to her, though, tell her that Haltani sends her regards." She reassures you again that you have done well here in Dalun, then turns to go tend to her business.
After speaking with Haltani, you easily locate Baroness Nadya outside her palace, seated in a garden whose “foliage” is intricately sculpted out of ice. A group of guards stands nearby, and they eye you with open suspicion. One of the guards steps forward and calls out before you can come too close, "Halt, strangers! Who are you, who dares to approach the Baroness's presence without invitation and armed in such crude foreign fashions? Lay down your arms and explain yourselves. Else begone!"
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Agon enjoys the card games, even if he does break even. Better than losing his shirt. Man, it's cold out here. "Yes, take the letter of credit. The Pathfinders recognize special allies around the world. And those allies bring new trade routes. Agon gives a polite bow before leaving.
"Haltani, thank you. We'll take over from here." Agon watches the woman leave for just a little too long before moving on.
As Agon approaches the manor, guards halt him. Hmm, usually they try to stop him on the way out, not the way in. Nonetheless, Agon is quick to disarm himself.
"Greetings. We represent the Pathfinder Society. We wished to seek passage through here and wish an audience with Baroness Nadya to ask for permission."
"Oh? Hello." she says dreamily waving one, Uliyara-shaped hand vaguely to the guards.
The guards pause to consider Agon's words for a moment and look with a confused expression at the woman who looks vaguely familiar. From behind the guards, however, you hear a voice call out, "Let them approach, Stefanik."
With that, the guards step aside and allow those of you who disarm yourselves to approach the lounging baroness. As you approach, she regards you with a cold, appraising gaze and asks, "You say you are here to ask for my permission to explore these lands? It is right of you to seek me out. Tell me, though, how do I know that you do not mean to bring our enemies to our gates? Do not think we were blind to those who sailed alongside you on your way here." She smiles knowingly at you. "But I am not interested in starting wars. I would much ratehr help establish long-term diplomatic relationships. So, what sign can you give me that you are here in good faith on behalf of your Pathfinder Society?"
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Mmm... a baroness. I could get in trouble here... but it would be worth it.
Agon barely restrains his smile. "Baroness, thank you for granting us an audience." Another bow. "You are correct, we came here from Halvor. They believed you attacked them, and we asked them to calm down and listen to reason. I noticed outfits from Saarbotten. I believe they attacked your diplomatic party."
Agon puts on another killer smile.
"We have calmed Halvor down, so they may listen to reason. Perhaps the Pathfinder Society can help you discover the mastermind behind the Saarbotten attacks."