Mirana winces a little at the multiple wounds, and nods vigorously at Kunala's offer of healing. "I probably just need a few nights rest and I'll be right as rain, but if you have healing magic to spare I'm happy to take it if its on offer" she remarks politely.
Mirana turns her attention to the bandit and helps move the man to the table. Once she does so, she moves to stand next to Svetlana. "I know that its not a pleasant sight, but at least these bandits won't be bothering you anymore. It also sends a message to any other bandits not to mess with this place" she tries, attempting to put a positive spin on it.
Caitir walks over and prods Mirana lightly in the shoulder. "I guess dodging wasn't something they taught you in the First World. If we get some free time, I might have to give you some sparing lessons, you might be a little rusty" she remarks in a matter of fact tone, while keeping a teasing smile on her face to let Mirana know she was mostly kidding around.
Caitir glances at the bandit and then at Svetlana. "Was this one of the ones making crude threats and comments on previous visits? He sure as heck couldn't fight worth a damn."
Good the wounds are not life threatening.' Nodding to Mirana, "happy to oblige.' As she moves off to help Iradyiel. Kunala looks down at the man he just stabbed. 'No need to let them suffer.' Placing the tip of his dueling sword on the mans throat, he thrusts it into the vein, insuring a quicker death.
He will move to each of the bandits, making sure they are dead. Then help unsaddle the horses and put them in the barn.
While Oleg rights the table, Iradyiel over hears Caitir's comment to Svetlana, 'Don't know if any of them could fight, we didn't give them much time to prove it, which is fine by me.' Watching as Kunala dispatches the rest of the bandits,'Better him than me. I don't mind fighting but that's just close enough to killing in cold blood that it gives me the willies.'
Seeing Mirana come over to help carry the wounded bandit, Iradyeil realizes she is still wounded. 'She's right it will be a warning, but they may want revenge, we need to deal with the rest of them.' Once the bandit is on the table, he turns to Mirana, "Your right Mirana this will send a message, but we will need to deal with the rest of the pack." Pointing at her wound, "But first we need to get you healed up." Gathering more of the clean bandages. "do you mind if I take a look at that?"
After tending to the wounds of Mirana and the bandit now on the table, you are able to clean up the marketplace. Righting tables and benches, stabling horses, removing the dead bodies while collecting anything you might find useful.
As all of this is going on Svetlana approaches Mirana; “Last night you created water… would you be able to do the same to wash this awy?” Svetlana gestures towards the pools of blood that is soaking into the dirt floor.
When all of the bodies are loaded up onto the cart, Oleg hitches Claptrap to the cart and speaks low so that Svetlana is not able to hear him; “Just north west of here I have an area where I burn things that we cannot compost. I have a pile ready to go if we want to dispose of these.” nodding towards the bodies. “They don’t deserve a grave… marked or unmarked.”
6x leather armors
3x short swords
Composite longbow (+2 str)
2x short bows
2x daggers
10x Trail Rations
5x waterskins
35 gold
Two glass vials of red liquid
A silver amulet of a stags head
Of the items you find, three stand out. The first one is a little silver amulet. The craftsman ship is nice, but no noticeable markings on it. The second stand out item are the two glass vials of red liquid. Drawn onto the bottle is a recognizable image that lets you know that these two vials are Alchemist Fire.
The final item that stands out is the bow that the leader had on him. The draw of a bow is a bit tougher to do than the standard bow you come across. Shooting an arrow from it, you realize that it strikes harder than most bows you come across.
With Iradyiel providing long term care of the bandit, you do believe that he will come to in the morning. Oleg approaches Iradyiel while he is providing this care. With a clink of the chains, Oleg places one set of manacles on the table next to the bandit. “If he is going to stay here he must wear these, or he goes out with the others…”
After cleaning Mirana's, wounds and carefully wrapping them'That looks good.' Nodding at his work, he smiles at Mirana, "That will help, were fortunate that Kunala has some healing." He rolls his eyes as his smile widens, "It will be nice when he's competent enough that we won't need bandages though."
Manacles, those are a good idea. Out with the others? Well, at least we know where he stands.'' Seeing Oleg bring out Manacles, Iradiel Nods watching as Oleg attaches the mancales to the man. "I aggree, also it wouldn't hurt to lock or tie him in somplace as well. Why don't we chain him to the pole in the fenced area?" Gesturing toward the area the goods had been stored, "Help me carry him over there and then I will help you dispose of the bodies."
After the bandit is chained carefully in the storage area Iradyiel helps strip the bodies of anything valuable and place them on the wagon. Picking up the long bow, Iradyiel tests the pull on it. After a couple of test pulls, he unstrings the bow, resting it on the table momentairly. "The leaders bow has a strong pull, probably over a hundred pounds." He looks to Miranan and Caitir, "I know Kunala prefers a shorter bow, do you mind if I use this one?"
As he points at the silver amulet "Does anyone know what the amulet represents?"
'I wonder what drives a man to this kind of lifestyle?' Standing over the dead man Caitir ran through, Kunala begins to strip the body of weapons and armor, laying them on the second table. As he moves past Caitir, he tells her gestureing toward the rapier. "You handled yourself well."
As he Goes to put the body on the wagon, 'a Burn pile north west of here that's a good idea.' Nodding toward Oled, "That's a good idea, I'd rather not have anyone overly suspect of what happened here yet. Let us get orgnized here a little and I will go with you."
Once all the bodies are on the wagon, he stops to look at the items they layed out. 'not much of value here, but at least they have the goods that would have been taken. and the horses and tack will be worth something as well.' As Iradyel looks at the bow, he points out, "We need to figure out what to do with this stuff." He looks from Iradiel to Mirana and Caitir. "I realize we will keep the horses and some of the items, but the things we don't keep, what do we do with it?" Looking at Oleg, he asks, "The stuff we can't use can you sell?"
When Iradyiel points out the silver amulet Kunala picks it up, looking at it, holding it out to the ladies, "Ladies, do either of you recognize it?"
Mirana gestures, showing Iradyiel her wound. "Feel free to take a look if you want, but its already looking much better since Kunala started treating it. I think it should be right as rain provided I don't prod it some more".
As the druid lets Iradyiel inspect away she smiles at Svetlana and inclines her head slightly. "I can absolutely create some water to help clean up the mess" she responds, gesturing with a hand, creating a light drizzle in the area that seaps away the blood on the floor and on the table that the bandit was resting on. Last of all, she uses the spell on her own wound, cleaning the cut albeit with a slight wince.
At Iradyiel's query about the bow, Mirana shrugs slightly "By all means, feel free to have at it. I don't know how to use a bow so its useless to me. You might as well make use of it."
Caitir nods respectfully at Kunala. "You were pretty good yourself" she replies, before sheathing her rapier by her side.
Seeing the manacles that Oleg has, Caitir gives it a once over with a practiced eye. "They seem to be in order, although someone skilled might still be able to escape. I doubt there is much else we could do to prevent that though, if he is good enough to escape them then I doubt there is more we could do it hold them. They would do a pretty good job at holding me though, so hopefully they do the trick.".
Losing interest in the restraints, Caitir gives them back before she wanders over, picking up the silver amulet and turning it over. "The only thing I do about it is that it looks pretty. I don't know if its magical or safe to wear but its an accessory that I could see myself wearing."
"As for the other items, traders do come through here occasionally right Oleg?" she asks quietly, raising her eyebrows and looking questioningly at Oleg for a moment. "Perhaps someone else might be able to buy what we don't need or have limited use for?"
As everyone is at work organizing the usable equipment, getting the bodies ready for disposal, cleaning up the market area, and securing the bandit, the first ray of the dawn begins to appear to the east. You see both Oleg and Svetlana pausing to look towards the sunrise, and for a brief moment you see the first hint of a smile cross Olegs face before setting back to the task at hand.
Oleg overhears the conversation about the what to do with the items that no one needs; “We don’t get much in the way of weapons and armor around here. I know that hunters and trappers would be willing to buy or trade for those. If you let me know what you do not want to keep for yourselves, I would be more than willing to buy the rest off of you.” pausing for only a moment; “Now with those horses, I see that they brought six. I assume you are going to want horses for yourselves while you explore the land to the south, if you would allow me to keep the other two it would give old Claptrap a chance to rest. He has been our only workhorse since we moved down here.”
Looking around at the work to be done and the cart of bodies; “But we don’t need to work out all the details of this right now. I think we will have lots of time to iron out trade, who knows what you will all find down there. We best be moving with these…” pointing to the cart “if we don’t want anyone to see them.” Oleg removes the drawbar on the door, grabs the reigns of Claptrap and begins to lead the cart outside of the Trading Post.
Svetlana hears talk about an amulet, how it’s pretty, and if it is magical and moves to take a look; “If you don’t mind?” she holds out her hand to examine the amulet; “It sure is pretty, looks to be real silver. As far as magical goes, Oleg and I are no help…” pausing for a moment, she looks over to where Oleg is tending to the card and continues on hushly; “but there is an old hermit that lives south of here, about a half a day’s travel. He is… eccentric… He knows about alchemical and magical things. Oleg buys potions from him but doesn’t like him staying around long for fear of scaring people off. He might be able to tell you if that is magical, or even if he has seen anything like it before.”
After a short period of time Oleg shouts out; “Heading out to take care of these, if you’re coming we should head now."
'Good myself.' Smiling Kunala gives an exagerated flurish, "Thank you mi'lady." He smiles, "In all the dueling training, they never really covered how to stab a man in the back." His smile widens, "But what can I say, his back was to me."
'A deer on the crest, I wonder if it has something to do with Erastil?' As Caitir picks up the silver amulet, he observes, "It does have a stags head on it, isn't that one of Erastil's emblems?" He smiles, "Caitir I can see you wearing it as well. You look much better in silver jewlery than Rad does."
'I'm good with that, I know Iradyiel won't care about the stuff, I wonder what the girls think.' Looking from Oleg to the ladies, Kunala nods, "That sounds good to me Oleg." He gestures towards the ladies, "Obviously we will need to here the ladies opinions, but your right, we have time to work it out." Walking to the wagon Kunala waves toward Irdyiel, "Come on brother let's help Oleg." Checking to make sure the chained man was unconcious, Iradyiel, picks up the warbow and follows Claptrap, Oleg and Kunala to deal with the bodies.
'She's right, The wound does look like it's healing, but no reason not to be careful.' After wrapping Mirana's arm, he nods, "Your right, it does look like it's healing, but there's no reason not to keep a clean wrap on it."
'Still odd to hear someone admit to being able to tickle a lock.' Accepting the Manacles from Caitir, Iradyiel places them on the bandit, then transports him to the storage area, securing him there. Nodding as Mirana explains she's not familiar with the heavy longbow, he claims it. Taking a moment he goes into the bunkhouse, removing the bow Onnello made for him, carefully wrapping it in cloth and placing it under his bunk. Placing the compound bow in his quiver he head back into the courtyard.
Exiting the bunkhouse just in time to see Kunala and Oleg begining to leave, he nods to Kunala, "Hold on a second, I want to make sure the prisoner is still unconcious." He checks on the bandit and then follows after the other two.
Mirana inspects the bandage before smiling brightly "You did a good job with this, thank you Iradyiel" she nods gratefully.
"If the two of you, plus Oleg are taking care of burying the bandits, I might stay here with Svetlana. I can help with cleaning this place up, and we can also keep a lookout in case any more bandits show up - unlikely as it may be. I can also keep an eye on the bandit while the two of you are gone, just in case" she offers
Caitir shoots Kunala a mischievous smile "I think I look better in any kind of jewelry than Rad does, and not just silver" she smirks a little in an amused way, before turning the silver amulet over in her hands, nodding thoughtfully. "My local knowledge isn't much help, so if its not a local symbol, then you might be right Kunala, it must be religious."[/b]
Caitir muses for a moment before shrugging dismissively. "At any rate, we can solve the mystery later. The hermit might know more, and at half a days ride he isn't too far away. I'd feel better though if we improved the defensive fortifications of this place first though, even if that took a few days before we headed out though, call me pessimistic but I want to be prepared should any bandits return."
Inspecting the amulet, Caitir does not believe this is a symbol of Erastil. If it were a symbol of Erastil it would be some kind of off shoot sect.
Watching Iradyiel and Kunala join him, Oleg clicks his tongue Claptrap begins walking and the cart full of bodies begins to roll on. With the sun really starting to come up Oleg does not have any torches to light the way. The stretching shadows play could play tricks on your mind, but due to Iradyiel’s elven eyes the light that is here is enough to see everything within view.
With the silence hanging over the three men and the cart, Oleg awkwardly clears his throat “You might see some small game out at this time, I usually can sling a few rabbits while I am out in the morning. Then again, I’m usually alone and without a cart creaking our presence to everything within a hundred feet.”
As your round the exterior walls of the Trading Post you do see some ground rodents scurrying away from you as you move through. Mostly mice, but you do see a few frogs. Over the course of the short walk to the burn sight you do see a few rabbits out for a nibble on the blades of grass and even some stray sprouting of wheel mixed throughout.
You are able to see a rabbit off enough in the distance that the wagon does not scare it off. You take aim with a sling or bow and strike the rabbit and it lays unconscious where you found it. Oleg speaks up as he sees your skill; “Great shot! Depending on how things go, and how long you are around, we will have to go into the woods and hunt something larger.” You collect your rabbit and string it to the side of the cart.
Arriving to Oleg’s burn spot you see that the man has taken precautions to not cause a fire across the plains. The land here is a natural divot or sink hole that has been surrounded by two rows of fist sized stones circling it. What you see here is mostly wood trimmings and what you would assume is clearing remains from a section of the underbrush in the woods to the south. Reining in Claptrap the horse comes to a stop. “We best be on with it.”
Oleg does not talk much while unloading the bodies into the burn pile. He arranges the wood under and around them to help produce a larger hot flame to help dispose of the bodies. As Oleg stands up from lighting the fire he speaks up; “Sad thing is that there is a parent out there that loved their kid and will never know what happened to them…” He stands in silence as he watches the fire take off.
As the men leave, Svetlana opens the gates to the Trading Post; “We should have a few hunters passing through, no need to lock them out of the bandits are taken care of….” Svetlana freezes as she just realized something and quickly turns to Mirana and Caitir. “We have no food going…” she begins to rush towards the house; “If you two could get the fire going, the pot set up, and some water going I will a few things from the inside.” without waiting for an answer she goes in the house.
A few moments pass by and she comes out with her arms full of a few bags, Svetlana begins mixing a scoop from one bag, a pinch from another, and a spoonful from a third; “They seem to like my oats. Something that sticks to their bones and warms the chill off of their bones. Could one of you cut up those apples? Cubes about yay big” she uses her fingers to roughly show you the size of the cubes needed.
Once the fire is going and the water is boiling Svetlana adds in the oats to cook down and slowly adds in the ingredients at the proper time. The smell of the cinnamon, apples, and nuts fill the air and almost removes the memory of the bandits from your mind.
Svetlana picks up a small kettle and pours out a small cup of tea for the three of you. Sitting down with a sigh; “That could have almost been a disaster… I don’t want to gain the reputation of someone who doesn’t feed their guest.” she lets out a short little laugh; “So, you are going to be exploring the land to the south. Have you though about how you will be doing that?”
It is at this moment when the memory of the bandits is disappearing from your mind that an alarm goes off in your mind. You have an unconscious bandit tied up un an open walled storage pen and there is a probability of hunters coming to the Trading Post this morning
'It really is a lovely country, with a little stability we could bring farmers, craftsmen and ... As the sun begins to break from the east, Kunala lost in thought, grunts, when Oleg points out the possibility of small game. Nodding, seeing Iradiel draw his bow, he whispers, "Hopefully we won't make too much noise, Rad is a good hunter, he learned from our father." Rolling his eyes as he sees Iradiel miss the rabbit.
'Good a fire ring, Oleg is attentive to details, a good man to have.' Nodding with approval, Kunala assists in laying the wood for the fire, then unloading the bodies onto the pile. 'Sad thing, parents not knowing what happened...' Looking at Oleg in a new light, 'He was pointed about killing them though.' Kunala shuffles his feet, "Yes, a sad thing and the man we have captured more likely than not joining them." He looks at the trading post master, "We will have to decide what to do with him. I won't torcher him for information. If he is unrepentant he will receive a quick death and a trip to this pile." Looking at the small flame taking hold. "If he is willing to recant being a bandit and helps us, either by telling us where the camp is, or showing us. Then what?" He looks toward Iradiel while scratching his head. 'We will have to take the ladies opinions into consideration.' Looking back at Oleg. "Do we just let him go? Do we cut off a hand as punishment for thievery? Do we brand his face or hand with a rune? Do we make him labor for a time until he has repaid his debt to society?"
Watching the fire as it starts to pop and crackle, the smell of burning flesh becoming apparent. Kunala shrugs. motioning to leave. "We need to involve the ladies in the decision, but we must decide what will become of bandits. Not just the dozen or so that has assaulted you and yours, But what we will do in the future as we expand this territory."
'Dawn, one of my favorite times of the day, the sun announcing its presence chasing away the darkness.' Walking with his brother and new friend, Iradyiel looked out across the open plain, taking in the smell of the wet dewy grass, the musky smell of claptrap, the gentle sound of cueing of a prairie dove and chirping of tree frogs. He smiles as he sees the little field mouse, surprised by the men, bolting to it's hole.
Catching the sight of a cotton-tailed rabbit, hopping away from them as Oleg speaks of the nearby game. Iradyiel nods, drawing the bow from his quiver, quitely stringing it, he whispers, "The bow is overkill, I will try to remember to bring a sling..' moving away from the others, he moves towards the rabbit he noticed earlier. Drawing an arrow, he fires, just as the willy rabbit slips into its den. He moves quickly to the den, Shaking his head as he realizes his arrow is ruined.
Returning to the others in time to hear Oleg declare it was time to be about their task, Iradyiel helps place the bodies on the burn pile. Iradyiel watches as the Oleg speaks of parents and Kunala about appropriate punishment. 'What turns a man to crime? Need? Desire? Rebelion? Addiction?' His gaze returning to his brother. 'What would our lives had been like if mom fell for a different kind of man? What if Onnello had been a poacher, or smuggler instead of a bower?' As they leave the fire pit, Iradiel shakes his head. "Brother, sometimes you talk to much."
Mirana hadn't had the best of experiences cooking for someone else. She kept things basic, but years of being rather solitary had left her not particularly worried about having to satisfy a guest with a meal.
Still, she was always open to new things, and worked toward generating a fire, and keeping the pot topped off with water, making use of her divine spell liberally.
While the meal is being cooked, Mirana perches lightly, sitting on her knees and sips her tea, considering how to answer Svetlana's question.
"I think we will need to explore it in small directions to begin with. Half a days ride on horseback is still a decent distance and ideally we want to know the area in close proximity to this place like the back of our hand. Eventually we might explore further out, but I think healing magic would need to be a consideration"
While Mirana busied herself with the pot, and the water, and starting up a fire, Caitir picked up the knife. She flashes a cheeky grin in Mirana's direction as she does so. "I'll handle the apples I think, Mirana is hopeless with a blade" she quips before expertly cubing the apples into small portions and then sitting down next to Mirana and Svetlana, nursing her tea as she did so.
"There is also a further reason for not going too far out" the rogue remarks, as she listened to Mirana's statement of intent. "The bandits arrived here more or less at dawn. They had trial rations, but no real camping gear, and the route back could have been slow with a heavy load to carry back. Wherever they rode out from probably isn't too far away but I don't want to go blundering into them by mistake until we have a little more information about them."[/b]
Caitir sits silently for a moment before a thought strikes her "Does anyone have reliable local knowledge about the area that we could talk to? Maybe so we can break down the surrounding area onto a map and the potential locations to be aware of?"
As Caitir hands Svetlana the cubed apples she smiles; “These are perfect! Thank you.” listening to Mirana and Caitir about the possible plans she chimes in; “Most of the hunters that come through here are only passing through heading north or south on the main road. Those who hunt in these lands don’t typically go that deep into the land to the south, mainly due to bandits.”
Turning her attention to the fire and cook pot, she adjust the fire below and the height of the pot to make sure it has the proper temperature to cook the oats but not burn them or turn them to mush. “The only person that would know the area is Bokken, the old hermit to the south. We have only been here for a few months, he has been here for years.”
After some time two figures walk into the Trading Post leading two pack horses. After seeing Svetlana one speaks up; “Smells like we are just in time!” Svetlana looks up from her cup of tea and goes to greet the newcomers. She invites them to the table opposite the girls. The man and who could only be his daughter because of the resemblance, gives the two of you a smile and a nod individually; “Ma’am, ma’am” before sitting down.
Taking off his hat and placing it on his knee; “The snares were tripped but nothing was there. Someone is either taking what we caught, or the rabbits are learning how to loose themselves.” he laughs at the second because of how unlikely that could be. “But, it has been a good venture and almost time to head home. Lorna will be missing us around the house I suppose.; he points to their horses and you can see furs and full grain bags, enough to last a small family a short season.
“We will be missing the rabbit in the stew pot if you're really heading home.” Svetlana says as she places a bowl of oats in front of each of them. The man slides a silver coin to Svetlana. “Let me know if you need anymore.” she says as she slides the coin into an apron pocket.
Svetlana scoops Mirana and Caitir a bowl of the oats also begins to do daily task around the trading post; “Feel free to help yourselves to more if you’d like. Tea too!”
Oleg turns towards Iradyiel; “When we first met you said something to Svetlana that is true. ‘You can’t blame a man for stealing to feed his family’ See, I was angry with what had happened and our situation with the powers that be who sent you when I made the comment that they all must die… I do realize that not all of them are cruel men and women. They might have joined banditry to survive.” turning his back from the fire and starting to climb up into the cart he motions for the two of you to climb in. Starting to have Claptrap head back to the Trading Post; “There might be some worth saving. I don’t trust my own prejudice to make that decision. Whatever you all decide I will uphold.”
The ride back is quicker thank walking; as the Trading Post comes within sight Oleg smiles; “Once these bandits are taken care of it would be nice to see this place a little more lively. With the four of you around I am sure it will attract more people and trade.”
As Oleg and the guys ride into the market yard he turns to the guys; “Smells like Svetlana made some oats. You should join your friends and eat. Seems like today is going to be a day of decisions for you all, especially with that one over there.” he says looking at the bandit tied up and manacled. “I’ll get Claptrap taken care of and join you shortly.”
Seeing that Kunala and Iradyiel have returned Svetlana scoops two bowls and places it at the table alongside Mirana and Caitir. As Kunala and Iradyiel join the girls, the man at the opposite table smiles; “The four of you hires around here for Oleg? The stubborn man finally got some sense and realized he needs some help out here. The place is nice, but really could use some strong backs. Names Frank, this is my daughter Sara.” The girl looks up at the four of you and smiles, shyly averts her eyes when they fall on Iradyiel. Her attention goes back to her oats. “Where did Oleg hire your from? Restov and New Stetven’s about the same distance from here. Mivon is too hard of a journey through the Narlmarches. Heck, we don’t venture to far into there.” Frank pauses and takes a drink from his waterskin and waits.
'Is it wrong that the smell of the burning flesh makes me wish I hadn't missed that rabbit?' Watching the fire burn, Iradyiel listens to Olegs response to Kunala. 'True, I guess I was the one who said it. but how do we judge a man's intentions?' He looks at Oleg briefly, then to Kunala when Oleg turns his back to the fire going to the wagon. 'Some worth saving, but how do we know which ones.' Tossing his bow onto the wagon, he climbs aboard, making sure not to step in any of the congealing puddles of blood.
As they approach the fort, Iradyiel notice there are other visitors, he points, joking, "Word must have gotten out, we have more people already."
'More food, is this what they call second breakfast?' Grabbing his bow, he slaps Oleg on the shoulder. "I don't know about that, right now the biggest decision for me is how much oat meal I can talk Svetlana into letting me eat." he Jumps off the back of the wagon, making his way to the tables.
'Looks like were sharing the table, no harm in that, the more the merrier.' Accepting the bowl from Svetlana, turning to the man and girl, he nods, 'Oleg's employee's?' He looks at Kunala and raises an eyebrow, as Frank introduces himself and his daughter, Smiling he catches the girls eye before she looks away. Picking up a spoon he winks at Caitir as he sits beside her, turning back to the gentleman, pointing at himself with the wooden spoon. "I'm Iradyiel," then pointing to Kunala, "And this is my brother Kunala. He likes to do the talking so I'll let him do so." He then shovels a large spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth. 'If we ever leave We will so miss Svetlana's cooking.'
As Oleg talks about dealing with the bandits, Kunala crouches, picking up a stick he starts to poke at the fire. 'I would like to see a way to rehabilitate the weak of disenfranchised, but how?' He looks from Oleg to Iradyiel, as Oleg moves toward the wagon. He nods in agreement with Oleg, climbing onto the bench seat, "Your right Oleg, there may be some who can become productive members of society,' he shrugs, "But how do we know which ones they are?" He then rides silently beside their new friend as they return to the trading post.
'He's right, there is a lot of potential here, it could be a nice place to build a home.' Nodding in agreement, Kunala adds, "It certainly is a beautiful place, not just trade, I bet people would move here." As they round the fort Kunala also sees the visitors. watching curiously as they ride into the yard. 'Yes it does smell good...' following Oleg's eye, he nods 'We will have to decide what to do with that one won't we.' Waiting until Oleg stops the wagon, Kunala turns to climb down, looking up to the tradesman. "Yes, we will have to deal with that situation, again, Thank you for your understanding and help Oleg. We could not do this without you."
Stepping off the wagon, Kunala turns and sees that Iradyiel has already grabbed a bowl of oats and was squeezing in beside Caitir. Rolling his eyes, he accepts the bowl of oats from Svetlana,
"Thank you Svetlana." Turning and nodding to his partners. "Mirana, Caitir," Resisting the urge to look at the prisoner, he focuses on the ladies, "I trust everything here is going well."
Not wanting to squeeze onto the bench, Kunala remains standing near Iradyiel, picking up a spoon he whacks his brother's upper arm with it. looking towards the gentleman who had introduced himself, he nods to the father and daughter. 'This didn't get the reaction I desired the last time, let's see if we do any better this time.' He smiles, " pleasure, Frank and Sara, I wouldn't really call ourselves employees of Olegs, but we are here to help." As he speaks he reaches into his pocket drawing out the charter handing it to the father. "We were sent by the Lord Mayor of Restov in the name of the Regent to assist with certain issues." He smiles letting the man read, the letter, then asks. "So I guess the short answer is we're from Restov."
He pauses for a moment looking at Svetlana, "The oats are delicious." He then turns back to Frank. "Do you live far from here? You mentioned the Narlmarches, that you don't venture in too far? Do you mind if I ask why? Once we deal with this group of bandits, we would like to do some exploring. Any information would be most helpful."
Caitir waits for a moment for Mirana to introduce herself, but the silence starts to stretch a little too long. To avoid it becoming awkward, Caitir taps the table lightly to pull attention back into herself. "I'm Caitir. I'm originally from Riddleport but I joined everyone else here in helping out with Restov's charter. It seemed exciting, a bit of an adventure, so I thought 'why not?' So far it seems to be eventful enough to keep me occupied" she responds, flicking a wink back at Iradyiel, half amused.
'Snares being tripped is interesting news considering the hunters avoid bandit areas' Caitir reflects for a moment before fixing her gaze onto Frank firmly. "Frank, I apologize if this is rather forward but would you mind telling me how many snares you laid and where they were placed? I'm sure that you would have avoided bandit areas if you daughter was with you, so its curious that your snares were tripped. One or two many, I could see as accidental by something blundering into them, but if all of them were tripped that is...interesting." she asks in a quizzical tone.
Mirana was lost in thought. Seeing Frank and his daughter Sara spending time together as father and daughter was so...normal and yet that easy luxury had been denied to Mirana for so long. For a moment, Mirana felt a pang of resentment that Sara had such easy access to that experience but she pushed it down quickly. She knew it wasn't fair to blame or be upset at others who had something she didn't, instead it was better to dwell on the experiences Mirana herself had had instead of lamenting misfortune.
Mirana is jolted out of her reverie when Caitir quickly speaks up and starts an introduction, realizing that she hadn't been paying attention for a few minutes. "I'm Mirana" she responds when it comes to her turn, before twisting her hair awkwardly, feeling a little out of sorts after lapse, conversation not coming smoothly to her.
"So err, trapping or hunting right? Is that a family trade that you have been doing for quite a while? You must know parts of the surrounding area fairly well in that case?" she asks politely.
Oleg smiles as Iradyiel makes his way to the oats; “Until they are gone!” he shouts. Turning towards Kunala; “That lad can eat… might have to reconsider him having free meals while you are all staying.”
Reaching out to take the paper from Kunala, Frank whistles between his teeth as he scans the paper; “from the Swordlords of Restov…”
Looking up from her bowl, Sara has a renewed interest in the group; “You’re sent from the Swordlords? Have you all trained under them?” there is a youthful innocence in the way she eagerly asked the question
Smiling; “Sara, these four have serious business to tend to.” Frank looks up and he reevaluates the four of you. “The way Sara talks its almost as if she is of age to leave up and go learn how to really use a blade…” Taking one last glance at the charter; “ I guess this does answer the questions in my mind about that one over there.” he points with the charter has he rolls it back up.
Frank continues between bites of his oats; “Just south of New Stetven along the East Sellen river my family has some farm land. Not much but along with what we trap we can get by in life.” Looking towards the tied up man he continues;[b] “Mirana is it? My father brought me to these woods just as his father brought him, and his him. There are closer places to hunt, but it is a family rite of passage. Lorna and I don’t have a son and I wanted to pass this tradition on through Sara, but I think this might be the only time she comes. Hunting isn’t really her thing.” he smiles as he takes another bite.
“Yeah, bandits are the main issue. Also, safer to make camp when it’s just the two of us not so deep in. We only set up a dozen or two simple snares in the area we are going to be hunting in. Just to catch and smaller game that scurries off as we find good hunting spots.” taking a drink he motions towards Caitir; “Exactly! It almost as if something is playing a trick on us. But that is nonsense.”
Shaking his head to dismiss what he just said; “If you are wanting help from a hunter that travels deeper within the Narlmarches you want to look for Breeg Orlivanch. He is one that can tell you a bit more of what you could find in there.”
Oleg chimes in as he joins the group; “Breeg is one man I wouldn’t trust any further than I could throw him. He’s no bandit, but will do just about anything to earn an extra coin or two. Besides, Breeg has not been around for sometime.” Svetlana hands him a bowl of oats, but holds onto it for a moment as she stares into his eyes. Oleg nods as if he knows what she is thinking. He joins the rest of the group as they eat their oats.
Frank continues; “I don’t know how much help beyond that I can really be, but I’ll answer any questions you might have… Sara too.”
'He's flashing that 'Charter' around, I hope this guy doesn't blow up like Oleg.' Watching over the edge of his bowl as Frand then Sara reads the chart. He smiles at the girl's response, "Kunala studied at the Aldori Academy, but don't be too impressed. Heck, Caitir there, is as good with her rapier." Iradyiel winks at the girl, "She's the one I'd ask for lessona." he then returns to his oatmeal.
'New Stetven?' Swallowing a mouthful of oatmeal, Iradyiel points out, "Kunala and I were both born in New Stetven." then quickly adds, "But we didn't live there long." He quickly takes a bite of oatmeal, 'No need to give Kunala an aneurysm."
'Bandits might mess with traps, bur more likely something else. I wonder who or what lives in those woods. Be fun to check it out.' Finishing his bowl, he looks to see how much is left, 'Probably need to save some for more travelers, shame to have paying customers and no food.' Iradyiel turns and looks out the gate to see if anyone is nearing.
Off handed he asks, "Did you see any tracks? I mean around the traps? Any sign?"
'Until they're gone' Shaking his head Kunala gives Oleg an apologetic look, "You know how growing boys are. He hit a growth spurt just before we headed this way. It's strange, He's actually a couple years older than me but because of the elvish blood, he's matured slower." Smiling at his new friend, "I understand if we need to come to a different understanding. If nothing else we send him out to hunt, let him help provide some of the food." turning to get off the wagon, "We have some gold, we could invest in the trading post here, sort of become silent partners." Once off the wagon, Kunal Looks back up to Oleg. "We certainly don't want to wear out our welcome.'
Slowly eating his porridge while he watches Franks reaction to the letter, 'Well, at least not the reaction we got from Oleg,' Turning and looking at the girl mid-bite, 'trained under the sword ...' He lets out a little sigh as Iradyiel jumps in, 'Caitir as good? Well, maybe, but she doesn't hit as hard...I think. I guess I don't want to find out though.' Looking back to Frank nodding. "I does explain about the prisoner."
'South of New Stetven farmland along the east Sellen river.' Looking to Iradyiel when he interrupts, rolling his eyes but not saying anything. 'Good, no need to talk about where were from.' He watches as the man speaks to Mirana, then Caitir, 'She's right it is interesting. I wonder who else lives in the woods.
'Breeg Orlivanch?' Looking from Frank to Oleg. 'Not a man to trust?' Noticing the look Svetlana gives Oleg, 'Hmmm.' Turning to Frank then quickly looking at Sara, to acknowledge she was included, he focuses on her father. "Thank you, you've been plenty helpful. I'm curious about what sort of creature might have set off your traps." He looks from the father toward Oleg and Svetlana, "And I'd be interested in meeting this 'Breeg' I'd like to learn as much about the Narlmarches as we can." Pausing for a moment, "I'd also like the meet the Hermit Svetlana mentioned earlier." He shrugs lightly. He looks toward Mirana and Caitir, pointedly. "May be a bit, seems like we need to sort out the bandit issue first."
Relaxing a little, he turns back to Frank, "How long will you be hunting in the area?"
The look that Svetlana gives Oleg an "is it finished" kind of look because he is just joining the group for the first time since arriving back from disposing of the bodies.
"Something playing a trick on them, like a practical joke" Mirana muses to herself, shooting Caitir a significant look. She had spent a long time hanging out with creatures that enjoyed practical jokes and was well used to their pranks. Mirana knew that the Fey were technically immortal in the First World and therefore often assumed that all people they met had that same level of durability. Which mean that sometimes pranks were more likely to be accidentally lethal.
"It might not be Fey though, I could be leaping conclusions to an extraordinary example instead of just looking at a simple explanation." Mirana reminded herself, not wanting to leap conclusions. If she was honest, it wasn't hard to come up with a particularly mundane alternative - like a human runaway making mischief for the heck of it."Best to keep all possibilities open and plan accordingly maybe" she reflects to herself
Mirana snaps out of her musings at Kunala's pointed look and remark in her direction, taking a moment to collect her thoughts.
"I agree that rooting out the bandits should be our next move, but I think we have a few days to explore the surrounding area's and gather information. We know there are more of them out there, and whoever is leading them might hopefully be a little cautious. By now they should know something happened to their men but not what happened, so I think we can push our luck for a little while before they get a little braver - provided we stay out of their territory."
Mirana glances at Oleg and Svetlana for a moment, seeking to be a little more positive. "They wont return here though, I'm sure of that. They will assume reinforcements arrived to support this place and while thats technically not true, bandits are by and large opportunistic in nature - I doubt they will see this place as a easy target anymore and will start bothering others"
Caitir smiles at Sara's earnest interest in swordplay. "I'll be happy to give you a few pointers but really, the best warriors focus on having a sharp mind as well as having a sharp blade. In a duel, you want to know how your opponent thinks because then you know how he will attack and how to defend against it and how to trick him or gain advantage. After intelligence, I think the next quality that is prioritized is speed or agility. The faster you move, the faster you can dodge, or strike or counter. The better your reflexes the harder it is to be caught off guard. So I guess fight smart and move fast are probably the most valuable aspects of swordplay although Kunala might know the finer points better than me".
Caitir neglects to mention that her own fighting philosophy was winning by any means, a victory was still a victory. The stories about honor and fighting fairly and letting the villain know why he lost were all well in good...in stories. Caitir believed such things didn't happen in the real world. Still, whinging about the lack of value of honor probably wasn't the greatest thing to mention to an impressionable girl interested in joining the Aldori so she keeps her mouth shut.
"You look like you seem to have pretty sharp eyes Sara, did you see anything unusual when you were in the forest setting snares? Did you see anything weird or odd or playful?' she asks lightly.
As Iradyiel’s attention goes to Sara her eyes go big as he mentions that Kunala studied at the Aldori Academy and that Caitir is just as good as Kunala. “You really studied at the Academy! What was it like? I have heard stories about how rigorous the trainings are with the practice swords. Broken ribs, jaws, arms. Did you ever… err… umm break anything…” Sara blushes slightly and loses her train of through as Iradyiel winks at her.
Frank chimes in; “Okay, okay. If you want to practice swords wait till after we eat.”
Gaining her composure, Sara continues on but turning her attention to Caitir, eating up every work she says; “I am fast! I am the fastest in a footrace with my friends, they’ve never been able to catch me!” turning to her father; “Da, can we stay a little longer here? They said they would show me.”
Thinking that you all are just amusing the young girl, Frank cuts in; “No we’ve gotta get back to mom.” turning to Kunala; “We have been down here for just over a week, I come down this way a few times a year. Thankful that this trading post has come about. Oleg and Svetlana are better company that that kook Bokken, but he does know a bit about healings.”
With dreams shattered Sara turns her attention to Caitir; “No I didn’t see a thing… It isn’t like our first spot where it looked like a wolf got ahold of what was in the snare. No tracks; foot prints or paw prints.” taking the last bite of her oats, she stands up; “I’ll check the packs. Sara goes to their horse, checks and tightens the straps. Then checks and tightens them again.
Smiling at his daughter; “She has big hopes and dreams, not all of them can come true. She’ll be alright. Probably just misses her mom and friends. I know there has been a growing bandit problem in the area. It is good to hear that it is going to be taken care of.” Turning towards Oleg and Svetlana; “Next time I come down I hope to see this place packed with patrons. We must be getting back on the road heading home.”
Standing up he takes his hat off his knee and places it on his head; “It was nice meeting all of you. I wish you luck on your endeavor.” Frank heads to join Sara at the horse and they head out through the gate.
Oleg sets his bowl on the table and moves into their house. He comes back after a few minutes. He places one coin pouch on the table. “You set aside the leather armors, swords, bows, daggers and waterskins. I can give you 115 gold for them. It is a fair-trade value for the lot. If you don’t want to sell them for that, I understand.”
Placing a second pouch on the table with a leather case. Opening the case reveals three vials. Two contain a blue liquid. The second contains a golden yellow liquid with a crest of a shield on it. “These are a gift from Svetlana and I for what you did this morning, and what you will need to do in the future. I wish I had more to give. These two.” pointing to the blue vials; “are curative potions, and this one’ pointing to the golden yellow vial; “is something that can aid your defenses. They said it will give you’re a divine shield. The bag has enough gold to buy another curative potion when you visit Bokken.”
Sitting down next to Svetlana; “We cannot thank you enough, I am forever indebted to you for what you did for me.” he puts his arm around Svetlana and kisses her temple and Svetlana rest her head on Oleg’s shoulder.
'I hope getting rid of the bodies has calmed Svetlana's fears.' Distracted from looking at the couple, Kunala nods to Sara, "Yes, I was trained at the Military Academy." He looks from the girl to here father and then back again. "It, like most classroom education I’ve had,, was rather boring." Relieved when the girl started speaking to Caitir, 'Hopefully we haven't caused too much inconvenience for Caitir or the girls father.'
Watching the father and daughter interact, Kunala smiles at the man, as he explains his daughter, Kunla nods. "Hopes and dreams may not come true, but they may see us through the hard times. When we are near your campsite we will look into the trap mystery.” He extends the man his hand ” I hope to see you the next time you come to hunt, bring Sara with you. By that time we should be done with the bandits. If we are at the post, I will trade a few sword pointers with her for news of New Stetven."
When the father and daughter leave, Kunala will waive and bid them goodby.
Having finished his breakfast as Oleg returns from the house, Kunala hands the bowl to Svetlana, "The oats were filling, just what we needed after an early morning."
Watching as Oleg sets the first purse down, 'It's a fair price.' Before he says anything he looks to Iradyiel then the ladies, When he sees the second pouch his eyes widen. 'Potions? That is extremely generous.' Again, not sure what to say Kunala looks around the table at his companions. He watches as Oleg embrases Svetlana, "Thank you for the gifts."
He stops for a moment, composing his thoughts, "When we were in Restov we accepted the Charter to clear his territory of bandits." He looks from the couple to his companions and back again. "After meeting the two of you, I for one am glad that we did. You have invited us into your lives and taken us in like family. Thank you."
Standing from the table and stretching, 'time to get busy doing something.' Kunala gestures towards the Bandit, then looking to Oleg, "Iradyiel said, he will be in no condition to answer questions until tomorrow. Mirana made a good point, we should learn the lay of the land, Do you mind if we leave him here with you while we ride around a little?" He looks out the gate, "How far did you say it was to where the Hermit stays?" Then turning to Caitir and Mirana, ”What do you think ladies, shall we take a ride?”
'Leaving or not, we should take a look at the horses.' He begins moving to the barn. "I did not get a good look at the animals they were riding." He looks at his brother then the ladies, ”Shall we take a look at the mounts?"
'Did she blush.' Turning a little red himself Iradyiel looks to Caitir, 'A few pointers, this should be good.' Smiling as he takes another bite of the oats,'She's right, speed os of the essence. Kunala's not the fastest or strongest fighter I've seen, but he is quick, Getting the first strike often wins the fight. Caitir's quick, I'd like to see her give the kid a couple of ....back to mom? Darn.' Losing his smile Iradyiel takes another bite, nodding as Sara explains about the traps. 'So she was able to recognize traps the last time, but not this time. Interesting. I wonder if someone or something is playing around there in the woods.' When Kunala stands to shake Franks hand. Iradyiel stands as well, wiping the small amount of oats off of his hand onto his pants, then extending his hand as well.
Having finished his second bowl, Iradyiel passes his wooden bowl to Svetlana, as well, smiling, "thank you Svetlana, that really hit the spot." Surprised to see Oleg produce not just one purse but two. he gives a light whistle when they see the potions. 'Thank you is right.' Watching Kunala, 'Oh no, what's he going to say now? Glad we did? Ok that's not as bad as it could have been.' When Kunala sits back down, Iradyiel quickly slugs him in the arm, "I thought I was your family." He then gives Oleg and Svetlana a wink and smile. 'They know he deserved it.
When Kunala started talking to Oleg about going for a ride, Iradyiel, looks at the ladies, "Mirana, didn't you recommend we ride out, what was it, concentric circles? that way we explore from the middle out?"
After the conversation is over, Iradyiel will help bring the horses and tack out, evaluating the items to help determine what suits who.
The six horses that were left behind are mechanically the typical light horse. They are not are not combat trained. But, that could be something that could be done over time if needed.
In the midst of the battle that broke out you are not sure which horse belonged to which bandit, but Kunala does specifically remember the horse of the leader. This beautiful brown horse has a few distinct markings about it. It has a white streak that runs from its now up between its eyes. Its legs go from brown to dark brown to black, but has what looks to be white socks before its hooves.
The second horse stands out due to its light coloring. Of the six, this is the only one that has no hard hair about it. Though the tan and white horse might look pretty, you get the sense that in a need to be stealthy this would not be the horse you want to find yourself on.
These next two horse could be twins These two black horses have only one marking on it, a white streak going from its nose to the top of its head. The white marking is identical, even to the point that the streak starts on the creatures right nostril and with nothing on the left.
The last two horses is a pair of shaggy browns. Besides having a coat that looks as if it would be comfortable to cuddle against, their blonde hair match the blonde boots they sport.
From the look of the horses, breeds and coloring, it would leave you to believe that they were “acquired” from different people/vendors by the bandits.
I dont know anything about horses but technically, we should give the white horse to Oleg. It stands out, especially in a forest (where we may be hunting bandits) and mechanically the horses are all the same anyway. I'd rather not reduce our stealthy options unless it was really necessary.
Caitir smiles at Sara. She liked the girl, she reminded her a little of herself in chasing an unlikely dream. "I'll help" she remarks, standing abruptly when Sara leaves to check the packs.
Once outside, Caitir stands a little to the side, out of sight of the doorway and draws her rapier in front of Sara. {b]"Your Dad said that we don't have time for practicing, but this is how you stand with a blade. You stand side on see? Makes you smaller to hit. You have your legs firmly spaced so you can push off quickly, and then shift footing again? See?"[/b] Caitir asks, before moving out of her stance and sheathing her blade. "My friends and I will be here for a while, so feel free to come visit whenever you like. Maybe next time we can cross practice swords and you can impress me on what you have learned. Other than that, consider taking up dancing. Its a good way to practice without looking like your practicing. It teaches you to be light on your feet, graceful. Feel free to give it some thought.
Caitir moves back into the house and watches father and daughter leave.
"I'm always up for a ride, speaking to the Hermit sounds like a good starting point at any rate" she responds
Mirana observes Caitir leave the table and return, looking a little happier but doesn't make a further comment. She watches as Sara and her father leave before she nods in the direction of Oleg and Svetlana "You both have been more than generous, providing us with food, lodging, hospitality. Please don't consider yourselves as indebted to us, we only did what anyone else would have done" she remarks, trying to be modest, before addressing Iradyiel's remark. "Yes, I do think exploring from the middle outwards is best, but I'd prefer speaking to the Hermit first. Local knowledge is always useful and might help us make some decisions as to how we explore and search. I do want to visit the area where Sara and her father visited though. There is definitely something there and I'm keen to address it."
Startled as you catch her off guard Sara’s excitement lights up her face as you say ‘I’ll Help.’ As you begin to show her how to stand with your rapier, Sara draws her short sword and mimics your footing and how you are holding your upper body. “Like this?” as you mention shifting your footing she practices what you show her.
At the mention of your willingness to practice swords the next time you meet Sara smiles, and sheaths her blade. She reaches out and gives you a big hug; “Thank you so much! I will do this between my chores. I know my Da won’t mind, but I’ll need to practice in the barn so mom won’t see.” another big smile and a hug. Her smile fades slightly when you mention dancing; “Dancing? Like at the harvest festival?” she gets shy as a young teen does; “No boy has ever asked me to dance at a festival before… But I think I know some of the moves.” setting her jaw and putting a grip on her sword; “I will learn to dance, boy or no.” laughing with a smile; “I cannot believe I am going to be a Swordlord.” she once again gives you another hug, possibly a few to many for Caitir; “Thank you again… you’re amazing! I hope to see you soon to impress you with what I learned.”
As Kunala talks about going to see the hermit and leaving the bandit behind Oleg says “You can leave him here, I don’t think he will be going anywhere anytime soon. Bokken’s hut is just a few hours from here if you are going on horse. There is no road or major trail that will take you there, but it is roughly 8 miles south east of here…” Oleg does his best to describe land marks that you will see as you make your way to Bokken’s hut.
“If you wouldn’t mind, I would love to give you a small list of items that I would to get from Bokken. It’s mostly just herbs and spices.” Svetlana goes inside and comes back with a small piece of paper and begins to write a list on it. Handing you the list she also passes you a small coin pouch; “There should be more than enough in there to pay for what I need. I have to keep my spice rack full I want to keep receiving such nice compliments on my food from you all.”
When Mirana mentions visiting Frank’s trap sight Oleg scratches his beard as he thinks for a moment; “He has a few different places that he likes, but I believe he said he was last at a place just west of here. Its where the plains go into the forest at a point. That would be my best bet if I were to be looking.”
Horses: Mechanically they are all the same. The tan and white one will not receive a penalty to any stealth rolls. But I am perfectly fine with whatever horses you four want, and which two you leave for Oleg and Svetlana.
'good, Olegs good with watching the bandit.'.. a few hours, south east no trail, Hearing 'no trail' Kunala makes eye contact with Iradyiel, both then focus on trying to remember the description of the landmarks.
Watching Svetlana leave for a moment and return, Kunala accepts the list and small pouch, 'Certainly" tucking the list and pouch in his jacket's inner pocket.
After Oleg describes where the traps were, he asks "About how far from here, or how far from Bokkens?"
Kunala brings the horses out one at a time, using a lead rope as a halter instead of a bit and bridle. Walking them around he watches to see how easily they lead. Then stopping them he drops the rope to see if they will stand still if he takes a step back. He pets their head, letting them get the smell of him, then checks the outside of their mouth seeing if it is tender from the bit, eventually opening the mouth and looking at the teeth. After the horse is familiar with him, he runs his hands down the neck, back and rump, eventually lifting each leg checking the feet. Leading the animal around the compound one more time he returns it to the barn and brings out another, until he has checked all six animals.
Dusting his hands off on his jacket as the returns to the team. "The two blacks are a paired team, both mares, they look like they could be sisters. Their both probably around fifteen. There on the small side for Coldbloods, but appear to bred to pulling wagons or plows instead of riding." He nods to Oleg, "They would be able to handle the wagon easy enough, and you could ride them in a pinch."
He pauses for a moment, "The bay our bowman was riding is a gelding, hot blood; probably eight or nine years old, good conformation, fairly smart and gentle enough. His mouth is a little tender, seems the bandit liked to saw on the reins. So whoever picks him will want a gentle touch to let the mouth heal up right." He looks to Mirana and Caitir, "Due to his Intelligence and size I thought one of you may want to ride him."
He smiles a little, "The other hot blood, the paint, is just a tad smaller, but would be quicker if not overall faster. Don't let her size full you, she probably the most spirited. She is around five or six well trained and smart. Seems to have a mind of her own, easy enough to handle though."
He paused for a moment, "The two sorrels are definitely warm bloods, but their the youngest, maybe two or three. they look similar, but I can't tell if they are sisters or just the same breed. Probably bought by someone to work as a team, But neither are very well trained. Their gentle enough but with their size and youth will need some patience." He shrugged, "I figure Iradyiel and I will swap back and forth between them, let me work a little with 'em."
He looks from Mirana to Caitir, "If that's ok with you ladies?"
Once the team is ready to go, Kunala fetches two bridles and places them on the two sorrel mares. Leading them out of the barn, he ties their reins to the post, grabbing a saddle and blanket. Picking the mare with the small white streak on her nose, He places the blanket on the mare, talking to her softly. ’shhhh, stay calm, girl, it’s just a saddle. What shall we call you little one? You and your white streak, it almost looks like a star, shall we call you Desna?’ Keeping the mare calm as he adds saddle, cinching it tight.
Once mounted he looks up to sun, then shading his eyes he turns to Iradiel. ”Well Rad, shall we head to Bokkens?”
Listening to Olegs' directions carefully Iradyiel draws a map in his head. Catching the look Kunala gives him, he winks and smiles. Telling Oleg, "If I didn't catch all that Mirana did, she's actually better at this woodsman thing than I am."
'Nice compliments?' When Svetlana points the purpose of the spices, Iradyiel nods, looking at Kunala, "I won't let him forget."
'How far?' Looking from Oleg to Kunala then to Mirana, "Will we have enough time today? We need to be back tonight." He points over to the prisoner, 'We want to be here when he wakes up in the morning."
'There he goes.' Watching Kunala head to the barn, Iradiel tells the others, "He's found animals to play with, we may as well find something to do for a bit." Standing from the table. "If we’re leaving soon, I'll check the quality of the tack. Don't want a saddle girth or stirrup breaking on us."
He proceeds to drag the five riding saddles out, checking the girth, straps, buckles, stirrups on all six. Setting two of the larger ones aside for himself and Kunala. He lifts the fifth one, setting it aside, pointing to it. "Hey Oleg, It looks like this one has a loose rivet on the left Dee ring, if it comes out, the girth would give way." He then points to the other two saddles telling the ladies. "Both of those are in good shape.'
He then goes and gets his gear and begins evenly distributing equipment onto the saddle and into the saddle bags.
About that time Kunala begins his lecture on the animals, Iradyiel, sets his saddle aside and sits down on the table bench. Once his brother is done, he asks, "What if the ladies like the black horses better?' Which earns him a scowl, from Kunala.
Seeing Kunala head to the barn, Iradyiel turns to the ladies, "I'll go put bridles on your horses and bring them out. Do you want the bay and the paint, or would you rather ride the two older draft horses?"
After fetching the animals the ladies designate, Iradyiel grabs the saddle he had placed his gear on, putting it on the other sorrel. Patting the horses neck, he points out, "Hey Kunala, just because you like the sound of your own voice doesn't mean that poor mare does."
Mounting up he waves to Oleg and Svetlana, "Be good you two, well be back tonight." Nodding to Kunala. then turning to Mirana, "Looks like we're headed south east."
Cait hugs Sara back in goodbye. The hug was slightly awkward, as she wasn't used to being hugged quite so often by one person. Despite not being much of a hugger herself, Caitir knew enough to respond in kind, especially as it was clear that her encouragement had affected Sara severely. It felt weird helping someone else without reward or self interest, but Caitir reflected that it certainly felt good giving someone hopes and dreams for the future.
Caitir half listens to the horses speech that Kunala had gifted them with. She tries not to roll her eyes at the detail before shrugging. "I like the bay because its brown. As someone that doesn't like announcing my presence in an obvious manner, I'll take the house with the better coloring, and Mirana can take the white one"
Mirana notices Caitir returning from her visit outside with Sara in an unusually good mood. She smiles to herself slightly, but doesn't make a comment. She suspects that drawing attention to the moment will only make her friend feel defensive so she stays quiet, satisfied to let things take their course.
"That was nicely done Kunala" she remarks in reply to the statistically breakdown. She was particularly impressed that the man knew so much about horses and could recommend the options that were best suited to their situation. Mirana hadn't done much riding, and didn't know too much about horses, so having someone particularly knowledgeable on the topic was always valuable.
"I'll handle the paint, its fine" she remarks quickly, hoping to discourage anymore whinging from Caitir before shielding her eyes and gazing at the terrain. "I might know a route that might make our riding a little smoother, based on the surrounding terrain" she mutters, not entirely confident in her assessment but deciding she might as well take a stab at it.
Even though the horses were away and stabled for a few hours, they seemed skittish as Kunala brings them out one by one and evaluates them. Spending time with each one and allowing them time to acclimate to his presence and how he handles them with the goal of them calming down.
The horse responds well to Kunala’s care and experience. Because he gains their trust, the horses seem calm when accepting their new rider and owner.
Seeing Kunala’s skill with the horses Oleg chimes in. “You’re good with the horses. You aren’t by chance skilled when it comes to re-shoeing the horses? I know Claptrap could use a new set, he is past due but not showing any irritation yet.” Before you leave Oleg answers Kunala; “Frank’s last trapping spot was roughly 6 or 7 miles due west/southwest from here.” “Bokken is about 6 miles south/southeast of here. Even if you find yourselves off course he always has a fire going in his hut and as you get closer it will be a beacon for you to follow.”
The Leveton’s go about their daily task as the four of you begin to head off into these unexplored lands.
This morning’s ride is polar opposite to what had happened before dawn. The sun is rising in the day giving you all a bit of warmth on this spring day. It isn’t chilly enough for cold weather outfits, but the breeze does cut through your thinner articles of clothing. The dew is gone, but there is still that crispness hanging in the air. It’s the kind of morning that even someone who despises the outdoors would find, pleasant.
As you are about an hour into the ride you pause to take in the land before you. The undefiled land around you is breathtaking. Not a single structure or person within sight. As you look to your right, the southwest, you notice a small herd of elk off in the distance.. Your fight sign of large game in the territory. More proof that this land could become inhabitable, something the Swordlords of Restov would be fond of hearing.
In a ride that should have taken you about three hours, you find yourself slightly lost as Mirana and Iradyiel share differences in they remember from Oleg’s directions. Thankfully you all spot smoke rising from the east, you had gone too far southwest with the slight confusion. Noon had come and gone during the ride. Those who have eaten are content, but those who did not eat feel their stomach growling.
You follow the smoke from this distance, and the closer and closer you get you do not see a house. Could this be a camp fire? No, suddenly out of nowhere appears a little grass roofed hut built into the ground. As you get closer you hear someone stirring within.
Smiling at Oleg, Kunala gives a mock bow, "Thank you, Thank you." Shaking his head no. "I don't have the knowledge or equipment to forge shoes for you. But If you have a rasp or file, I can clean up his hooves and even them out for you."
As the're getting ready to leave, 'Six miles westerly and Gokkens is a similar distance southeasterly, might be able to make it to both today." Nodding to Oleg, "Thanks Oleg we will keep it in mind."
As the morning turns into afternoon, Kunala, enjoying the ride through the virgin land, ignores the confusion about directions but found himself relieved when they find the small wooden house. Stopping the sorrel mare, he dismounts tying the reins to a tree, seeing that the others had done the same He walks up to the door, knocking calling out, "Bokken, are you about? Oleg sent us."
'Elk, I wonder if I can talk these three into hunting instead of checking in on sprung traps.' Watching the herd of Elk, Iradyiel reaches into his saddle bags and pulls out a piece of jerky, he had placed there. Munching away as he kept looking back at the herd. After the third or fourth piece, he holds out a strip, "Is anyone else hungry? I have plenty."
Around an hour later, 'Did we get off track? I thought I was paying good attention, but I did get distracted by the elk.‘ Looking across the skyline, he notices the smoke, "Good looks like we're not too lost." and heads that direction.
Dismounting, he follows Kunala to the door.
Mirana is a little puzzled by the fact that both she had Iradyiel remembered different things from one persons directions. She reflects for a moment that perhaps people remember things that are most important to them and perhaps that explains why they focused on different things.
She dismounts and follows Kunala in walking towards the house.
Caitir glances around, checking the area that had found themselves in. She didn't think it likely to be trapped, but she follows close behind Mirana, keeping a watchful eye out for any danger.
Seeing Kunala’s skill with the horses Oleg chimes in. “You’re good with the horses. You aren’t by chance skilled when it comes to re-shoeing the horses? I know Claptrap could use a new set, he is past due but not showing any irritation yet.” Before you leave Oleg answers Kunala; “Frank’s last trapping spot was roughly 12 to 14 miles due west/southwest from here.” “Bokken is about 12 miles south/southeast of here. Even if you find yourselves off course he always has a fire going in his hut and as you get closer it will be a beacon for you to follow.”
Casually looking around you are unable to see any traps, or really anything on the outside of this hut. No fence, no furniture, no nothing.
As you approach the hut the commotion from within continues about. “No, no. Not the moondew you one eyed feather brained fool! I need the Saltpeter…” you here some more commotion and the clinking and clanging of glass shuffling about and the hitting of metal on metal “Don’t you remember last time? Explosive is quite right!”
At the sound of Kunala the rustling from within ceases as you hear the sound of someone shushing another person. Slowly, from the window in the door, a head begins to raise and stops as the persons eyes are able to take the four of you in, blinks then they slowly lower back down. There is some inaudible conversation happening from within when suddenly you hear a “FINE! I’ll go!”
An elderly, frail man makes his way through the door. Clothed in furs, this man has a very rustic look about him. It looks to have been weeks, maybe longer, since he has had a proper bath or wash. He nervously wrings his hands together and smiles; “Who is this that Oleg has sent to see Bokken? Friends or foe?” at the mention of foe you hear the sound of glass falling and shattering against something. The man before you flinches with his eyes squeezing tight with his head and neck turtling into his body he quickly turns back to the door.
Flinging the door open the man begins to shout; “Ingram!” as he begins to ramble on about breaking glass, ruining of ingredients, plucking of feathers, and a slew of other unintelligible strings of sentences that could only be insults the man comes back through the door.
“Oleg never sends anyone… there must be troubles… maybe he needs more of my elixirs.” thinking to himself, he scratches his beard and shakes his head; “That couldn’t be… unless… more guest?” Suddenly from inside the house an old raven flaps into the window opening and looks around, one eye missing. When the man notices he shoos it back inside; “Get back inside Ingram! You have work to do.”
Turning his attention back to the four of you; “I am Bokken” and says nothing more waiting for you to speak.
'One eyed feather branined fool? Maybe I didn't knock loud enough.' Turning to the other, giving a comical frown he turns and knockes again. 'Ah he heard us this time.'
Seeing the window open Kunala puts on his best smile and nods. When the door opens he begins to give his second best bow answering the question posed. , "I'm Kunala..." but trails off when he hears the clatter caused by the word 'foe.' He stops for a moment as the man reenters the cabin. turning to his friends, he shrugs, "Curious sort." then waits for the man to return.
Kunala's polite smile finds it's way to his eyes as he attempts to not chuckle at the man and his hidden associate. When the man does return, Kunala shakes his head 'no' as the mention of trouble, then showing the man his hands, he reaches into his coat drawing out the note from Svetlana. Spying the raven, 'Ah the assistant shows himself.' Kunala gives a light chuckle then quickly covers his mouth with his hand, clearin his throat.
As the man turns his attention back to the adventurers Kunala presents the note. "A pleasure to meet you Bokken. It may be more appropriate to say that Svetlana sent us. Though we would have come for a visit if she didn't need spices." He nods again. "As I said, I am Kunala," He gestures towards the others,"And this is Iradyiel my brother and Mirana and Caitir, our associates." Turning back to the alchemist, showing his hands again, he reaches back into his coat, drawing out the Charter. "As I said we would have wanted to introduce ourselves to you." He hands Bokken the letter, continueing. "Oleg told us that you are able to sell potions and such items, we wanted to introduce ourselves and inquire what sort of items you might be able to create." Pausing for a moment. "For purchasing, of course."