'Well, at least this is entertaining.' Smiling at the hubbub, Iradiel winks at Kunala when he turns and shrugs. Seeing the man return to the door he quickly points it out to his brother causing Kunala to turn around. 'Curious character, is that him I smell or the chemicals in his cabin?' Wrinkling his nose a little as the man returns to his cabin.
Drawing out a piece of jerky, he takes a bite as the comotion continues in the cabin. Good, Kunala has finally come to his senses, he's showing the alchemist Svetlana's note.' Watching as the man reads the note. 'No, no, no, leave the ....blast. What is it with him and that charter?' Rolling his eyes as Kunala hands the man the charter. When the alchemist looks up from the letter, Iradyiel holds out the jerky, asking "Does Ingram like jerky?"
The mans clumsy entrance catches a Mirana a bit off guard, and she isn't encouraged by the mans rather unorthodox attitude. She idly wonders what on earth the sort of 'work' an old one eyed raven would have to do around the place and feels a little uncomfortable.
"Oleg also spoke highly of your personal knowledge of the area - so we also hoped to pick your brains about the dangers this place might hold, any secrets or rumors or so on that an expert like you might know about" she remarks hopefully
"Great, an accident prone crackpot old man is our information source, because apparently thats what passes for 'reliable local knowledge' around here" Caitir thinks to herself sourly, not at all impressed after her first interaction with Bokken.
'I don't know how I feel about drinking any of this old guys elixers but I guess Oleg considers him reliable or otherwise doesn't have much of an alternative' Caitir reflects, before watching the raven. Unlike Bokken, she had a bit more respect for the old creature. It looked battered, and it had one eye, but in Caitir's mind that meant it was (hopefully) battle-scared, that it had experience .The fact that it was still alive and (marginally) functional was something Caitir found impressive.
When Kunala mentions Svetlana need for spices his face begins to light up; “Though she is young enough to be my grand-daughter, her cooking reminds me of moms cooking.” at the mention of his mother his face and mood turns sour; “curse my younger brother” spitting on the ground before him, no concerned that you are close by. Holding up his right hand, he wiggles his fingers and you notice the missing pinky finger; “Bastard cut that offa me the last time he hit my mother, Desna rest her soul. But he took off right after to live in a hollow tree down south rather than face the guards, so I guess it all worked out well enough.” Watching his fingers as they wiggle, his eyes begin to glaze over as he becomes lost in his thoughts.
The words able to sell potions brings his attention back to Kunala. “For purchasing… oh I do have potions for purchasing.” turning he walks into the hut, continuing to talk; “Potions to heal and potions to aid. Potion to protect and potions to endure…” walking back to the door he opens it; “Come in, come in. Watch your head!” Bokken turns back into his hut and continues on; “Potions to vanish and potions to see what is unseen. Potions crush and potions to dance.” Bokken continues to ramble on with unspecific details about what his potions can do.
Walking into his hut you notice a distinct aroma of a damp mildewed basement mixed with the overwhelming aroma of manure so thick you can taste it. If the smell didn’t overwhelm your senses, the clutter of a pack rat might.
The hard-packed dirt floor has bits of broken glass, clippings and debris of plants and roots, bits of food in the corner and under the table. You even see a mouse eating a bit of bread under the table that doesn’t seem concerned with the five of you entering. The table is covered with glass vials, measuring devices and a scale, knives and spoons, various sizes of mortal and pestle sets, mixing bowls.
There is a ledge that circles the exterior walls that is overflowing with jars, bags, cups that are filled with different alchemical ingredients. There are also loose ingredients laying on the ledge along with open books with handwritten recipes. Seeing you looking at one of the open books, Bokken reaches over and picks up the book “That is where I left you.”
Looking up to the ceiling you see a rather interesting sight. Growing there are various mushrooms of different sizes shapes and colors. You also see sprouts and even asparagus spears, though these are white and not the typical green spears you would be familiar with.
“A lot has changed the last 40… 50… no 60 years…” looking to Ingram; “You’ve gotten old my friend.” The raven squawks at Bokken and he sneers at the bird. Turning his attention to Mirana again; “People come and go, they build and the land takes it back. Except me.” looking out the window; “Be mindful of the land, it quickly forgets you where there as your blood drains and your body cools. But Bokken can help you learn these lands.”
He sits down and begins flipping through the book he previously picked up.
Shrugging, tucking the charter back into his jacket, 'Amazing, Svetlana's cooking will open doors even the Major can... His eyes following the spit, Kunala resists the urge to 'prestigitate' the flem further away. 'Brother went south, probably long dead now.' Watching the man wiggle his own fingers, Kunala smiles again, pausing. Should I say something?'
Relieved when the man seems to regain his wits, Kunala follows him into the hut, the smell stronger the mess almost unbearable, he looks around the room, surprised to see the mouse, 'How can that field mouse stand the smell?' His eyes wandering from the scattered floor, table and ceiling, his attention refocuses when the man begins to speak to the raven. His first thought, 'I wonder if I could teach the bird 'prestidigitation' so it could help clean this mess?' Nodding realizing Bokken was speaking directly to them, just as the man sits to read. 'Mindful of the land....ah he can help us learn, that is as important as the potions.'
Not seeing another chair, at least not one he would sit on, Kunala crouches by the table, resting his elbow on the cleanest spot he can see. "Excellent, most excellent, Bokken, we will need to learn about these lands from you." He points to Svetlana's list in Bokken's pocket, "Along with Svetlana's purchases we will need to make some of our own. Do you perchance make wands as well?"
Taking another bite of the jerky as he follows Kunala into the cottage, Iradyiel Crinkling his nose slightly, he smiles to himself. 'Kunala was always fastidious, this will test his desire to see this through.' Noting the floor, he steps carefully so as not to break anything as he weaves through the tight space. Observes the inhabitants and listens to the old man's mutterings finally seeing the Raven he smiles.
Moving toward the squawking bird, he tears off a piece of the jerky, reaching it out to the one eyed raven, he says gently, "You must be Ingram, want some Jerky?"
Mirana nods at Bokken's remarks although they were a little too cryptic for her liking. "Whatever you can tell us about these lands would be most appreciated, as you say, the land hasn't taken it away from you" she finishes, nodding seriously.
She glances at the books around, as well as the mushrooms in the room, trying to see if her own nature knowledge could identify what Bokken was working with. She lightly touches the asparagus wondering what had caused it to grow in that way.
"Yeah but maybe the land took something away from you after all...like your sanity" Caitir reflects, still in a bit of a grouchy mood. She perked up for a moment at the mention of a vanishing potion before feeling depressed again when she remembered who was selling it. She knew Oleg trusted this man, but that didnt mean that she felt comfortable relying on this mans magic potions - at least at the moment.
Looking at Svetlana’s list he gets to work gathering the items on the list. As he finds them he places them on the edge of the table “Wands? Wands don’t taste as good as Bokken’s elixirs. No wands.” picking back up a pouch that he set down he smells it and takes a small taste of what is inside; “nope, that one is hallucinogenic…” picks back up the pouch and goes back to gathering the list.
Leaning in to the jerky that is extended by Iradyiel, Ingram quickly pecks out to grab the jerky and flutters back to a wooden corner perch.
Bokken places the final item on the table “That is everything. 15 silver will do it.” He finds a small cloth sack to place the items in; “What elixirs do you need? I have a few but wound need to make other.” walking to the far side of the table he pulls up a small wooden box. Opening the box reveals six vials “What do I have here…” picking up each vial he holds them up to the light to see the coloring, opens the cork to smell and taste them all. “These two are healing potions, these two help you endure, this one is a stronger healing potion, and this last one is empty. I can make others also.”
This is all OOC info that helps speed up a slew of dialogue.
2x Cure Light Wounds
2x Endure Elements
1x Cure Moderate Wounds
Bokken can also make any potion on the Adept spell list 2nd level or lower. It will take Bokken a day to have any spell prepared and then brewed into a potion.
Scratching his beard as if he has fleas he turns to Ingram; “I think you are right Ingram…” turning back towards the group; “I am running out of my special ingredient for all of my elixirs, it makes them delicious. You go and me more and I will make you potions at a discount. It will help you learn the land and it is fairly safe.” picking up the empty vial and swirling the few drops that are at the bottom; “I need more fangberries to make a juice that I add to my potions. It is about 50 miles southwest of here. You’d cross the Thorn River and a few miles beyond that you will find the Fangberry Thicket. Get to the forest and you have gone too far.”
“You get potions, I get Fangberries, you learn the land…. What do you say?”
'Pity no wands, I wonder if that's something I could learn to do myself.' Watching as the man smells. tastes and touches his products, Kunala smiles to himself 'Wands don't taste as good? I wonder if he spends a lot of time sampling his own products, I can see why Oleg might find his personality... disconcerting.'
Smiling, as Bokken places Svetlana's items on the table, he reaches into his jacket and draws out the small pouch Svetlana gave him, setting it beside the small cloth sack. 'Yes, what do we need.' turning to Mirana then Caitir Kunala shrugs, then follows the alchemist to the far side of the table, Kunala watches as he opens the box. 'We have earned enough to purchase the healing and endure potions, but to buy the stronger one, I would need to dig into our savings.' Looking from the box toward his friends, shrugging his shoulders.
'Should I offer to prestigitate the fleas out for him? Probably not.' Burying his hands in his jacket pockets, Kunala barely resist the urge to scratch his own face, watching as Bokken talks to his bird companion. 'Ah a trade, barter may serve us better than our gold at this point. Nodding as he understands the request to hunt down the 'fangberries' Kunala looks toward his friends, turning back to the alchemist smiling. "I think we would be happy to fetch the 'Fangberries' for you but it may take a bit, there are some other things we have to deal with as well."
Unable to resist any further, he scratches his chin, then asks, "If you could share any information about the land hereabouts it may help us finish our other tasks faster, this getting the 'Fangberries' to you a little quicker."
He points at the two healing and endure potions, asking, "In the meantime I assume those are about fifty gold pieces each for the four vials you have?" He looks back to Iradyiel and the ladies, "What else should we have him prepare for when we return?"
Smiling as Ingram takes the jerky, 'Busy fellow, up and down, up and down.' Watching Bokken move from chair to workbench, Iradiel moves over to the table, moving the book back a little, he sits in the chair, turning it so he can watch, winking at Ingram when the crow looks at him with it's good one eye.
'Don't taste good?' Chuckling at Bokken's reasoning, Iradyiel, waves the beef stick, "You could use beef jerky as the wand, or maybe liquorice, that way when people are done with it they could eat it, eliminate all those little sticks from lying around." He rests his arm on the table and reclines a bit, "Svetlana could make the candies, you could magic 'em, we could transport them to the merchants. We would have corner on the market, 'Bokken's edible wands' We'd be rich!" Smiling at his own jest, he misses Kunala's unspoken request for assistance in picking out potions.
'Fangberries, don't sound to hard to find, should be easy money.' Hearing the prospect of bartering berries for potions, Iradyiel nods in agreement with Kunala, posing, "So these berries, do they taste good?"
Mirana nods enthusiastically at the sight of healing potions. She had been worried about patching up their wounds on long trips and the potions would allow them to press forward further when scouting. She isn't particularly impressed though in Bokken's attempts to 'educate' them on the land by sending them off on missions.
"Bokken, I'm happy to fetch the berries for you, but doing so to 'learn the land' is not particularly helpful to us. The idea is for us to learn about the various hazards in these parts before we run into them rather than after. So the more you can tell us the more likely it is we can return with your Fangberries - everyones happy."
Bored, Caitir picks up a book at random and idly flicks through the pages, wondering if its got an sigificant information. "I wouldn't mind any potions that make you sneakier" she offers, looking up for a brief moment at Kunala's question before going back to her book. "Also, anything protective that lets Mirana stay breathing would also be a wise purchase" she quips a moment later.
After a moments reading, Caitir remembers the silver amulet she had taken for 'safe keeping' and pulls it into full view for the hermit to see. "Just out of curiosity Bokken, do you know what this image on the amulet stands for? I thought it might be Erastil" she asks curiously
'Yes it would be nice to know what were going to get into before we get there.' Nodding his head in agreement with Mirana, Kunala turns as Caitir, makes a good point. 'Sneakier and more protective, that 's a good idea.' turning from Caitir back to Bokken, "My friend Caitir has a good idea, could we just get the 'curing' potions today, and pick up a couple of potions for invisibility and say 'mirror image' when we get back with the 'fangberries'?
Nodding as the four of you are discussing what potions you need and what you would like him to make, he begins to pull out the four from the case and one by one begins to spit on the vial and use his rags for clothing to wipe them down; “Clean them up good as new for you.” unless anyone specifically stops him, he will continue to clean all four of them in the same way.
Either while cleaning a vial or fidgeting with a book, Bokken speaks up; “Oh yes, the land. Beautiful, isn’t she? I have lived off of her for near fifty years now… The bridge to the berries isn’t exactly what it used to be. I can manage.” looking to Caitir; “You seem spry enough to cross it with no troubles.” chuckles at his own thoughts; “There is the war to be mindful of, too. Oh those little fellows are adorable when they go at it.” amused with himself again he realizes he lost his train of thought; “The mites that is. Little guys. I have seen them at war with the kobolds since you were being put to bed by your wet nurse.”
Watching Iradyiel waving his beef stick around, Bokken loses his thoughts, again. Trying to do his best job of being sneaky, Bokken moves to take the stick from Iradyiel. If he is allowed to take the stick Bokken will gnaw on it while thinking, if not he just fidgets with his fingers disappointed in his ability to get the treat; “Bokken’s edible wands? It does sound nice. Though my elixirs is what I can do now.”
Beginning to chuckle; “Do they taste good?” he laughs to himself; “You will do your best to not eat them all before you arrive back here.”
Hearing the talk of only buying the two Cure Light Wounds potions, he places the other two back in his box; “One hundred gold for those two. The one to make you vanish and one to multiply yourself will take me more than one day. Protective elixirs are simpler, one against those that are evil or good, chaotic or lawful.”
As soon as Caitir pulls out the silver amulet that the bandit was wearing Bokken’s deminer changes; “That is not of Erastil! The ones who wear this belong to the Stag Lord. I have never met this Lord, but he rules the land to the south. I stay away from him and his men.” With a simple SM check, you would know what he is talking about the bandits. “Shame that good silver has gone to ruin with such a vile symbol.”
Seeing his vials; “Oh yes, the fangberries. Hurry to bring those back to me, I will need it to finish up your elixirs properly.”
'Uhhhh.' Cringing when he sees Bokken's method of cleaning the vials, Kunala closes his eyes ever so briefly, biting his tongue. Listening while the alchemist continues cleaning the bottles, 'There's a war nearby? Mites and Kobolds?' Trying to recall what he knows about mites and Kobolds, he asks Bokken, "Are the critters close to the berries or the bridge or just in the general area?”
When Bokken is distracted by Iradyiel’s frivolities, Kunala, unable to resist furtner, moves over to where the ‘clean’ vials are located and quickly uses prestidigitation attempting to remove any germs.
Noting that Bokken had returned to the box of prepared vials, Kunala begins to get out his purse, turning from Bokken to Caitir, "Caitir, should we go ahead and have him make two or three of each potion?" Pausing for a moment when the old man mentions protection spells, he raises an eyebrow, looking from Caitir to Mirana, "What do you think about protection spells?"
As Kunala counts out the hundred gold pieces, he notes what Bokken tells Caitir, 'Not Eraastil, but the Stag lord, rules the land to the south.' He briefly looks from the old man to the others, hearing the need for the fangberries, he nods, "It may be a couple of days but we will try to hurry."
'Yeah, that will drive Kunala nuts.' Smiling at the thought of his brothers discomfort, Iradyiel barely notices Bokkens antics, 'Why not?' Letting the alchemist grab the jerky. Watching the old man knaw on the jerky he smiles, "Made by my dad. I have the recipe, but it doesn't turn out as good as his, I think it's the old wooden spoon he uses, has all the good flavoring in it."
Watching Kunala move to the vials, 'Yep, can't help himself.' Returning his attention to Bokken as shares his present abilities, Iradyiel nods, "True, but it never hurts to think of new ideas."
As Kunala discusses the vials and payment, Iradyeil pulls the last piece of jerky from his pouch, breaking it in half, waiving one half at the one-eyed raven, he interupts, "You can never have too many potions."
Trying to tempt the bird, he half notices Caitir showing the alchemist the medallion. 'I stay away from him? vile symbol?... our bandit camp. Hearing Bokken's reply, he tosses the jerky in the general direction of Ingram, turning to the old man, all frivolity gone, "How far south? How many men?"
"Mites and kobolds at war, thats interesting" Mirana reflects, wondering what would have caused that conflict. She was a little surprised that the two races would be at each others throats over a (relatively) large and untamed area but she supposed that perhaps both races just wanted the same patch of grass. "If the two races are at war, we might need to pick a side, so it might be worth investigating this war a little further before we go poking around - best to go in with open eyes" she thinks but for now she keeps her thoughts to herself.
"Yes, I think more protective elixirs are always going to be beneficial" she replies, with a half glance in Iradyiel's direction, agreeing with his thoughts. She wonders if there was any meaning behind Bokken's comments that she should be able to navigate the bridge without any trouble - she eventually decides he must have been referring to her athletic figure in comparison to Bokken's own.
Caitir's expression though sharpens at the discussion about her silver medallion. She isn't particularly impressed that shes carrying around a bandit lord symbol but she resolves to keep it all the same. It was still good silver and in all honesty, if they did end up defeating the Stag Lord it could serve as a symbol of their victory. Still, she didn't think they should rush into the Stag Lord at first opportunity. One the one hand she wanted to get that threat over and done with, but on the other, she knew the Stag Lord probably had a sizable force and smarter preparations might need to be made first.
“Critters…” Bokken thinks for a moment; “oh, the mites and kobolds… I try to stay away from them but I have seen them mostly in the plains north of the Thorn River and Shrike River. You will need to cross the Thorn to get to my Fangberries.” mulling over something, Bokken speaks up; “Come to think of it, I have seen them around my berries from time to time. I wait for them to leave before collecting.”
As Iradyiel mentions an old wooden spoon Bokken goes and picks up his spoon. As he does so you can see a residue has built up on the spoon and even caused it to stick to the table a bit; “You dad was a wise man, the spoon does have good flavoring within it. I am sure he was like me and never washed his either.” He stets the spoon down besides his knives and measuring utensils.
As the mood becomes serious over the talk of The Stag Lord Bokken becomes flustered with Iradyiels quick questions; “I.. I… I don’t know. I have heard they have a dozen or so at a camp in the forest. I do not risk going in there for sake of coming across the camp, or what else might lurk in there.”
Going wide eyed when he hears Kunala bring up the amount of potions to make; “Two or three of each potion? A couple of days will be needed to complete them all. I normally ask for gold down on a large order, but you are getting the fangberries for me so I will not need the gold down.” flipping through a book; “Once you head off I will start.” picking up the coin pouch next to the ingredients, Bokken gives it a shake smiles and tucks it in the case where his elixirs were.
With your sense motive you know that as odd and off as Bokken might be, you believe that he is being honest.
Kobolds: You know that these creatures can be very territorial but only act if it is in their favor. They are natural trapmakers and miners and will use these abilities when claiming a home. Though they claim to have kinship to dragons, they have no draconic blood in their veins.
Mite: These are small fey creatures that love and thrive in the dark. It is known that because they are fey blooded that they have some natural magical abilities. Also because of their fey blood, normal weapons are not fully effective against them.
The plains north of the Thorn and Shrike River, and they may be at the berries. Looking past Bokken out the nearest dirt crusted window. 'I wonder why he doesn't grow them nearer.' He realizes Iradyiel and Bokken are talking about dad's 'Jerky' turning in just enough time to see Bokken's spoon. 'uuuggghhhhh, he didn't say dad never washed his spoon, just that he uses the same one...'
Closing his eyes, he pushes the image of the spoon to the back of his mind, focusing on the conversation about the 'Stag Lord.' 'A dozen, that 's the same number Oleg said, now it's less....ah and the bandits may not be the only issue in the forest...good to know.
'Curious, I didn't think about quantities being an issue.' Smiling, he shakes his head, "Bokken I believe you are an honest man, as I am also." He opens the pouch, placing the other hundred gold pieces on the table, unconsciously wiping his fingertips on the cloth pouch. "That is another hundred, one third the price of six potions. When we return with the fangberries, we can haggle over the remaining cost based on the quality and quantity of berries we bring you."
He then turns to the Iradyiel and the ladies, "My friends, is there anything else we need to discuss with Bokken before we leave?"
'So there are creatures living near by, nasty, petty violent little creatures, but sentient creatures nonetheless, We will need to sort that out, but now is not the time to worry about them. The plains north the rivers.' Drawing a mental image of the location and nature of the two warring species. Iradyiel smiles when he sees Bokken’s spoon. 'That will drive Kunala nuts.' Looking toward his brother he realizes Kunala was looking out the window. 'Ah, he must have an idea.' Clearing his throat. "Uhhmmm" Iradyiel causes Kunala to turn back to Bokken and visibly squirm, Iradyiel covers his mouth with his hand so no one sees his smile widen. 'That's the reaction i wanted.' Regaining his composure, he nods to Bokken, "Yes, yes he is, hopefully someday he can visit and we will introduce you to him."
Seeing Bokken's mood darken at his question, Iradyiel glances towards the silver medallion and Caitir, watching her expression sharpen, 'I wonder what she thinking. then turning back towards the alchemist 'So into the wood, we should be able to thin out their numbers even more before we attack.' he nods, "Thank you."
As the conversation turns to the vials of potions, Iradyiel catches Caitir's eye, and nods almost imperceptibly. Just as Kunala offers to pay for the potions up front he rolls his eyes then shrugs. moving closer to the ladies he whispers, "I told you, he talks too much."
Realizing Kunala was speaking to them, he turns, looking like a kid who was caught with his hand in a cookie jar, smiling a sheepish grin. "Nope, nothing to say, nothing at all, I'm good to go."
Mirana feels quietly pleased about Kunala's honest generosity towards Bokken - placing a gold downpayment for the mans future labor. She thought that was the polite thing to do, despite the mans disgusting habits. "Could you give us a rough idea as to where we need to stay clear of in the forest to avoid the Stag Lord?" she asks Bokken carefully before glancing up at Kunala
"Other than just that request, I don't think there is anything further to discuss. We should reset I think, and plan our next few days in advance. There's certainly a few items to cross off a list - with the Stag Lord probably the primary threat at the moment."
"Typical - everyone's probably dreaming of glorious flanking tactics or hit and run strategies to deal with the Stag Lord when I could probably just slip into his bed and cut his throat" Caitir thought wistfully for a moment. She didn't think that this particular scenario was likely to happen, and besides - it was overly simplistic without thought for what could go wrong - but even so she allowed herself to dream of the simple, mundane, and probably less honorable solution. If it got the job done Caitir was happy.
She smirks a little at Iradyiel's latest remark, before jerking a thumb in Mirana's direction "Hes not the only one" she says in a mock serious tone.
Once the conversation is over, Kunala nods, to Bokken, then on a whim to the one-eyed bird Iradyiel was feeding. "It was a pleasure to meet you." He makes a sweeping gesture towards his companions "As Mirana said, we need to regroup. We will head back to the trading post." giving the others a knowing look, "We have something there we need to deal with." He turns again, giving Bokken a polite nod, then moves toward the door. Whispering to Iradyiel, as he passes "I heard that, I don't talk to much." He smiles, [smaller]"Well, maybe not all the time."
Heading out of the cabin, he gestures towards, the sorrel with the star on it's face. "Iradyeil, you ride Desna, I would like to see how the other mare sits." As he approaches the plain faced sorrel, he pats her neck, whispering to her. "So who is Desna's sister or cousin maybe? Gathering the reins as he thinks, 'Desna created her own shadow, the black butterfly, so.' smiling, he mounts the mare, leaning down patting her neck whispering."Shall we call you butterfly.'
Nodding has Kunala tells Bokken they had something to deal with, Iradyiel follows Kunala out of the cabin, smiling when his brother admits to hearing the comment.
Once outside Iradyiel shrugs, when Kunala asks him to switch horses, Giving him a funny look when he tells him the name, Mounting, "Did you really name the horse after a goddess?" Seeing Kunala take his time with the second mare, he turns to the ladies, "See, he even talks to animals, I swear, if there was tree here, he would stop to talk to it too."
Seeing everyone mounted, he nods, moving 'Desna' forward, "Hopefully getting back to the trading post will be easier." Pausing for a moment, 'We still have to deal with the bandit,.' Not ready to speak what is on his mind, he Looks back to the others and asks "So where do we head after we deal with the bandit?"
When asked about areas to avoid Bokken nods as he speaks up; “When I travel I don’t go further south than the Shrike River or further west than where I find the Fangberries. I stay away from the forest. It is a pity, I am sure I could forage for ingredients within but I would become lost in there and never find my way home.”
Taking the first hundred gold pieces for the two Cure Light Wounds potions. When Kunala sets down the extra hundred gold his eyes light up and nods; “Oh thank you, I will get right to work on those six potions.” Bokken begins gathering ingredients to start working on the potions that were requested. He works around you and to continue his work; “Please give my regards to Svetlana and Oleg.”
Leaving Bokken’s hut you all realize that you had become use to the odor that was within because of the refreshing cool breeze you feel as walk towards your horses.
Your journey back towards Oleg’s Trading Post is easier than heading to Bokken’s Hut. The land is more familiar the second time you travel it. Along the way you do see some small game being spooked out of their den or grass nest as the four of your come close. Unless you are waiting and ready, they are gone before you have a chance to ready a sling or bow.
Outside of the small game you see, you see no other larger game or people. This nature sights you see are along the way make it okay that you have not seen any other people.
Taking the trail that leads back to the Trading Post you notice that the gates are wide open and there is commotion within. As you approach the stables you see that there are makeshift tents along the south wall of the stables between the palisade. Getting closer you see that there is a group of four armed and armored men sitting around the table talking with the Leveton’s as they are eating dinner. One man stands out to you as a ranking officer over the other three.
As you stop the horses next to the stables and dismount, Oleg notices you and begins making his way over to the four of you with a smile on his face… Oleg, with a smile on his face. “Well they arrived!” Oleg says as he takes the reins from Mirana and Caitir; “Those are the guards that we requested! You should go and meet them, and eat.” Tying off the first two horses Oleg makes his way to take the reins from Kunala and Iradyiel;[b] “You should go talk to the commander, his name is Kesten Garess.
The group of small group look you over as you approach.
The name Kesten Garess is familiar to you. You recall a scandal when an affair between Kesten and a lowborn woman named Tania, a weaver’s daughter, became public knowledge. His father Evan, a cousin of the Garess family patriarch, disowned Kesten, who fled to Restov to serve as a mercenary.
Realizing the gates were open and hearing the commotion within, Kunala, loosens his sword in its scabbard, while Iradyiel, quickly strings the war-bow. Entering the gates at the ready, they notice the tents and the men at the table eating with their friends. Relaxing slightly Kunala sees the armored man standing out from the other three. 'Well, at least these are not bandits, but I wonder who.'
'At least Oleg is smiling.' Kunala and Iradyiel dismount intending to tie the mares off at the hitching post. Looking toward Oleg while he helps the ladies, 'The guards we requested? the commander, Kesten Garess? Kesten... oh," Handing the reins to Oleg, he steps near his friends, whispering, "Kesten Garess, disinherited, by family patriarch for a very public affair, came to Restov as a mercenary."
While Iradyiel moves to the table, Kunala, unsure of Garess’ intentions steps towards him, offering his hand. "Greetings, Oleg told us you are the guards he sent for, I am Kunala, a pleasure to meet you." After they shake hands, he reaches into his jacket pocket and draws out the charter handing it to Kesten, nodding toward the captured bandit. "Were here to deal with the bandit problem and other things.."
'Open gates and commotion.' Slowing down, Iradyiel instinctively strings the bow, wanting to be ready for anything. Seeing the Levetons seemingly relaxed, Iradtiel breaths a little easier. Dismounting he also hands Oleg the reins to his horse, 'A mercenary, but oleg seems to be happy they are here.' While Kunala moves to introduce himself to their captain, Iradiel moves to the stew pot smelling it. Keeping one eye on the conversation and the other on the table of men, he smiles to Svetlana, leaning on his bow. "So, Svetlana, what's for supper?"
Mirana glances at Iradyiel while riding back to the camp, giving the question its fair due before responding. "I'd prefer to check out the location where all those traps were tripped. It seems like a minor inconvenience slightly further away from bandit activity so I think its worth checking out safely. I do want to investigate the mites and kobold conflict relatively soon though, as I feel that it might spill over if it goes on unchecked."
As they pull into camp Mirana immediately spots the collection of guards gathered in the camp. "Better late than never I guess, although its irritating that they arrive after we solved the problem" she reflects for a moment. She dismounts and helps Oleg with the horse, signalling Caitir to approach the men as well, before she eventually trails along behind.
"Right, send the master thief to talk with a guard captain, what could go wrong?" Caitir thought to herself on approach, reflecting that it wasn't the first time Mirana had shown poor judgment. Still, it wasn't like the guards knew Caitir's actual history and anyway, she had only been a relatively minor thief anyway - the whole reason she left in the first place.
Caitir smiles up at the four men, giving Keston her most charming smile. Caitir knew how to be very charming when she wanted to be, and she had already decided that getting into the mans good books could only be a good thing considering her casual attitude towards law and order.
"Hello guys, I'm Caitir, please to meet you. Over there is my friend Mirana. We are lending Kunala and his friend some assistance in cleaning up this area of any problems. Are you here to help with that as well?"
As the four of you approach Kesten fully turns his attention to you; “Kunala, it is nice to meet you. I am Kesten Garess. Oleg has filled me in on what took place and how you handled it. Very impressive.” looking over the charter; “I had one of my men look over that one over there, seems your mercy could prove worthwhile. If you can get him to talk that is.” As Caitir approaches Kesten rolls up the charter and hands it back to Kunala.
“The pleasure is all mine, Caitir.” taking her hand with a slight bow of his head; “We are indeed here to help protect this trading post from the threats that oppose it. There is vested interest in the thriving of Oleg’s and Svetlana’s operation here from my superiors.” Giving a friendly smile to Mirana and Iradyiel as they approach; “With my men and I here, it should free you up to follow your orders.” He motions to the charter that Kunala has tucked away. “I am more than willing to lend you aid, but our main focus is this out post.”
Turning to his men; “You’ve had enough to eat, make room for these four. Gael, Marchus. You two have first watch on the wall. Dhavik you will watch through the night.” Two male humans stand up and thank Svetlana for the meal and make their way for the eastern ladder along the palisade and climb up. The last to stand is a half-orc man who finishes his food first stands gives Svetlana a ma’am and moves off towards the stables.
As they leave Kesten turns back to the four of you; “Please, sit and rest. Oleg told me you have been out surveying the land and visiting a local alchemist? Was your trip profitable?”
Svetlana brings each of you a plate with roasted chicken on it; “Kesten and his men brought us a treat! They came across a merchant that had chickens and brought us a dozen.” Kesten gives a dismissive wave as if it was not a problem. “Smiling, Oleg is going to be making a coop for them outside of the gates with a fenced in area for them to graze.”
About this time, Oleg makes his way back to the tables; “Brushed down the horses and now needing to make a coop. I don’t know if all the extra work is worth having you all here.” clearly said in jest. “How was Bokken?” Oleg says as he takes a drink from a waterskin. Svetlana speaks up; “Oh yes, did he have everything I needed?”
Shaking hands with Kesten, 'Firm grip, a swordsman grip. No surprise, a noble upbringing, he would be able to handle himself. Accepting the charter back, Kunala nods, "Yes, if we can get him to talk.' He studies Kesten while the captain speaks to Caitir. 'A vested interest from his superiors. I wonder who those are.' Turning and looking at Mirana and Iradyiel, 'True, we will not have to focus on just here, and willing to aid, how kind.' Kunala watches as the captain interacts with his men, Acknowledging him. "Thank you Captain." he pauses for a moment then shrugs, "If not profitable it was certainly ...interesting." Considering saying more, he smiles. "Master Bokken is a little eccentric." turning to the others, then back to Kesten, "I mean him no ill will, we were able to acquire what we went after, so yes you could say it was profitable."
'Chicken?' Looking from Svetlana back to the retreating Captain, Kunala sits, "What a kind thought." Looking up tp Oleg, Kunala smiles, "Um, I think Bokken was as good as could be expected." He gestures towards Kesten, "As I was telling the captain, he seemed a little eccentric. But we did purchase more potions, and placed an order for more. He also gave us valuable information." Nodding as Svetlana asks, reaching into his pocket he draws out her package, "Yes mam, he was able to provide what was asked for."
Oleg seems genuinely in good spirits. He is actually smiling for crying out loud. You four took care of a real threat and now support has arrived for when you are gone exploring. His trading post can now take off under the protection he requested.
Kesten is very down to business. Kunala knows about Kesten's past and it could be very possible that he is trying to remove the bad mark from his name, or possibly start fresh. Something that seems to be familiar in these unclaimed lands. Whatever his motives might be, you get the sense that he has no ill will for Oleg and Svetlana.
Staying near the table, Iradyiel listens to the conversation between Kunala and Kester. Eventually relaxing a little he nods to the captain and casually unstrings his bow. Sitting at the table he Smiles when Svetlana brings out the food and explains about the chicken. Iradyiel responds, digging into the chicken, "Brought chicken? I'm beginning to like this Kesten Garess already!' Waiting until Oleg and Svetlana had moved away from the table for a moment, He looks over his shoulder, leaning into Kunala, lowering his voice, "What do you think brother?"
After he gives the packet to Svetlana, Kunala sits by his brother, and puts a piece of chicken on one of the ceramic plates. When Iradyiel asks, Kunala lowers his voice so only the three can hear him. "Oleg seems genuinely pleased they are here." he shrugs lightly, "Seems profesional, probably looking for a fresh start, whatever his motives I don't think he has any ill will for Oleg or Svetlana." lifting a piece of chicken, "I would like to know who employed him."
Caitir half curtsy's at Kesten's gesture in taking her hand, before sitting down next to the man. She watches him administer orders to his men, before nodding her head in apparent admiration. "You give orders so well, you men must have a great deal of respect in you. You must have earnt their respect somehow" she offers, spreading the praise a little before raising her eyebrows earnestly. "Why do you think your superiors had a vested interest in Olegs, and this settlement flourishing? Surely your superiors trusted you with the reason behind it?" she asks carefully.
Mirana rolls her eyes somewhat at Caitir's obvious attempts at charming the man, but doesn't make much comment. She knew the women was merely trying to learn a little more about the situation, and she knew that sometimes straightforward questioning didn't always have the desired outcome.
Smiling at Caitir’s praiss, Kesten moves past that to answer her question; “We come from Restov, and not that it is unheard of for them to send guards to outpost, but we were ordered to come without hesitation. You only receive orders like that when you catch the right ear.”
Moving to the end of the table so all can see him; “If you need a hand when it comes to questioning the one you have bound up, feel free to have Dhavik stand by. He might not be the most eloquent when it comes to words, but his presence is intimidation on its own.”
“I have a few things to take care of before dark. If you have any need of me, just ask. I am here until I am commanded otherwise.” giving pause to allow questions; “One more thing, we have a scout that is doing a perimeter sweet. He might be late getting back, I never know if he is doing a thorough job or if he is just enjoying the solitude. His name is Harris.” Kesten will make his way off when there are no more questions.
Svetlana goes through the package that Kunala handed her; “He had everything! Thank you so much for doing that. I won’t abuse that you did this for me. I don’t think of you as an errand boy. I do appreciate it.” Svetlana leaves the table and heads within the house.
Oleg speaks up; “Right now I have their horses in the stables. I have yours tied out outside of the stables on the hitching post. Seems like this place has become small on us. But don’t worry, they will be tended to and fed.” laughing a little bit under his hand as he turns to Kunala; “So you found Bokken a little eccentric? His ability to find herbs and alchemical ingredients is valuable out here, but his presence has cost us come business. I find it better if I go to him.” standing up from the table; “We should be losing daylight here in the next hour or two, your bunks are all safe, no one went in while you are gone. Do you have any thoughts on how you will deal with him come morning when he begins to stir?” Oleg nods towards the bandit still tied up.
'good, Caitir smart, she knows how to butter him up, ahhh Catch the right ear.' Smiling slightly , Kunala gives a barely perceptible nod to Caitir. then turns to acknowledge Kesten's offer. 'Dhavik? Intimidating... good to know.' Looking away briefly to see if he could identify the 'scary' man, he turns back to Kesten, 'Scout named Harris.' Kunala nods again to the captain, "thank you Kesten."
Taking a bite of the chicken, he nods to Svetlana, swallowing, so as not to talk with food in his mouth. "Yes he did.' smiling, "It was our pleasure, anytime you need something and were heading that way we'll be happy to pick it up for you." Taking another bite, chewing, then washing it down. "We are going to fetch some fangberries for him, so if you need something else just let us know."
'Good, I will look in on the animals later. we may have to see what we can do about expanding.' Looking toward the barn, then around the trading post, Kunala relizes Olegs chuckling, as he speaks of Bokken.. 'I can understand.' Catching Oleg's eye, as he speaks about the evening passing, watching him nod at the prisoner. Smiling "Yes, Bokken's, how should I put it? Um, organizational style, leaved something to be desired."
Looking toward the prisoner, Kunala turned back to Oleg. his eyes no longer jolly. "I'm not sure yet, I guess it depends on how willing he is to talk. The charter spoke of 'unrepentant banditry' In my mind repentance has to do with confession or at coming clean." Looking toward Iradyiel, Mirana and Caitir. "If he comes clean and gives us the information we need, I would consider that repentant, if not I'll put a blade through him." He shakes his head, "Confessing his crimes and giving us the information we desire still doesn't make good for what he's done. We could banish him or brand him a thief; heck, some cultures cut off a hand. We could make him work till he repays his debt." Kunala shrugs, "I really don't know what would be the best thing to do with him, if he lives." Looking from Oleg to the others, ”What do you think?”
'Good, more of Svetlana's cooking!" Sitting down, seeming to ignore the conversation going on around him, Iradyiel looks from Caitir, to the captain, then back to Kunala, quickly finishing the chicken leg he selected. Looking to Svetlana, "Twelve chicken? I assume this one was one of the roosters? Only need to keep one if you want chicks; and don't need any if you're just wanting eggs." He smacks his lips, "Always like roasted chicken more than boiled eggs though."
When the conversation turned to the prisoner, Iradyiel looked from his brother to the others, trying to judge their features. He eventually chimes in, "I figure he thinks he's dead anyway. But if the captain and his guards would keep an eye on him, he could work off some of his debt."
Mirana frowns a little at Kesten's comment about a scout doing a perimeter sweep. It seemed to be casual conversation but Kesten almost made it sound like he doubted his scouts abilities.
"I'll go check the walls a final time, I might be able to spot the scout and how much of a good job he might be doing" she announces, before finding the highest point, trying to see if she can spot Harris.
Caitir stays where she is currently seated, reflecting on the role of the bandit and how best to get him to talk. She checks that Kesten isn't in earshot before answering.
"As the only criminal at this table, I probably have more of a unique view that most, but I think the guy delivers a chance. Now, I have limits. If he was the bandit that made the sort of comments Svetlana described quite frankly a blade through the heart is too good for him. Outside of that though, many people turn to crime due to their own vulnerable circumstances. They dont have money or food so they steal it, or the make poor choices. I'm not defending the action - especially against vulnerable folks, but sometimes people become victims of circumstances - just look at Kesten. My thinking is to talk to him, find out how cooperative he might be, and whether he can be err rehabilitated I guess."
Nodding, as Mirana, gets up to go check the wall, "If you see anything odd, let us know, we can ride out and check on it."
'As the only criminal at the table, odd, she almost wears it as a badge of courage. Yes if he is one who would treat a woman like that, a blade is too good for him, but if not what then.' Smiling slightly as Caitir refers to herself as a 'criminal' Kunala nods in agreement. "Strangely the charter spells out two ways of execution, rope or blade, it doesn't give room for a death befitting the individual's crimes." Glancing over his shoulder at the man, "If he is rehabilitatable, we still need to give him some sort of punishment."
Gesturing towards the trading post. "We don't have a jail. So do we punish him and let him go, or make him work off some form of debt. We want the punishment fitting the crime of banditry, but light enough to encourage those who want to quit the lifestyle to be able to pay their debt to society and move on.."
Oleg chimes in; "Before, I was uncertain about keeping ex-bandits here while you were gone. Safety of Svetlana the most important thing, but with the guars arriving I feel comfortable with them being here. I think Kesten and his men would be able to keep things in check." looking around; "It does mean I am going to need to do some slight modifications around here if we are going to have more people living here." Thinking to himself he begins looking at the guest house; "I want to ask a favor, the beds within the guest house are yours while you are here. You have done a lot for us. Would you mind us converting them to bunks, and even allowing others to sleep in there while you are away? I could move the bed trunks to our storage room in the house so you could still use them..." beginning to look at the guest house a little more, he stands up and starts talking to himself; "Or maybe we could take the roof off and add a second level..." beginning to trail off; "yeah, that way we could have more of an inn. Minus the tavern and fights..."
Mirana knows there are two ladder options to get upon palisade walls. One to the left of the front gate, and one just east of the tables where you are currently sitting. Those walls stand 10-feet off the ground. The highest points would be the four lookout points, one on each corner of the Trading Post. Those points are 20-feet off the ground level. You do see the catapults on each corner, each one with enough room to move around. You pass Gael and Marchus if you round the entire palisade wall. Each one would give you a brief "Ma'am" and move on about their watch, unless you were to talk to them.
"Let him work his debt off. This place is probably going to grow at any rate, and a maim and release strategy is unlikely to win any favors. The more he helps the better chance rehabilitation might be successful - or at least thats my slightly biased opinion" Caitir responds, before turning to address Olegs point, raising an eyebrow and smiling slightly.
"Its a good bed, but I'm not super attached to it. As long as our gear isn't within easy reach of someone else, I don't mind someone else using the bed while we are not using it. Sing out though if you need some help with the construction aspects, Kesten has a couple of big tough guys, they might be able to weigh in and assist."
Mirana decides to check the lookout points first - as the highest point on the wall it might give her the best elevated view of her surroundings. She glances out into the dusk before absently roaming the wall, introducing herself to both Gael and Marchus again as she passed them on their rounds.
"Do any of you know much about Harris? What is he like?/b] Mirana asks carefully. She knew that sometimes people didn't like talking ill about their comrades to their superiors, but Mirana wasn't there superior just someone she considered (hopefully) on equal footing with. Time would tell if the soldiers thought the same way but Mirana didn't see any harm in at least asking if they could fill in the blanks."
Watching Mirana go to the fortifications, he turns back to Oleg. 'Building more and better, before we realize it, Oleg will have built a village.' Smiling at the prospect of Olegsville, Iradyiel turns and listens to Caitir. 'Maim and release would be unpopular with the criminals, but a good reminder to stay honest.' Looking back to Kunala, he shrugs, picking up another piece of chicken. "If he comes clean, he works for a while to repay what he stole. That's fair. We'll have to decide how long and what conditions."
'Well, as long as Mirana likes the idea we have a consensus.' Looking from Iradyiel, to Caitir then to Oleg. "So if he's repentant, he works off his debt, like an indentured servant. I would think for a while he would have to be in the manacles, until he proves he's trustable." Shrugging, "Say a two year sentence, six months in manacles, and if he behaves, more freedoms each six months?"
As the conversation turns to the bunk house, Kunala remains silent for a moment, remembering Bokken's house. 'I can prestidigitate any mess anyone leaves.' After a moment he shrugs, "I don't mind sharing space."
He gestures towards the tents the guards are using, "Oleg, Do you have more tents? We may need them for when were further out anyway." Finishing the meal, he asks, "Is there anything we can do to help out this evening? It's not very late, and we have a little time before we bunk down."
Caitir shakes her head slightly "I'd avoid a set or dedicated sentence for all bandits. Are you going to give the same sentence to a boy that never stole anything in his life but maybe had a job as a scout for the bandits, compared with the long time robbed dozens of people? No, keep it flexible, let the sentence fit the crime, and lets not get too rigid on details. Who knows, maybe things turn out where we have to kill the lot of them anyway"