Portia and Tanu converse with some amusement with Gyles and Wilfrid for the remainder of the afternoon. Once the evening winds down and the soldiers want to go to bed or get drunk, the pair are able to go find shelter in the mercenaries' barracks.
The beds in there are decent, but not top-quality. Stuffed with hay and sheeted with cotton, though the blankets are warm animal furs.
The next day is peaceful and normal. The soldiers and traders are about their business, and the work on the road has begun again now that the fey have been defeated by Sven. Sven has elected to use some of his savings to buy a horse and cart to transport Reilarri's corpse back to the Five Kings Mountains in failure, and Cyla has also decided to leave. The near-death experience that she had made her realize that she had unfinished business among the drow of the Underdark before death.
In their place, as the morning dawns, are new arrivals. Seven individuals, five of them Hellknights. A caravan of additional reinforcements to the Fort, greeted perfunctorily by Gyrad Tolgrith and a few of his soldiers.
Pavo stands at a loose ready position. His heavy spiked plate armor and black with red cloak and surcoat strike an ominous silhouette in the morning mists. That impression is compounded but the other, similarly garbed and armored men standing beside and behind him.
"Attention, The Fort! I present Signifer Alcazar of the Order of the Nail, and his escort! Stand to and prepare to receive us!"
Pavo moves towards the gate, halberd held in a ready, but not deliberately threatening position, and stands directly before the assumed leader of those on duty.
"Direct us to your leadership. I am Pavo Gallonica, and we are here to bring civilization and order to this wilderness."
Like her horses' Brevic namesake, Noleski was once a willful and stubborn brat that needed to be broken. Unlike the Surtova, over the years Talia and her horse had developed a much better relationship. Noleski (the horse) had calmed as it aged, and Talia was grateful for the companionship she'd had with her steed over thousands of traveled miles.
Which was fortunate, because as a general rule, Talia didn't care for travel. This trip, like many before it, was a means to an end. And at the moment that end didn't seem to be worth it. Surrounded by hellknights and a giant, malformed Kellid named after an animal, who kept rolling his eyes at her - whether in some strange outlander display of machismo, or distaste, Talia could not tell, and cared not to find out - Talia wrapped her riding shawl tighter around her shoulders and let Noleski fall back, away from the others, only to spur her steed forward when they approached the Fort.
Tying Noleski off, Talia let the men introduce themselves first, and then gave the members of the Fort that greeted them a short nod, the only greeting required of a Brevic noble to those of less station. "Lady Talia Khavortorov, of Restov, Worgslayer, conqueror of the Stolen Lands, founder of Stag's Rest. Who's in charge, and how can we help?"
Gyrad Tolgrith, a career soldier from Korvosa who serves as the commander of the fort, meets the Hellknights at the gate. He is in his mid-thirties, armored moderately, and he carries a longsword. The holy symbol of Abadar hangs around his neck. "Well met, newcomers," he says in greeting, shaking the hand of the Hellknight Signifer. "It is well that you are here, though I have little to pay you now. Any who aid in the pacification of the Vale will be granted land and title, though. Sir Alcazar, why don't you come into the Fort with me. I can catch you up on recent events."
The Hellknight leader nods gravely. "Yes," he replies, his voice distorted by the pale metallic mask on his face. "I have heard tell of the disorder here. I look forward to the report." He turns to Pavo next, his second in command. "Pavo, please lead camp set-up with the armigers, and then speak to the locals about the situation here. We must divine our next objective."
Tolgrith speaks to Wulfgar and Talia next. "You two: the mercenaries' barracks is there." He points to a squat wooden building near the center of the fort. "You can find food, rest, and two companions there." Then he goes with Alcazar into the Fort to discuss the situation.
"Yes, my lord. Armigers, with me. We shall check in with their mercenary contingent and establish our quarters."
With his halberd in one hand, Pavo strides towards the barracks area the guardsman indicated.
"Do you intend to join us on immediate pacification patrols, Ivarson, Khavartorov? I imagine we will be receiving our marching orders forthwith."
Mercenary. How different things had turned out, in just a few short years. Gone were the warm blankets, ice wine, and roaring fires of Restov. The parties, the culture. Still, Talia tells herself, you can have that again. On your terms.
Talia leans down and gives Noleski a pat on the horse's neck, and smiles at Tolgrith, giving the commander her brightest smile. Once he mentions the land grant, she touches her neck at the place it meets her collarbone with her index and middle fingers. "So it be judged," she says, tossing the aphorism to the man as a way of signaling their shared devotion. Another Abadarian was a welcome sight.
Watching the commander leave with Wulfgar, Talia then turns and looks down - but almost eye level still - at the hulking man, and finds herself squinting as he talked. His accent was thick - but the overture was friendly, and Talia appreciated that. "I'll come with you, Wulfgar. We'll see to our steeds, and then we can meet the other mercenaries. In the meantime, you can tell me about your Jenni. Have you had her long?"
Tanu was awake before dawn, a very old habit that hadn't changed even with all his travels. He quickly and quietly made his way out of the barracks, and made his way over to the stable to see to Nisha. "Morning girl, time to eat." He got out the feed, and Nisha quickly began to devour it as Tanu started to brush her down.
As he brushed, he quickly became lost in thought. Never thought I'd be this far from home. And working with an Asmodean besides. She is nice, but not someone I would have worked so closely with before. Need to be careful. Find the good in her. Wonder if we'll get more mercenaries in soon?
Even as he had the thought, it was interrupted by new arrivals in the stable. He continued to work on Nisha, getting her ready in case they needed to make a swift departure, and smiled to himself as the new folk didn't even seem to notice him. He had to admit he probably just looked like a stable hand - no armor on yet, just plain clothes, working on a horse in the stables. Well, time to go introduce himself. He put the brush down, gave Nisha a friendly pat, and left the stall.
He came out just as a rather large man with a greatsword was getting ready to head back to the barracks. He gave a big smile and said "Good morning! I am Tanu. Did I hear you talk about the barracks? Are you mercenaries here to help as well?"
"Mithril and Darkwood will.both prove to be valuable building material as well as potential exports. I suggest we pacify those locations and ensure a steady supply of those goods are available."
Pavo also looks around for a spare horse. He is capable of walking for long periods, but if the team is mounted they will be able to cover much more area quicker.
There is a stables, where horses are available for sale. A young man has two light horses available for 100gp each.
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Seeing the older dark skinned bald man aproach them, Wulfgar turns, watching the man. His left eye focusing on the man his right eye stops twitching, the unusual pupil widening. "Greetinks ComRade Tanu I am beink Wulfgar' He gestures towards Lady Talia, "May I be presentink Lady Talia." Giving a wide smile, showing the gaps in his teeth, he nods "Dah, ComRade, as you are sayink, we are Mercenaries." Remembering seeing the man taking care of a particularly fine mount, He gestures towards the barracks. "Are you beink one as well?"
Tanu gives a slight bow at this introduction, a practiced move that allowed him to be courteous but also not take his eyes off them. Thick accent, wonder where it is from? Interesting and more interesting..."Indeed, I have traveled for far too long now, eager to make a place for myself. I am glad for your arrival; things have gone less than smoothly so far."
He started walking with the two of them toward the barracks, giving them a brief summary of events along the way. When they arrive, he goes in first, saying "there is one other mercenary already here, a woman named Portia, I'll introduce her if she is around, though she may have gone for breakfast. Did you come with anyone else, or was it just the two of you?"
Perhaps surprising to Wulfgar, Talia proves to know her way around a horse - and a stable - and quickly has Noleski's gear off, her saddle - with an appreciative nod to the hulking Kellid - strung over the far wall from the mule, and then, with a quick incantation and a waggle of fingers, Talia lifts the dirt from her horse where it dissipates into the air, like dandelion seeds dancing on the wind.
"I can clean your Jenni as well, Master Ivarson," she offers, "As well as--" Her thoughts derailed by the arrival of the new man - soon introduced as Tanu - Talia watches his mannerisms intently. Another one far from home, but with a much more refined nature.
Talia returns the slight bow, taking note of the man's exact posture for future reference, and wraps her riding shawl tighter around her shoulders. The weather was fine - in Brevic terms at least - in the sun, but the stable was a mite too cool.
"We came with a contingent of Hellknights. Please, introduce us to this Portia, if she's around, and if I may ask - how have things not gone smoothly?"
After settling the armigers into their berths and making sure no trouble will come of it, Pavo asks for mounts. Being directed to the stables, he walks directly there.
Pavo enters the stable as the others finish their tack maintenance and sees a new face.
"I am Pavo Gallonica, Hellknight Aspirant of the Order of the Nail. I am seeking the person with mounts for sale."
Lady Portia Porphyria-Jeggare awakens early in her bunk, having not slept well at all. She had done her best to fit in to this soldier-like lifestyle -- or rather, appear as such. She had wanted to scribe another Rope Trick in which to sleep in more comfortably -- more securely -- but decided against it. It would make her stand out even more in an environment wherein she needed to blend in. To not look and sound like a 19 year old noble girl with a proper education and a platinum spoon up her butt.
Wakening early allows her some quiet time to prepare. Her concern about that Invisible Imp that seems to have been following her refreshes itself even before she starts her prayers to Asmodeus and work on her spellbook. She had cast See Invisibility during twilight yesterday evening and walked around Fort Thorn for several minutes, mostly looking to see if she could spot the little Devil, but also to give nod and handshake to some of the evening guards starting their long shifts. She did not see the little Invisible Imp. Apparently the infernal creature was too good at hiding for her to spot. Or it was mimicking the appearance of a goat or a bat or something. ...'Or he's not even here. Maybe he left with the HellKnights?'
Regardless, studying her spellbook is paramount; the Imp can wait. Tiamat sets guard as she reads, the little coral snake's tongue flickering out rapidly at the early morning air.
A young man, probably twenty years old, greets Pavo. He's got sandy hair, a loose tunic, a slight build, and dirt in his nails. When Pavo greets him, he looks surprised and uncomfortable. "Um, yes, that's me, sir."
He reaches up to pat a horse with white hair and brown spots, a blonde mane, and a lean build. This horse is calm and loving, and accepts a good scratch on the nose. "This one here is for sale. Good old Nelly. She's getting on in years, but she's got some strong rides in her yet."
He also crosses the stable to indicate a second horse, with chestnut hair. The second horse is a little bit skittish and exciteable. "This horse is called Boyo. He's a fresh colt, barely trained."
"Either will set you back a hundred gold pieces."
Coming out in the morning air, Portia quickly finds Tanu and the new recruits that arrived so loudly earlier, buying sweaty horses. Without too much for introductions and small talk the girl suggests her thoughts on the matter of where to go first, not being privy to anyone else's idea.
"I suggest we go to the Owlbear Caves first. I advocate this partly because Owlbears have indeed already been attacking Sir Tolgrith's workers, but more importantly because, looking at the map of Bloodsworn Vale, it is closest. Let us begin with problem-areas that are close to Fort Thorn before branching out to find Mithril and Darkwood, leaving problems behind us, close to home."
She looks expectantly around her, Tiamat coiled on her neck, wondering if she sounds logical, if her argument seems valid.
"It's not unlike what we were taught at The Academae: When one is investigating or burning-out a hostile area, it is typically wisest to deal with hindrances and enemies that are the closest. This way, once the nearest problems are solved, one can go further away and, should the worst happen, you don't have any problems behind you. ....If we go out to find Mithril or Darkwood now, while Owlbears are close by and attacking, well, if something goes wrong in the northern part of Bloodsworn Vale and we are forced to flee back to Fort Thorn, we may find a pack of angry Owlbears on our doorstep."
"I will purchase Boys and the appropriate tack for riding."
Pavo counts out the coins and settles up, then addresses the wizard with the colorful snake kn on her shoulder.
"Tactically sound, Mistress. I have acquired transportation, and am eager to deliver the law to this land. I stand ready for sortie, as soon as younare."
Pavo's demeanour seems to instantly calm when he meets an Acadamae trained Asmodean wizard.
After making introductions all around and finishing any small talk, Tanu quickly agrees with Portia's reasoning. "I was thinking the same - people are in danger from the owlbears, we should see to that threat. Nisha, my horse, she is ready to go already. I will see to my own preparations right away." He heads into the barracks and quickly dons his armor and gear, picks up his flag-laden lance, and heads to the stables. Soon he is astride Nisha, lance and shield at the ready, eager to move out.
With everyone mounted and ready, the company sets out from Fort Thorn in pursuit of the owlbears menacing the road workers. The trip takes the group off the beaten path and into the forest, which the horses are not particularly suited for -- though it is still faster than walking would be at two or three miles per hour at an occasional canter, usual careful walk. As such, the journey out there takes about four hours, which means it's around noon when the group finally gets close to owlbear territory, identifiable by the long scrape marks on the trees and the disappearance of occasional elk and deer.
The scouts had informed the party that the owlbears lived somewhere up in the hills above the forestland. They had descended from the hills, angry, to attack loggers and hunters in recent days, but had not yet been tracked back to their home. The party stands now, atop their horses, at the foot of a great hill. Beyond the hills the mountains can be seen rising. The forest is thick behind the group, and it thins as elevation increases. The day's travel has been peaceful so far, with no encounters at all besides with rabbits and squirrels.
What do you do?
Portia is the last to be ready for departure, apparently not terribly exuberant about getting on the same nag that Sir Tolgrith had provided for investigating the bloody site she's taken to calling 'THE BATTLE OF SHRAH'S FALL' -- Portia is not comfortable upon horse. Again, she stays slightly behind the group, supposedly for tactical reasons, wanting to cast from behind warriors, but truthfully because she just can't ride as fluently as the others, having gotten so used to conjuring a Phantom Steed. She has the spell prepared for the day, in case of emergency, and has a second on a Scroll she scribed back in Korvosa a few days ago, but resources remain scarce, and it behooves her to get used to a real horse, 'pun intended,' she smirks to herself silently.
"Stay! Moloch, Stay, you dumb beast," she admonishes the horse as the group arrives at the foot of 'Owlbear Hills.' She looks up at her companions as they look back at her struggling with the horse, "Yeah, I decided to name the nag after the dumbest of Prince Asmodeus' Archdevils." Clumsily, she dismounts the horse and takes a step toward everyone else, luckily without falling on her skinny gluteus maximus.
"Well, we're at the starting point. I was mentioning to Tanu yesterday at dinner," she nods to the Vudrani, "that Owlbears are just dumb animals probably just protecting their territory -- rather than intelligently or malevolently attacking Sir Tolgrith's workers. As such, it's likely that anyone with a modicum of survival skills could find some Owlbear tracks or signs of their presence. ....Alas, though I have wanted for a long while to have the opportunity to study wilderness lore and survival skills such as tracking, my studies in the Chelaxian capital and at The Academae didn't exactly give me the opportunity to learn about dirt and bushes. ....Please tell me at least one of you is a wilderness expert. And, on that note, I'd really love watching you look for signs of Owlbear tracks; I really do want to learn how for myself."
Then she looks to Tanu. "Or, since it's about midday, should we water the horses and get a bite to eat first, then start looking in earnest?"
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'Ah, exactly as we learned in Cheliax: Clerics of Gorum are universally more intelligent, and much more articulate, than the god they worship. This one is likely more attractive and more graceful than Gorum as well. Perhaps that is universal among Gorum's Clerics, too.'
Portia smiles at Wulfgar in agreement and friendship, but waits on others' opinions about taking a break now before she grabs a ration to eat.
Owlbears live in mated pairs, and a pair of adult owlbears can rear up to six young at a time. However, owlbears also hunt together with other nearby owlbear pairs. As such, it isn't uncommon to run into groups of as many as eight adult owlbears at once.
The source of owlbears is hotly contested among scholars, who have not reached any conclusion. Owlbears have been around for a long time -- hundreds of years, at least -- and breed true in the woodlands that they call home.
An owlbear is no more intelligent than a normal owl or bear, but they are more powerful -- magical beasts possess the strength and battle prowess of a seasoned warrior as well as the ability to see in complete darkness.
Talia removes her mess kit from her pack and gives her horse a pat on his neck before leaving it tied to the nearest tree.
"Moloch is a great name for a horse, and as good a reason for a name as any. Mine is named after my former liege. May he one day gain the wisdom of my steed."
The mercenary eats her lunch with care. There was a time, when she'd been exploring the Stolen Lands, that she'd given into what she'd come to think of her "survival self," eating with gusto after a day of exploring. But she'd known her companions well by then, and it was easy to slip into more formal etiquette, even when sitting on a decaying, felled tree, when one was among strangers. Wiping her mouth on her napkin, Talia folded it in half, and then in half again, and placed it in the pack next to her.
"I learned a bit about getting on in the wild when I was surveying the Stolen Lands. I'm not a skilled woodswoman by any means, but I can use magic to supplement my meagre abilities."
"Also, I have a question about owlbears, while we're enjoying each other's company. I know little about their natural inclinations, having only met one that was semi-tamed. Is it strange that they descended from the hills to attack the workers? Wouldn't they just hunt closer to home?"
After lunch, Talia mounts Noleski and casts a quick incantation, before moving through the forest, looking for passage of the owlbears. She moves at a quick clip, quicker than most trackers, perhaps to the detriment of the job at hand.
Tanu dismounts with everyone else, not bothering to tie up Nisha but just giving her a light touch and muttering "Stay here and keep an eye out, girl." He'll then quickly grab some light rations out of his pack and begins eating with the others. While the food isn't fancy, he still seems to enjoy eating it.
"I'm afraid I haven't had much wilderness training, but I'll help where I can. Nisha and I will make sure the owlbears don't get the jump on us, anyway."
When everyone is done eating, he will quickly mount up, take up his lance, and fall into rank behind Talia, giving her free reign to track while he keeps an eye out for any potential threats.
Despite her lack of formal knowledge, Talia's spell helps her pinpoint the fairly-obvious trails of the owlbears crisscrossing the region . The tracking takes up another couple of hours on top of the time taken for lunch, and so the sun has fallen a significant distance towards the horizon by the time the party finds their destination.
Rising out of the forest hills are a series of cliffs inside of which there are visible caves. There is no obvious foot-path up to the top of the cliffs, and several owlbears can be seen lazily relaxing on the rocks in the sun on the top of the cliffs. The owlbears must make their homes in the caves and climb down the cliffs in order to hunt.
Talia looks up at the cliff and frowns. Wouldn't want to be attacked by one of those things on the side of a cliff.
"Could we lure them down to us? Use a horse as bait, make a bunch of noise? Then plunk them with arrows while they descend?"
Tanu looks at the owlbears with some concern. "Perhaps that would work. Portia, do you have anything magical that would help us here?"
”Truthfully Talia, I can not answer your question regarding the Owlbear behavior. But I seriously doubt it is unusual. I rather think that they just saw some prey that they felt were both encroaching their territory and easy to hunt. And attacked. ....Scholars haven’t yet proven exactly from where Owlbears came — But I believe the theory that they were created first in a chaotic experiment of savage, unnatural magic. They have no rightful place in our ecology despite their long history as an invasive and unnatural species. ....I see no harm in exterminating them.
.
”You will have to give me pardon, Tanu, for I have never really studied spells intended to help others. How can I put it?,... I don’t buff.
” The other lady proclaimed my exact thoughts — going to them is Not my first choice; let us bring them to us. .... Let us get their attention and hit them from range as they descend. Why go to their territory and fight on their turf? (Especially since it will be difficult for me to climb that rock face.) I can conjure an extradimensional pit for them to fall in and can blast some Evocation magic. Hopefully you can do the rest as they reach us, with your sword-arms.
”Unless there’s a better plan. Let me know if I’m missing something — truthfully, most of my experience has been in the classroom, practicing against conjured creatures in a controlled environment.”
[B]"My skills more directly intersect with people and civilization. But if these are the wild beasts you say, one reason for their attacks could be an intelligence driving them, using them as weapons of war. Or a ruse, using the cover of beasts to hide banditry and lawlessness. Lead on."[/b
]
Pavo stands next to his mount and scarfs down his travel food, seemingly unwilling to leave his face exposed for long.
Seeing the beasts mill about in the open, Pavo quickly scans his allies' gear and equipment.
"I have my bow, and can engage from range to begin. They will have to descend to get to us, which will allow for easier targets for some time. And once upon us, I am sure Sir Tanu's lance will help to keep them at bay. With Wulfgar and myself as our front, you two spellcasters can use your magic from a position of cover, and Sir Tanu can charge the flank and disrupt them. Does that sound reasonable to you all?"
As he speaks, Pavo stabs the butt of his halberd into the ground beside him and draws off his longbow. He nocks a steel-tipped broadhead and prepares to fire.
"That is an acceptable solution. I imagine the charging lance attack will do the most damage if the beast are a bit distant to start with. If the spellcasters can delay them long enough, a few of these shafts will slow the owlbears sufficiently that our blade will more than suffice."
Tying Noleski to a tree in the woods to the south, Talia creeps forward and takes her place behind the hulking Gorumite. Planting her bardiche in the ground next to her, Talia draws her bow, though she expected she'd use her spells first to disable and hinder the beasts as much as possible.
A bead of sweat runs down Talia's temple and then cheek; she squints and focuses her attention on the three bears sunning themselves to the northeast. She would not make the first move. That was better done by someone more skilled with archery than her, or by the mage, who seemed to have the tools at hand to hurt on a large scale.
"Should I conjure an extradimensional pit beneath one of them to get things started -- or is there a better opening volley before we get things started?" Portia looks to the others; she is both nervous and excited. This is likely her first combat outside of a wizard's tower.
"A spell to slow them and direct their advance is perfect. Once you cast, we will fire."
Pavo ties his horse near where Talia left her mount, then stands next to Wulfgar with his bow ready to fire.
Tanu stays firmly mounted and moves Nisha forward. He keeps his shield and lance to hand, lifting the lance into the sky so that the flag on it furls out in the wind. "Hold on that for just a minute, Portia. When the fighting begins, we should try to stay close and coordinate our efforts. Teamwork is critical in this sort of situation. If you'll permit me a few minutes of preparation, we can plan out the attack..."
When he had finished Tanu will look at Portia, smile, and say "Now you can drop one of them in a pit!"