Not understanding the language, but reading her love's body language perfectly well, Kelda puts a comforting arm around her waist.
Looking up into her face she asks, "What's going on?" She gives the young girl a disapproving look, as she suspects that she's the reason for her love suddenly tensing.
"She doesn't trust me or Astoria because we're...half-breeds, as she put it." Lysithia says quietly, squeezing Kelda's hand to forestall any angry reaction.
"Bhuel tá an t -ádh ort go bhfuilimid i gceannas ar an mbealach sin. Tá súil ag Astoria staidéar a dhéanamh ann i ndáiríre. " she replies to the girl's insistent response.
Kelda rubs Lysithia's back with her other hand, while trying to keep her own anger at the insult in check.
Leaning into her love she whispers with a knowing look at her love, "Do I need to have a talk with the young lady, while you explain that we are the ones in charge here, and while she is with us, she will be nothing but respectful and obedient. You know me Lysi, I will not tolerate any disrespectful behavior. Especially not from a child."
By the inflection in her voice, and the way she says "talk", Lysi knows exactly what she means. They could be heading into dangerous enemy territory, and she wasn't about to tolerate the attitude of a willful, disrespectful child...even if it was the way she was taught. She knows Kelda is not above taking the youth over her knee, and spanking those disrespectful words right out of her, whether that's the best way to deal with her or not.
She was raised by very loving, but strict parents. This type of behavior wasn't tolerated in her home, so she wouldn't abide it either.
Given the seriousness of the situation, Lysithia represses the smile that threatens to come to her lips, as her love's stern approach comes to mind. "Not yet. It's hard to fault her for how she was raised, though what she chooses to do after experiencing different is on her. She'll see that what they've taught her is a lie, and either learn and grow from it, or reject that.....if she keeps causing trouble, or puts anyone in danger with her prejudice though...well then maybe a tougher approach might be needed then." she says quietly, her calm tone as much to keep Kelda's temper in check as to keep the children at ease.
"We should leave here, and head back to the village first, then go forward from there." she says, looking at the rescued children and her companions.
Kelda nods while handing Lysithia some of her trail rations for Yoska and the little elven girl to snack on while they make their way back to the hunter that waited at the entrance for them, and then the encampment where Yoska's grandmother eagerly waits for their return.
Her love's words calm her slightly as they get ready to head back. Taking a deep calming breath, she takes hold of one of her love's hands and kisses it, "Alright, I'll let it slide this one time, but I will not tolerate her disrespecting you, Astoria, or anyone else. You might want to let her know that her family's opinions are not welcome here, and it's not okay to talk to anyone like that. You can put it to her however you think is best....but I was raised to respect my elders, no matter who they are. She may not understand she's saying something that is wrong or hurtful, but if you explain it to her and she keeps doing it....there will be consequences. You can explain it to her while we travel."
Kelda looks around at everyone, "Alright, we need to get out of here and head back. I know we've all been through a lot, but we need to keep pushing forward so we can get out of here." She makes sure everyone has a chance for a snack and some water before heading back the way they cam.
Before they leave, not knowing what they'll be heading back into, Kelda says a silent prayer to Torag for healing and patience while dealing with a child that had been raised differently from them. She knew from what Lysithia said that the child had probably been raised by hateful racist people, but she was concerned about a child of such a young age being at a tower in the middle of a forest where a lot of the problems seemed to be coming from.
They still had some things to try and accomplish before heading for the tower straight away, so this girl would probably be with them for a while unless they found some of her kin for her to go with....but the chances of that happening was unlikely.
There were just too many questions in her head, so taking a few deep cleansing breaths as the freed prisoners ate and had some water, Kelda allowed the healing fires of hearth and home to envelope her. A soft glow emanates from her hands, as her wounds began to seal a little more.
Hopefully they could make it back to the encampment without further incident.
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Lysithi distributes the rations among the children, taking the time to explain things in translation.
"Seo roinnt bia, tá mé cinnte go bhfuil tú ag ocras ag an bpointe seo. Is é an rud is fearr a dhéanamh ná Yoska a thabhairt abhaile chuig a shráidbhaile." she says to the elven girl as she gives her some food.
"Ó, agus i gcás nár mhúin tú é seo riamh, ag rá go bhfuil rudaí cosúil leis an méid a dúirt tú chun cur síos a dhéanamh orm féin agus ar mo chara Astoria, go bhfuil sé míshásta agus gan fáilte rompu. Mholfainn duit smaointe mar sin a choinneáil duit féin má tá tú Kelda anseo, is breá léi mé go mór, agus tugann sí aire do Astoria. Faigheann sí an -feargach nuair a deir daoine rudaí míthaitneamhacha faoi dhaoine a raibh sí ag tabhairt aire dóibh."
"Oh, and in case you were never taught this, saying things like what you said to describe myself and my friend Astoria, is both rude and unwelcome. I would advise you to keep thoughts such as that to yourself if you have them. Kelda here, she loves me very much, and cares about Astoria. She gets very angry when people say unpleasant things about people she cared about."
"How did you know to look for me here?" Yoska asks as he eats some of the rations.
Giving her love a supportive kiss on the cheek, Kelda heads over to see how Evert is doing, knowing that her beloved was much better suited to dealing with the children at the moment. Kelda knew she was too frustrated from the fight, as well as the bad guy getting away, to deal with a child that spoke so rudely to her love....even if it was the way she was raised and didn't know any better.
Walking over to Evert as they take a short break, "Are you alright? You seemed a little shaken up when we were talking about the slave traders."
Try as she might, Lysithia doesn't manage to keep the irritation at the girl's racist views out of her voice.
"Your grandmother led us to the last place she knew you were, and we found tracks from there. Following them led us to the monsters that took you all and fighting our way through them led us here, where they were planning to ship you off downriver somewhere." Lysithia explains to Yoska.
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Astoria steps forward. "Please forgive my friends agitation, they're still a little on edge as we were nearly killed trying to find Toska here." She says gently pointing out their wounds and appearance.
"Lysithia is correct we need to move out of here soon. You're welcome to come with us if you wish." She adds after a moment.
"Eh, it's a sore subject," Evert remarks as they make their way back through the caves.
The elven girl seems a bit more at ease around the urbane Astoria and simply nods at the invitation.
Upon reaching the entrance of the cave, you find Djivan sitting nearby. At the sight of Yoska, he leaps to his feet and takes the boy in his arms. "Thank the gods you're alive!"
Kelda nods at Evert as they head back, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to pry. I wish there was a way we could shut down these tunnels and keep them from using them again."
Seing Djivan's reaction to seeing Yoska again warms her heart and gives her hope. She smiles while giving the pair a few minutes after which she says, "We should probably get you both back to camp, and then we need to figure out where to head to next. The elven girl and Aletta here were also in cages when we arrived. Apparently they use the underground waterways for slave trade." She says in way of explanation of the extra people with them.
"That's magic we don't have," Evert responds. "Even if we could, those Kharan rats would dig a new tunnel to crawl out of."
As they start heading back to the camp with everyone, Kelda gets a curious look on her face, "I don't mean to bring up painful memories, but what are Kharans? Are they a subterranean race? If you're up to talking about it later, anything you might know about them could be helpful since we keep running into creatures that seem to like abducting people for them. I think this problem is a lot bigger than what we first thought. This isn't simply about goblins going bonkers and suddenly banding together to drive us out of our valley. There is something much more sinister going on....if only we could find the root of this evil, maybe we could kill it."
Shaking her head, Kelda sighs, "Then again, what do I know? I've only lived in one place almost my whole life...I guess I really did spend too much time inside those walls." She muses aloud, feeling frustrated at all the false starts and obstacles they've encounters while trying to reach Cooperton.
"Kharans are from Kharas. You know, that country to the west of the valley, where they all worship devils and put people who aren't them in chains," Evert says as they walk. "It's no secret that they want to take over the valley, but their involvement seems rather odd. I'd wager that what's going on isn't exactly official."
Djivan leads the way back to the camp, one hand always on Yoska. You return to the camp well after dark. An elf in scarlet robes stands beside Anselina at the main campfire. The elf and older woman approach as soon as they can see you.
"Yoska!" Anselina exclaims, taking her grandson in her arms and hugging him tightly. "Thank you, strangers...nay, friends. Thank you for your help."
The elf, a mysterious woman, goes to the elven girl in your care. After a brief appraisal of the young girl's condition, she turns to the group. "Thank you for finding Ysera."
Aletta just sighs and goes to warm herself by the fire.
"Kharans are from Kharas. You know, that country to the west of the valley, where they all worship devils and put people who aren't them in chains," Evert says as they walk. "It's no secret that they want to take over the valley, but their involvement seems rather odd. I'd wager that what's going on isn't exactly official."
Kelda sighs as she shrugs, "I'm sorry, I guess that was a stupid question. We've been dealing with fight after fight for so long, I guess I sort of forgot. I know we've only been traveling for like a week and a half or so, but it feels like we've been out here for months." After a moment of thought she adds, "I just want to help as many people as we can, while figuring out how to stop the evil bastards from destroying our home."
Djivan leads the way back to the camp, one hand always on Yoska. You return to the camp well after dark. An elf in scarlet robes stands beside Anselina at the main campfire. The elf and older woman approach as soon as they can see you.
"Yoska!" Anselina exclaims, taking her grandson in her arms and hugging him tightly. "Thank you, strangers...nay, friends. Thank you for your help."
The elf, a mysterious woman, goes to the elven girl in your care. After a brief appraisal of the young girl's condition, she turns to the group. "Thank you for finding Ysera."
Aletta just sighs and goes to warm herself by the fire.
Kelda notices the way Djivan keeps in physical contact with Yoska as she talks with Evert on their way back to camp. Maybe she misjudged the gruff man. He seemed to honestly care about the boy, and was probably feeling guilty about him being taken.
Seeing the relief and happiness on Anselina's face as she hugs her grandson close to her makes Kelda smile, "We're just glad we found them in time. They came very close to becoming slaves." Looking at Yoska she says, "You be careful from now on. No more running off."
Seeing someone they did not know try to claim the young girl after hearing what yoska had said previously about people saying they were there to help when they weren't, sets off something protective in her.
Stepping forward from the group she says, "You're welcome...but we don't know who you are, what your intentions are toward her, or how you even know her. If it's alright with you, I have some questions before you take your leave with Ysera." Not being the most diplomatic person, Kelda tries to keep her tone soft, and body language at ease so as not to come off as a donkeys rear.
As she waits for a reply, Kelda sees Aletta go off by herself. Unable to check on her at the moment, she looks over at Lysithia, and gestures with a movement of her head to go check on the halfling.
"I am Erytheia, Master Ardin's...assistant, for lack of a better word," the elven woman replies, as she produces a piece of parchment with a glowing mark on it. She offers the paper to Kelda. "Here is my writ. I assume you are local officers of the law?"
Kelda takes the paper from Erytheia, her eyes glowing slightly as she attempts to make out what it says.
While trying to read the paper, Kelda shrugs at the question. "That requires a bit of explanation. Originally, I am a WarPriestess and came from Varota with my family to pay our respects to the late Governor of Daedran. I met Lysithia and Astoria here while there. While in Daedran, a man approached me about their town being plagued by goblins and asked for my help. Since then, we've been trying to make our way to Cooperton to see if we can help....but, we keep running into issues."
Kelda pauses to catch her breath briefly. Not wanting to take up too much of the woman's time, but still having questions she goes on, "I'm sorry, but I don't know how to answer anything simply, when life has become so complicated. Anyways, we've basically been going around just trying to help where we can, while trying to get to Cooperton. Evert here we just met not that long ago, but he has been a valuable ally. Short answer is, no, we're not local officers of the law, but we do care about what happens to the people here, and are doing our best to help those that need it. If you have the time, there are some questions about what happened at the Tower that we'd like to ask."
Finally finished with her explanation, Kelda gives her time to digest her lengthy words, curiosity about what happened at the tower showing plainly on her face.
The glowing mark simply says "Ardin Dennelwith". Below is the following:
'This writ shall serve as my binding word that Erytheia, Magistra of Abjuration and Evocation at Ardin's Tower, is my representative for all intents and purposes. The authorities I am allowed outside of my tower shall be bestowed to her as well.'
"Adventurers, then," Erytheia says, slightly disappointed. "Ask what you want. It is too dark to travel safely and Anselina has offered me shelter here. I do not promise answers, mind you."
"An bhfuil muid ag dul abhaile anois?" Ysera asks.
Erytheia shakes her head. "Tá sé ró-chontúirteach taisteal. Fanfaimid anseo ar feadh na hoíche. Tairgeadh bia agus áit codlata dúinn go cineálta."
Ysera seems more at ease with Erytheia present, but still wary of everyone else.
"It is too dangerous to travel. We will stay here for the night. We have kindly been offered food and a place to sleep."
Kelda nods, "It's okay if you don't know all the answers we're looking for, we wouldn't expect that from anyone. Our friend Astoria might have some questions of her own about the tower as well, but would it be better for you to talk after we've eaten and the young ones are resting? I don't want to just bombard you with questions right after getting Ysera back." She replies, handing the Writ back to Erytheia. She didn't want to worry the children by talking about the things that had been going on, and what it could mean for everyone in the Valley.
Lysithia nods silently, resting a hand on Kelda's shoulder in support, letting her know that she was handling the interaction just fine.
Erytheia returns the writ to the pouch it came from. She simply shrugs at Kelda's suggestion. "You have probably had a rougher day than me. We can talk whenever you are ready."
"Alright, we'll check back in on you once everyone gets settled. You're right, it has been a very rough day." Lysithia replies.
Djivan and a couple of men set up a pavilion tent between the wagons for you and the other newcomers. Anselina sets up a small fire and begins cooking some food for the camp.
Having had time from the fight to calm down, Kelda starts to notice the slight wounds and pains left over from the fight, as her adrenaline begins to wear off.
Giving a nod of agreement with Erytheia and her love, Kelda wraps an arm around Lysithia's waist and finds a place to sit for a little while. Kelda looks up into her love's eyes while moving a stray strand of hair behind one of her ears, "I don't know bout you luv, but I'm getting tired of having our asses handed to us by these little green bastards every time we turn around." She says, the frustration seeping through the tone of her words. She was especially angry with herself for allowing the green menace that kept setting her on fire to get away.
"I can't say that I disagree. Though the most important thing is to remember that we still end up being the ones to walk away." Lysithia replies, bringing her hand up to touch her love's cheek.
"We may have to do things differently somehow, so we're not always on the brink of losing, but we'll get through."
Letting out a sigh, she takes in their wounds. "We definitely need to get patched up a bit though."
Kelda leans into her love's light touch, the love and support that she feels from Lysithia's touch and words, helps to calm her heart and mind.
Sighing softly she says a bit more calmly, "Yeah, I know you're right. The most important thing at the end of the day, is that we all come back, while helping as many people as we can."
Looking up into Lysithia's eyes, she voices some of the things that have been frustrating her, "I just don't know what other strategy to use. Sneaking up on the enemy is not an option, attack from a distance and moving in didn't really seem to help....it's hard to formulate a plan, when we don't really understand the enemy, or who we need to concentrate on going after. I know we still have to get to Cooperton, but then what? I feel like we're just going in circles and not getting any closer to the answers we need." Kelda tries not to sound like she's whining, but the tiredness, pain, and slight hunger that she's starting to feel, are making it hard for her.
Nodding, Kelda wraps her arms around her love's waist as she leans into her, "I know we need to rest and heal a bit. I just don't want to forget about talking to Erytheia, and see what she might know about the tower, what's going on in the forest, how her young charge was taken....just about anything she knows could be helpful."
"Come on, let's go sit over there by Aletta and relax for a bit. I'm feeling a bit worn out."
Agreeing, Lysithia gently massages the back of Kelda's neck as she gives their companions a nod and leads the way over to join Aletta.
They all definitely needed food and rest above everything else.
After helping the men set up bedding for everyone, Anselina serves up potato curry, fried fish and bread. She points at a barrel. "There's water to drink there and Djivan can bring you some wine, if you like."
"Thank you." Lysithia says, making sure her companions had anything they needed, before settling in to eat.
Feeling the emotional and physical stress the last couple of days had left her with, Kelda asks Djivan if she could have just a small amount of wine. She just wanted to help loosen the tension in her body, but wanted to stay alert enough to ask her questions later.
After getting her food and drink, Kelda goes to sit with her love and the others once she thanks Anselina and Djivan for their hospitality.
Kelda leans against her love as they eat, thinking about the questions she wanted to ask.
Evert sits near the fire with a cup of wine and some fried fish.
"Astoria, is the tower Erytheia is from the same one you're seeking to join?" Lysithia asks the mage as they eat.
Astoria turns to her fellow Half-elf to respond. "I... Yes, that is my hope anyway."
As Lysithia and Astoria talk about the tower, Kelda looks over at Aletta.
After a few bites she asks, "So, how are you doing?"
Aletta shrugs. "I'm far from home, which is a good thing...but I don't know where I am."
Kelda describes where they are to the best of her ability, "where were you taken from? Why is being so far away from home a good thing? I just...I didn't know if you would be comfortable staying here, or if you wanted us to help you get somewhere else. I can't imagine what you've been through, and I'm sorry if I'm asking so many questions...but I have a lot going on in my head, and I'm just trying to piece things together. So we can fight them more effectively. We've been having a rough go of it lately."
The halfling processes what Kelda tells her about their current location as she finishes her potato curry. She then sets the bowl aside. "I see. I guess it's my turn to do a bit of the talking then."
Aletta lays back, leaning on her elbows. "I'm from Kharas. Arnjahat, specifically, but that's not really important. In Kharas, halflings are slaves...always, no exceptions. Mostly because of the height thing, I think. I was a house servant in Arnjahat...not a good one, mind you, but opportunities don't exist over there. The master of the house was an older man with no heirs, so when he died all his property was sold off. That included me. They loaded me up on a boat with some of the other servants and, after a few stops, I ended up in that cave alone. Guess word of my work ethic got around. Been there for a while until you showed up..."