New to Giralda, I see. Well, it takes all sorts around here. Take that shifty-eyed weasel by the fire.
Oh, he acts looks like a simple merchant, peddling meager wares, but watch what you say around him. The Empire’s got ears everywhere...
See those two there? They seem all chummy now, but that’s only because Var is trying to convince Jarek to desert the navy in Thisbē and join
those lawless bastards who sail from the Spice Isles. I’m sure that one will kill the other before the week is out, once they’ve got what they want from each other.
Then there’s always the usual mercs; bastards who’d happily kill their own mothers for a coin. Oh, they say those twins from Brelan aren’t so bad,
but a merc is a merc, and money is all they see.
At least there're no damned elves here tonight. One got uppity last month when I insisted the
bastard slept in the stables. A damn generous offer for a half-breed, if you ask me!
Mind yourself if you head into the Wilds. It’s full of things that
would happily eat you and shit you out without a second thought. Even the people who hunt those things are more beast than civil.
Anyway stranger,
what'll it be: a room, or a drink?
SKYE
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CURRENT MONTH: AUREL, 762
This month marks the transition from the scorching sun of summer to the cooling of autumn. The night skies become more magnificent as shooting stars are more frequent, and auroras dance across the horizon. Aurel is a time of harvest when the farmers gather the crops that cannot withstand the upcoming heavy rains of Nandir.
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December 2021 Soft hiatus - have a safe, warm, and minimally dysfunctional holiday season!
LUCAS Lucas sat at the fire, tending it with one hand and reading from one of his sister's book in the other. He'd only brought a few with him-- he had to save room for the things he found along the way, after all, and hadn't had the time to just sit back and relax among the caravan's occupants. There had been way too much going on, and he really needed the break.
Thankfully, though, he found just that within the early hours of the morn. The peredhel had woken with a start from a nightmare and hadn't been able to fall back to sleep. That had been around four in the morning, and now it was nearing six. Soon, they would need to get going. That was too bad. He had a soft spot for morning lazes and the short tempers of the men who hadn't had their coffee's yet. Talk about an addiction, huh?
Speaking of coffee, he moved up to check that the ground beans had sat correctly while they cooked, and to his satisfaction, the smell of black coffee wafted it's way up to him. He didn't take but a moment to pour himself one-- and Kerr, seeing as the male was making his way towards him. For what, though, Lucas wasn't sure. Maybe the lad had gotten his fair treatment of that spider hair that he had explained to Lucas not even a month ago when they'd met. "How goes, Kerr?" He'd call, waving one of the canteens at the man.
KERR "Hello, Lucas." Kerr said happily and far too chipper for a morning. But he was a man who slept easily and well almost regardless of his location or circumstance. Even better when he'd spent an entire day on the road managing a wagon train. He'd had morning watch which was starting to wind down as breakfast was approaching. That was what he was really approaching for, first go at the bacon that Cookie was going to fire. "What has you up so early?"
LUCAS Instead of being a little bitch and telling Kerr what was up with his night, the male scooched over to give him some room. "Wanted to get some early morning reading in, you?" His lie was smooth as butter, and he closed his book as to not draw farther attention away from the conversation.
KERR "I had last watch," he said as he sat down. "Once the sun starts to light things up only idiots attack the camp. Around two hours or so before dawn is the most dangerous time for intelligent foes. Figured I'd get the biscuits and bacon before they had a chance to get cold or gone. What are you reading?"
LUCAS "Ah, not much. It's somethin' my sister gave me when we left home." He'd tilt the book towards him so he could see the title, which read 'The Seaweed King's Treasure' and was faded from constant wear and tear. "Last watch is fun sometimes."
KERR "It's better than middle watch, no doubt. I thought about crawling back in with Idrial but I didn't want to strip out of my armor only to have to put it back on in an hour while missing breakfast... besides, she was sleeping so soundly when I checked on her." He looked at the cover of the book and shook his head after a moment. "If I've read it I don't recall the contents for the cover." He'd read a lot of books over the years. He pulled a small chapbook of poetry out of one of his belt pouches to show in return.
LUCAS The peredhel smiled ruefully at the insinuations of what the male had said, setting the beloved childhood book down next to him on the rather uncomfortable log they'd found to use as a sort of bench for the caravan. "Albeit she was pretty tired, huh?" His boyish snicker couldn't be helped, even as he looked about to see if any of the other so-called bodyguards were about. To his happiness, they weren't.
The book Kerr pulled out was more, well, refined than the one the peredhel had been reading over and over for the last four or so years. His definition of a good book was indeed not the same as Kerr's. But hey, to each their own, right?
He glanced at the small book before returning his gaze to Kerr. "So you're more of a poetry guy, huh?"
KERR "Probably not as tired as she could have been, we try to be polite with the rest of camp," Kerr responded without shame but also without much in the way of lasciviousness. A fact, simple as. "I'm a whatever I can lay hands on kind of guy when it comes to the written word. Histories, plays, poetry, herbalism, treatises on practically any subject. Even been through a few magical tomes over the years though I lack talent for the subject. Learned a scrying spell as a boy that seems to work though. You don't care for poetry?"
LUCAS He’d chuckle again, this time covering his mouth with a shy hand. ”I prefer fantasy texts over most else, but I give it up every now and then if I’m researching.”
KERR "I like to think of it all as research, of one sort or another. But I suppose I've always been fascinated with words my entire life. For all my talent with a sword I always try words first, and the more words I know the better my chance of avoiding a fight. Besides, poets are always coming up with better and better ways to woo women and that's the entire reason the gods gave us language to begin with." He grinned back at the man's display of shyness. He looked toward the fire and got a sort of far away look for a moment or two before rolling his shoulders. "The time I've lost in wooing, in watching and pursuing, the light that lies in women's eyes has been my heart's undoing. Though Wisdom oft has sought me, I've scorned the lore she's brought me, my only books were women's looks and folly's all they've taught me. Delivered with confidence, the ladies love it. Though, I readily admit, the ability to stand unflinching before the arrows that fire from the eyes of beauty is a courage beyond most souls."
LUCAS He nodded along to the man’s quote. “What’s that from?” He asked, leaning to adjust the food on the skillet, held up by rope and sticks above the fire.
KERR "The Time I've Lost in Wooing, a poem I read in a book a long time ago. It's been one of my go-to solutions for dealing with pretty young women I don't know well enough to tailor an approach to, especially nobles. You can learn the most fascinating things from noble daughters about the male members of their families who happily live under the illusion the poor girl doesn't have a thought in her head." Information gathering 101, go speak to the invisible members of the household. Servants, black sheep family members, guardsmen with an eye for the drink or gambling. Easy to please, happy to help. "It's a bit long, so far as quotable poetry goes, but I memorized the whole thing because I just... felt every word."
LUCAS "Yeah, I get it. Can't have too much information in there, huh?" He paused, "And if you forget something, you can always look back at your journals if need be."
KERR "My what now?"
LUCAS Lucas looked at the other with what could only be described as a 'what the fuck' kind of look. "Do you not... write down your findings?"
KERR "No. Why?" Kerr looked genuinely confused.
LUCAS Lucas gave the other a playful side-eye before shaking his head. "Nothing, nothing," His cheeks warmed a little, but otherwise he kept the astonishment from his face. "So how long are we gonna be on the road, anyways?"
KERR "The known portion of the route should take about a ten-day. After that, it depends on what kind of paths we can find. An old overgrown road would be great but the Elves had bad habits when it came to religious locations, intending a rough journey as a part of the experience. Doesn't help that we aren't exactly sure where it is, just the area it ought to be in. It is a lost temple, after all."
LUCAS He nodded along, once again pulling his smallest notebook yet from his pocket and writing down what Kerr had just explained to him. "Anything I should know? Should I start prepping salves or just wait?" He was always one to be cautious when it came to infections and such, so preparing things like that tended to be his forte.
KERR "High altitude, lots of rain, hard overland travel. Bruises, cuts, blisters, sore or pulled muscles, and exhaustion. If we're unlucky, a few broken bones. Oh, and probable swamp foot and possible hypothermia if people don't dry their clothes and stay near the fire when we get onto the higher ground. There's a reason this village we're heading toward makes its living off yarn." He poked the fire with a stick. "If you have any questions about how to deal with that stuff just ask, I've been living that life for more than half mine."
LUCAS "People are stupid so I’ll prep some hypothermia meds." He stopped speaking to write down what he was thinking and paused when he realized he didn’t know how many people were in camp. "How many people exactly are traveling with us? I need an exact number or men, women, and children."
KERR "I'll do my best to keep them informed but, by and large, you aren't wrong about that." Kerr chuckled mostly to himself. "You'd have to do a poll on genders, I respect people's privacy on that front, but we have about a dozen in the core group and twenty-one porters, plus the Sage herself. So thirty-four. We'll leave most of the porters behind in a base camp when we run out of cut trail, which will be sometime after the village stop."
LUCAS He starts scribbling down the numbers he’s been given, doing some mental math in his head and slapping down another note that says ‘make two for each person’ before snapping his notebook shut. He’d had a part of one of the covered wagons converted into a workstation so that he could work on the move if need be and still be available to help fight— once again, if need be. "I had best get started then. Would you like to assist me or do you have other plans for the morn?"
KERR "I would love to assist you, I am an absolute sucker for learning new things, alas I have to run this wagon train that's starting to wake. We're trying to outrun a few problems and we can only do that if we aren't burning daylight. If you need anything once we're moving feel free to give me a shout though. I'm glad we got you out here, I'm passable as an apothecary but I'm no journeyman by any stretch."
LUCAS "You got it, boss man!" Lucas gave a mock salute before packing up whatever he had with him and heading towards his covered wagon with a smile on his face.