[Story] Settling In - The Trading Post : Act II

[Shadow0136]

Lina and Darian Lina opens her eyes to find that Darian is back, which sends a wave of relief through her. Sitting up the blankets fall around her waist as her shoulders sag "Not much i'm afraid... I think that you were right. I shouldn't have joined in that fight, but Svetna might not have survived had I not..." She rests her head in her hands, trying to cut off her headache before continuing. "Maybe... Darian, do you still want to teach me about Old Deadeye? It might do some good for me to focus on that instead of the events here..." Lina soon gets cleaned up, dressed and sits next to Darian before saying "Hopefully you are ready to teach me today Darian! And I have already seen one new face. There is a young lady named Silver with the others. She seems nice, but her clothes..." Lina trails off as a dark blush covers her face.

[Geldar]

The Parables of Erastil Revealed Darian was glad to hear the Oracle ask him about his faith. Of course Lina; of course. He smiles and begins telling her the basic tenants of the faith, as detailed in The Parables of Erastil. I have a copy of the text that I keep in my pack. I'll let you borrow it, you can read all about it yourself. It's a cheap text though, so it's not the greatest in terms of detail; but with faith and prayer...well...all things are possible, now aren't they? He spends a bit more time teaching the faith as best he can, and answering any of Lina's questions - again, at least as best he can. We can talk more over breakfast. Come on, he cheerfully pats her leg, we can join the others. As he waits for Lina to get ready, he says, I wonder if Corinth ever did find out anything about Oleg? And, what was that about a new person's manner of dress? As they eventually walk together, Darian adds, Oh and um, pay no mind to my sub-par 'repair job' at the front-section of wall; I'm still...well I'm still working on it.

 

Speaks with Lina. Tells her what he knows about Old Deadeye and how to be a faithful follower. @Shadow, you can add Darian's "cheap holy text" to your inventory for the time being. He'll need that back though; pallies probably need to have those handy on a regular basis. Maybe Drama can make a holy text of Erastil available on-site, though.

[Shadow0136]

Learning of Erastil Lina smiles at Darian and starts to read the Parables of Erastil, quickly becoming engrossed in the texts in between questions. All to soon though the two of them decide that it is time to join the others, but only after Lina explains "The Lady that I met wears a dress, which leaves all of this exposed." She indicates her belly and up to right below her chest, blushing the entire time. As they walk Lina carefully sets the Holy Book into a pouch on her waist, intending to continue reading it later. Although when Darian mentions his repairs she takes his hand and teases "More like your thumb got tired of the abuse!" She kisses his boo-boo before they get back to walking, with her giggling quietly to herself for a minute.

[Storm]

Amid the night till morning, pacifying Lina amiss her vivid nightmare the oracles haunted vision is a stark contrast to what could have happened yet didn't. Although dreams have several interpretations and meaning, being an Oracle, tormented by a acute break in sanity is the price to pay for her lose of innocence. A innocence that is molded and shaped in purity and piousness, in reality.. the nightmare felt in sleep has become real. Remembering the horror's of his grizzled hands on you, and the overwhelming odds your friends face is now a reality and cannot be undone. You have now made enemies and this is not settling well, not in the least. There is an uncanny approach to the relevant scheme of it all. Heroes that have won, called by passer-by's: The Battle at the Trading Post. People smile and shake your hand into the day, woman bringing you baked breads and sweet rolls as Matthias and Corinth guard the towers and walk the guard ways around the tower. Children recount the battle as it unfolded, as young teenage boys make horse puppets depicting the Konstantin'es epic ride with javelin spear heading the evil doer Happs Bydon. His body left hanging upside down in the middle of town square as the silver stag necklace sways with the easterly winds. The days are beginning to warm again. The cool wind chill from several days at the Fort and the Spring Equinox is greatly thawing the temperature and the sun's rays are beginning to warm the land so that near by farmers can begin to cultivate the land. Remembering Oleg to have gone missing, only through the passing night and into that morning did he reappear. Nervously huddled under a bed, some men were born of the cowardly nature. It wasn't so much of being a coward but the threat was real and any normal human did have a right, no urgency to self-preservation. Maybe he did know that Happs Bydon and Svetna were lovers. Later through the days passing, while he handed out his top stockroom full of wonderful crafted and honed items did he explain that Svetna was always attracted to him. Happs had wanted her to leave him and was due to take her away with him on the day of the last but she had sent word that she decided to stay with Oleg out of a sense of duty and commitment. Besides she often said, Happs only wanted her for her body and her family inheritance back at Restov. Your healing magic had done wonders for Svetna who laid close to her death bed. The few days proceeding, it seemed her fever has finally amended and the scar from the wound had healed as best as it would. First covering the wound with ointments and medicinal salves, the scar was covered by something new farmers were starting to cultivate into a textile. It uses cotton to make thread turning it into cotton towels. Then as she sat up Oleg and her talk at length and when you have the chance to check up on them, Svetna is seen wearing a beautiful necklace covering the scar. The captured men can finally rest assured for the moment as you waive their rights and deem them un abidding citizens of Brevoy. The punishment told of your charter asks for no leniency although your compassion may have spoken volumes about the kind of Magistrate you are although, if the Cavalier has his way, they would all meet a quick and painful death. Silver is an antagonist of this, fueling your rage and feeding your ego, how carefree of the godling to speak, that the judging life is as easy as speaking the sentence. It is several weeks now past, and word from courier arrives by a squire on horseback. It asks fellow charter's to stay put till reinforcements arrive. Oleg does not believe this and thinks the Bandits will return again. James taps Oleg on the shoulder to ask for him to reaffirm his faith in Brevoy. Not many days pass and knights of the Sword Lords enter from distances away carrying banners that brightly flutter in the wind and proudly display their lineage. Traveling in a near battalion of cavalry word is shout out at the highest tower and quickly spreads all over Oleg's Trading Post, things seem like their settling in at Oleg's.

[Renen]

Get ALL the reinforcements In the weeks that passed, Silver was not quite as active as the rest of the group. While the rest of the party freely cooperated with locals, Silver mostly stayed out of the way, occasionally helping with some minor repairs, using her magic. Other than that she spent the time getting familiar with the "heroes" and mapping out the village. Her needs very minimalistic as well. She had only a small room at the inn she used exclusively for sleeping, and she ate only if someone offered her food, doing it more out of politeness, as she seemed perfectly capable of surviving without any sustenance for weeks on end. Strangely enough, even though she was thought strange by adults, she was loved by all the younger kids, sho she entertained with the stories from her Grimoire and taught them how to fold the paper from it into various flowers and animals. The Grimoire was not at all impressed at the amount of pages that were ripped out of it, but since it had an endless supply of pages, it remained exactly the same size even after weeks of abuse. --- Seeking out her companions Silver decides to inform them of the new development. Looks like we got a battalion of horsemen arriving at the trading post as we speak. Pulling out her Grimoire, she shows a sketch of the horsemen she made while they were still en-route to the outpost. While I dont really need to eat much, I wonder how the rest of the locals will fare? Feeding so many soldiers and battle horses will surely put a strain on the resources. I doubt this place is producing enough surplus food for all of them. She smiles apologetically, showing that she is simply stating the facts, and nothing else.

[SolarDragon]

Erdrath Erdrath tries to spend as much time with Silver as possible, swapping tales of history, of glories past and distant, and of more esoteric knowledge, seeking to share and learn of things beyond the skies. As well, the robed magister (although those with a sharp eye or ear still notice the clink and shimmer of armor hidden in the thick robes), was often found chatting with Lina, seeming to take far more interest in her wellbeing now that he has seen all is not as well as it could be. "Lina, with your permission, I would like to check your room for magic each night-perhaps your nightmares are not as simple as they would seem?" As Silver informs them of the arrival of the horsemen, Erdrath heads out to the gate to meet them, preparing to liase with the new arrivals.

[Shadow0136]

The Day After When Erdrath asks for permission to check her room for magic, Lina thinks it over for a few moments before agreeing. "Thank you Erdrath.. and I give you permission to check my room." In the following days, Erdrath would quickly discover that Lina's room seemed to be full of Divine Energy as she slept. However the more that she read and focused on Erastil's teachings the more control she managed to gain over her dreams. In the next few days Lina attempts to approach some of the others from their small group, she would talk with Konstantin or Mathias when they were in a social mood. And she even asked Mathias if he would help in teaching her how to string and use a bow, something that Lina had turned to as her discomfort with wielding a blade grew. One other person outside of her usual circle whom Lina began to associate with was the outdoorsman, James. In the days after the battle she had taken some time to bind his injury from the arrow, and from that the two began to chat about various subjects that kept Lina's mind from her own troubles and instead gave her an outlet for her creativity. It became a somewhat common sight to watch Lina be greeted by the various people passing through, especially after she began to spread the teachings of Erastil which encouraged the community and hard working lifestyle that these men and women already lived.

Greeting the Guests Throughout the following weeks Lina has focused most of her free time on studying The Parables of Erastil. She had even begun to do some preaching to the outdoorsmen, telling of the true value of their work and how it demonstrates their good character. As it is, she has taken to the teachings of Erastil far better than Darian would have expected her to. When the reinforcements arrived Lina quickly spotted Fr. Tamer and headed over to his side along with Darian. Holding Darian's copy of The Parables of Erastil Lina said "It's nice to see you Fr. Tamer. How have you been since we last saw each other?"

[Kadaver]

T-T-T-T-TIME LAPSE! It would not take long for Mathias to soon feel trapped inside the walls of the fort. Surrounded by the cut and hewed remains of the trees he had grown so fond of outside this muddy hole. For a while, he would be content wandering about the fort. Assisting the locals in repairs or handyman word that would need to be done. A practiced wood worker he would be able to fix small problems at least once in a while. Otherwise he would spend time speaking to another new comer to the outpost. Burg. A apparently like minded individual, Red enjoyed their brief conversations and made a point to speak more. Other than Burg, Mathias found himself troubled with his...Companions. He was surprised when one of them approached him seeking guidance in the bow. Lina had struck the warrior as a strange addition to their group. He had pittied her nightmares, attributing it to a fresh warriors heart. It was difficult to watch a man slide off your blade, his hands reaching out, desperate to know why or even if his life could end differently... Red had seen these visions himself when younger... He agreed to show her how to use a bow and its proper functions. Yet he warned her that the bow was not a passing fancy. The ranger wielded the simple bit of wood and string with deadly proficiency, and to attain a similar skill it would require just as much devotion as any other prowess of battle. But the real excitement, or really the only excitement, for Mathias laid in hunting. With so much free time he would often leave the fort long before the rising sun, and return hours after it had dipped back down below the curving earth. These ventures out from the fort brought Red the peace he needed. A breath of fresh air that could never be captured simply standing amongst the other residents of the keep. It also assisted, even if only slightly, to the food reserves that the Outpost was able to maintain. A skilled hunter he would often come back loaded with game, whether it be several birds or rabbits or even on occasion a wild boar or deer.

Riders from the dawn. Mathias glanced up from his lap, digits still pinching a small clump of tobacco as Silver made her entrance. Atop the tower, Mathias nodded with a smile to her. " Indeed. I saw them a bit earlier. I suppose we should hope they do not stay long. However pride is a fault of kingdoms and villages alike. I hope our host does not give away all that we have. " With a flick of his finger the ranger motioned out away from the keep. Before she turned to leave however, Red would reach out to stop her. Uncouth in the culture of others, he would reach out and grab her arm for a moment before releasing it once she stopped. " How do you make those? " Gesturing to her large book, he meant specifically her drawings. His usual aesthetic for beauty was very natural. Enjoying the symmetry of the world, and the chaos it could create in such strict order. But the images she carved into the pages enthralled the man. Often, or whenever she might show, Red would look on until she left. A quiet man he had never reached out to express his interest in them during the weeks, but now, in the boredom of Outpost, Mathias sought conversation.

[Renen]

Silver and Lina During the course of the last few weeks, Silver shows her dissaproval of Lina's activities. More and more divine power around here. Why do you love the gods so much. The power they have... they should not flaunt it so carelessly. Affecting the world of mortals as they are. Their meddling is doing more harm than good. They dont know when to stop, so intent on gathering new followers that they forget to look too closely at the old ones, granting their power to those who continually abuse it. Not to mention them playing with their worshippers like they are with you. While Silver seems to dislike the gods, it is actually their interference with mortal affairs that bothers her. Thus leaving her less hostile to those gods who are more removed from the world.

Silver and Mathias Stepping back, Silver glares at Mathias, clearly not liking being manhandled as she was. I am not that skilled an artist. The Grimoire is made to absorb knowledge, part of the reason why you shouldnt put any other book near it, not unless you have spare copies. When I draw in it, I am mostly just expressing my desire for it to retain a likeness. So it simply records what I see, as long as I know what I am drawing. However if just anyone tried to draw in it, it would likely be nearly unlegible, owing to the amount of concentration you have to constantly maintain, in order to prevent random things from being drawn. Once had an artist draw a house that looked suspiciously like a pig, just because he was slightly hungry at the moment. Silver recalls quietly. So the things you see, are the perfect embodiment of my personal perception of the world.

[Kadaver]

Ignorant. Rubbing his chin, Mathias listened to Silver explain her book. He had expected her to tell him how her devotion to the skill had created this amazing skill. That it had been her love, her life, to create these things. For a moment he battled disappointment to find she had merely evoked it as a tool. Never the less, Mathias was interested in the book. Looking it over as she held it with a raised eyebrow. Its apparent habit to absorb knowledge seemed...Strange. Dangerous, but harmless in almost all moments unless in the wrong hands. " How did you find yourself with such a book? "