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The Heartwood
The Highland Path
Highside, West of Silk Creek Ravine
After Sunset and then On the Road
The end of Horse and passing on into Poet

Bekkah, Daxia, Darian, Mikal, Jankin, Dean, Cesare, Kadri... Morning Star, Longtooth, Kay and Romana

Kay turned, to follow Bekkah back to the fire and the others. But not before she paused, looked dwn, tugged at the top of her tunic and looked down again as if in confirmation, before raising her head and chasing after the much taller blonde.

"How in the world am I supposed to know THAT. I'm'a girl!"

That was in answer to the Aterran's question; concerning the inevitable discourse of mice and men.

****

The easterly road, it followed the very edge of the Silk Creek Ravine, following the sheer cliffs on one side while the broken stones rose on the other, creating a single terrace for travel. In some places it is narrow and some places much wider; usually suck a place sheltered a tavern or inn. The road too itself had changed, from grass to hard packed dirt to rough hewn cobbles and then large paving stones. In some places, where the rise was steep, they were actually carved into steps, well worn from ages travel, with a pair of - relatively - wide ramps from riser to riser for the wheels of carts and wagons. Regularly there'd be some manner of break or pass, leading upwards to the fields above, but the main road stayed along the rim of the ravine.

The traffic picked up too, and while they kept their pace heading towards the sea and sunset and thus maintained their relative privacy, they often had to move to the side to let a similar group, usually accompanied by a wagon or three or four, pass on their eastbound way.

By now the milestones had become regular and familiar markers, not just visible but well kept and well maintained.

****

"The big woods?"

Kay looked across to Daxia and the others, when answering that particular question.

"Well, we lived up in the crags above the Forest, of course, but we weren't keepfolk, not really, ceptin' we could see the sun rise over its towers on a clear summers mornin', after chasing the sheep all over the far valley side.

"But come the first hint of harvest, Fa and his friends would gather up their gear and go down into it. It was right regular, when I was a kidlet, leavin' Ma and me to finish the harvest while they hunted for meat to keep us to the spring.

"That's ... that's the big wood I know of. Folks didn't much try and live in it; being there was plainstigers and bears and what not that were ready to make you their meal instead of viceversa. Besides, to hear the gardeners speak it woulda been like livin' in a chapel. Which were all right and proper to visit every now and then butafter about a day or so a lass ... okay me ... would go stir crazy because of all the things you aren't supposed to do in a chapel.

"Lily-kins, she always be bopping me on the head ..."

The young dayalan fell silent, for a moment, taking a big bite from her roll.

" ... and said I'd never make a very good temple guard.

"But who in their right mind want to spend all their days standing out side the same door?"

****

Finally, however, two things happened.

First, the morning came and found Romana running her fingers through long lengths of black hair, the big floppy hat hiding the hints of slender ears.

Second, the rise to the right side of the pat became not a wall of striated stone but houses cut into the stone; like a makeshift village set into the landscape.

And they would be watched. Red hair would get children snared back into mother's arms, especially the young lasses and laddies, especially when added to a midnight unicorn.

"Now there's trouble comin' down the street ..."

"Black ... color of night ... good unicorns are supposed to be white as the clouds in the sky."

"Yah .. thats'a snarkhound, I bet. Fa told me of them, they's a sure mark of someone uncivilized ..."

"Country trollops ..."

"Look at that one, yah her ... there's the reason bread now costs a silver a loaf."

"Well of course. She's a Lady. She's gotta be nice to everyone. No choice in that.

"Poor thing.

"Well I'm sure one of the Knights will be setting her back upon the straight and narrow.

"Isn't that a Knight with her ..."

"That lad ... looks like a fish that's gonna get tossed back into the river for bein' too small."

The last rise in the trail was reached.

Three choices lay before the small group.

One; through the scattered houses the collection of homes not fine enough or wealthy enough to be within a town wall, the well paved road continued west, leading to the sea and Talesan's Village.

Two; a path known by Mikal, here the road doubled back towards sunrise. The road that lead beyond the rich manor fields to the broken farms of Brockman's Holdfast and then the rugged quarries of Montague.

Three; through the tall gat towers and their black metal portcullis. The color of honey stone soft in the setting sun, rising above path and creek ravine strong and proud. Ramshackle homes, of the poor, clustered outside the walls and lined the road in, and here there was even stratification of the poor - those who managed to hold on to a home, a shop, a place to park a wagon of food to sell, much better off than those the farther from the main way.

In multiple rings, far larget than the Rock or Cragside, even making the fancier castles of Dawnview seem small, the Khorall of Keeps rose before them; Talantal, where the streets were supposedly paved with gold and coins fell from the sky like rain. Of course such stories were for children, but like all stories the modicum of truth now stood before them.

Dominic Korie's little home village.

There was, of course, a line at the gates. And tolls collected.

By the Keep watch, of course, the soldiers of Talantal, those who were the liegeman of the Noble Family Korie.

Who wore surcoats of red trimmed in gold.

Just like Dean.

Cesare

It had been a reasonable journey; time on the way for some personal time with Darian, time for further horse training with Kadri and also time to start his crossbow training with Mikal. However he still needed to find a forge to make the dagger that would fulfil his bargain with Mikal and he needed to talk with Kadri.

And here they are approaching civilisation.. so there might be an opportunity to find a forge. He smiles to himself hearing the comments as they pass the first dwellings. Maybe one other advantage to travelling with this mixed group of folk is that rather than be a focus for unwelcome attention, even a Rhoni can pass relatively unmarked.

He drops back a little to walk alongside Kadri.

"Been meaning to ask, now I know enough to look after a horse, is there any chance I might learn to ride one?"

He reaches out to pat Lisica whom he had been helping to care for over the last month or so.

Kadri:

"I think we can manage that."

She pats Lisica on the muzzle herself.

"What a cousin said about riding a horse once was that it is much like loving a woman. You have to figure out where to put the legs of course. You need to be ale to look her in the eyes. You give her gifts of something sweet and tasty now and again. And if you don't read her mind, you are going to hurt quite a bit between the legs. The key isn't to get her to do what you want - but instead to get her to want to do what you want."

She grins, winks.

"I think with a little teaching you will make a good rider."

Cesare

He laughs.

"Well then maybe Darian has already given me the first few lessons."

Then on a more serious note he adds.

"My thanks, I know what she means to you."

He has also been observing over the past few weeks, not only Kadri but also the others in their group who ride, noting body positions etc. And he knows he has deft hands and reasonable balance, so he is feeling quite positive.

Kadri

She looks back around at the others.

"Nice little village, eh? Don't think I'm going to stand out much here you think? "

Mikal

As they ride west Mikal has been unusually quiet and withdrawn. He barely glaces at the surroundings, keeping his eyes focused on the road just in front of Talia's hooves.

He has begun working with Cesare on the crossbow, and has been impressed with how quickly he has picked up the process. It is a simple weapon, such that most new New Jvrillian troop members can become at least familiar enough with it to be useful in combat fairly quickly, but Cesare has a natural dexterity and a very good eye.

"You'll be better than me with this if you keep working at it." He grunts at the end of one of their last sessions.

He continues to spar with Daxia, and Dean when he chooses to join. Practicing each evening with the broadsword and shield.

Upon reaching the trail crossings, and as the others discuss which way to head, he is silent. The reins are squeezed so hard in his hand that his fingernails leave marks. He stares straight ahead, but others can see his eyes repeatedly flickering to the trail that leads towards Brockman's and Montague lands. The expression on his face a combination of sorrow, eagerness, and hesitation.

Cesare

He is not immune to the feelings of others within the group but often chosing not to comment, generally respecting their right to privacy. But recently he has spent more time with Mikal and the man is obviously wrestling with inner demons just now. Moving quietly to stand next to Mikal's mount, on the offside from the others, he murmurs for Mikal's ears.

"If you need an ear.. or just a diversion for those pent up thoughts, let me know."

He stays close for a few moments, giving Mikal some time for thought but he is ready to move away before his presence also becomes an issue.

Mikal

He sighs, and with obvious effort releases Talia's reins, wrapping them around the pommel of his saddle. He then leans back and wipes a hand over his face, then turns to Cesare and offers a wan smile.

"Do you know", he starts softly, "how after a long ride, of weeks in the saddle, 2 or 3 hands of hours a day, how you may get a really bad boil on your butt? How badly it hurts whenever you sit or move, and the desire you have to lance it? But you know that if you give in to the desire to cut it that it will surely become infected and much worse than the nagging pain it is at the moment? The infection might even kill you."

He glances back to the path and stares that way as he finishes his thought. "That is how I feel." He points down the trail. "That way lies my former home. All the memories of my youth, both good and terrible. The boil on my butt." He grins softly. "The itch I would love to scratch, but am not certain I would survive the scratching."

Cesare

Keeping a deadpan face, he responds quietly.

"Actually one of my greatest desires in to have a long ride, spend weeks in the saddle. I have not yet had the pleasure of that experience. Instead I have suffered sore feet, worn out shoes, aching legs and back and have divested possessions because it just hurts too much to carry them. Though the new boots are good now, and help."

He smiles over in Romana's direction, even though she would have no idea why.

"Not sure I fancy boils though. Do you think I should rethink my riding lessons with Kadri?"

Then he grins.

"I understand what you mean. In my experience, better to scratch and purge, rather than to have something dog you for a lifetime. Got to move forward, follow the tides, lose the anchors that pin you into the past. And if you need someone to stand by you whilst you scratch, i'll be there."

Mikal

The last statement brings his gaze back to Cesare. A considering expression on his face. "I am not sure you understand the scope of what you offer", he says, voice carrying to any who care to listen.

He waves a hand towards the Northeast. "My Father and Uncle were taken by the Montagues to work in the quarries. I know not their fate, though few survive that work for long. The only thing that saved me from sharing their fate, even as young as I was, was that I had taken the crop to market that day and was away from home."

His eyes reflect a coldness, like blue ice.

"My mother and sister never spoke of that day to me. They were there too, and had bruises. Bad bruises on their faces and bodies. Some broken fingers as well. But they were tight lipped anytime I asked."

He pauses.

"We.., the three of us, tried to work the farm ourselves after that but it was too much. My sister died in an accident with our bull the next spring and my mother never recovered her spirit after that. She was a hollow shell of the mother I knew. She slowly withered away, working herself to death on the farm."

"I buried her next to my sister and left soon after. I had the good luck to fall in with Cameron's Lights."

He glances back to the trail. "I have nothing left there. There is almost no chance my Father and Uncle are still alive, and even if they were those mines are well, and strongly, guarded. The only thing for me, should I turn down that trail, is revenge. And death. And I expect death for any who follow me."

"Sure, I daydream about charging into the quarries and rescuing them. Freeing them and the others of Brockman's illegally enslaved, but it is just a dream."

He looks again to Cesare. "Your offer is kind, and I appreciate the spirit in which it was given. But I would not lead you to your death. If I go down that road one day, I will do so alone."

Cesare

"Aye, the fates are not always kind to folk."

This is not said in any way to diminish Mikal's experiences, more of a pragmatic attitude to life generally.

"Then one day is probably a much better time for us both - but the offer stands."

He nods, and then with a quick grin, heads away back towards Darian & Longtooth.

[OOC: I've been trying to write a post all week. Every time I get a few sentences in, Gypsy or Zeim would post something else and make moot whatever it was I'd written. It's been a freaking hilarious week! (Really... I'm laughing, not being sarcastic.) Then my Muse would say, "Pffft, never mind this silly knees-bent running about advancing behavior! Let us wave our private parts at their aunties, and go back to BTS!" To which, of course, I would have to reply, "Ew... and okay."

So, it looks like it might be safe to start writing HWD again, but just to be cautious, I'm going to head over to ECL first. And I'm watching you, you daffy English kaniggets!

(Don't tell the GM, but I think Monty Python and the Holy Grail might be a perfect metaphor for this game. My Muse seems to think so at any rate.)]

The Heartwood
The Highland Path
Highside, West of Silk Creek Ravine
After Sunset and then On the Road
Attaday, the eighth day of Poet

Bekkah, Daxia, Darian, Mikal, Jankin, Dean, Cesare, Kadri... Morning Star, Longtooth, Kay and Romana

"So ...

"Are you burkes going to be standin' there come sun up and sun down?"

It was one of the guards who broke from his ranks. Both he and his steed his steed made a metallic shuffle as they approached the small knot of travelers. Both wore the gold and red of the Imperial church.

It took a second look, a closer one, to note the additional gold embroidery subtle, running next to the gold stripe running the length of surcoat and mantle. A star. A crown. And a bear.

"Real folks, real people ..."

He waved his hand, noting the line gathering behind them, as they formed a knot at this important intersection, right before the first gates of Grand Talantal.

" ... have business to attend to. Stop gawking and get out of the way."

The first to move course, was Dancer, easily nudged aside by her rider. Romana oh so properly ducked her head and stepped aside.

The first hint of a problem, however, occurred from the one on foot, eyes narrowed, peering up from beneath the fall of traitorous bangs. Kay growled.

" ... what do yah mean ... real people?"

Jankin did his best to move subtly towards the potential confrontation, floating around the fringes, looking like a dazed country bumpkin.

Kadri

She turns towards Kay.

"'e means people what aren't standing around like bumps on a log in th' middle of the road an' are gettin' on wit' their doins. So 'haps we should move an' get through that gate before she goes to sleep over the far horizon?"

She looks up at the rider, doing her best to look all peasanty and unimportant again.

"Just normal folks, nothing anyone need bother or pay mind, eh? Leastways, long as we get out o' t'way."

Bekkah

This could get bad, fast so reluctantly Bekkah stepped forward between Kay and the guard. She knew that this was one of those times where her station carried even more weight than usual.

In her white robes there was no mistaking the golden haired woman for anything other than a Lady of Attera.

"Yes, of course good sir. We shall take in the beauty of your city when we are out of the way of traffic. Please forgive us." she said this but the way she stood before the man, she was clearly not asking for forgiveness. Her words and stance were meant to end the encounter.

"Come friends, let us find a good inn." she turned back to the guard.

"Good sir would you have a recommendation for us?"

Daxia

By the time they reached the small village — well... a village of a sort, at any rate, though carving homes into the rocks themselves was likely no small or simple task — Daxia wasn’t the least bit surprised to hear the murmurings from the villagers.

Politics. Her Khorall had done what she knew to be best for her people; but like ripples in a pond, the effects of Linnell Allaine’s actions didn’t stop at Snowgate Pass. Both the Khorall and the Heir knew this, of course. It was a passing strange thought that those in the Korie lands were only slightly less upset at the sight of a Dayalan and her Unicorn than the folks of Romana’s lands might be. The only difference that Daxia could see was that the Cohrlayans would be considerably more upfront and honest about wanting to run a sword through her.

She sighed to herself.

Even she was getting tired of politics.

The trip had been more than interesting. Kay made her laugh more often than not. There had been times she’d understood why Lily might have bopped Kay over the head; perhaps her something sort of cousin Dandy might have already done the same. Should they venture into Dom Dominie’s little village, Dazi herself might need to bop her once or twice. But Kay was bright and curious... bold and not the least bit afraid to speak her mind. Daxia imagined Gillyflower had probably been a bit like that when she was young, too.

When they’d arrived at the crossroads, and it took no skill to notice Mikal’s unease. That he spoke loud enough for anyone in the party to hear his tale made Daxia, at first, think of it as a warning away from that road... away from the information she hoped could be found at a mill somewhere in the Montague lands.

However, this unexpected event changed her mind about that. And made her realize Kay would need to be bopped sooner rather than later.

She nudged Morning Star closer to Kay, Kadri and Bekkah, leaned down and took hold of the back of Kay’s tunic collar. “Youngling,” the elder Dayalan said mildly, “I would have thought by now you would have learned the proper way to address your betters... that way being silence.” She released Kay’s tunic and tapped her lightly on the back of the head. “Go stand with the Hunter.”

Daxia straightened and rose to her full height in the saddle, and looked at the guard as an equal. “Your pardon, sir... the child is rather selective in what she wishes to learn.” The Dayalan’s eyes then shifted to the Atteran priestess.

“I know you have business in the city, dear sister, just as I have business outside it. Perhaps we could meet here again in a handful or two once our separate tasks are complete? Those who wish to see the glory of Grand Talantal should, of course, join you. Those with no interest in such...” She glanced briefly at Kay. “...and those who have yet to learn how to comport themselves appropriately may join me on my errand.”

Cesare

Apart from finding a forge and that is not a quick errand, he has no particular leanings in either direction, instead he looks at Darian with a lifted eyebrow and enquiring look, thinking she will probably opt for Daxia's errand as she is no more a city person than he is.

Kadri:

She pauses a moment before speaking again.

"I might get in and cause trouble in there. I am trying to decide ..."

She says, softly.

"If that is a bad thing or a good. Place could use a little trouble."

Darian

The Hunter had been more quiet than usual, which is to say exceptionally. The closer they came to the lands of the Grey Men the less she spoke. She spent her time observing, watching, listening and keeping Longtooth close and her bow ready to draw.

She planned or wanted no vengeance as Mikal did. She gave the Grey Men the due respect they deserved as a dangerous pack hunting predator. If her whole Pack could not stand against them, she, as a lone Hunter, must proceed with caution. There was no shame in living to Hunt another day.

As they came upon the great city they called Talantal, that stretched farther than her eyes could see, she looked upon it with suspicion. In the other smaller places they had been through, Bordertown and Cragside, she had wondered at all those people huddling behind walls living on top of each other with no places to run and hunt. And she had seen what it had done to the one who claimed to be Hunter who lived with them.

As they came to the gates she stood to the side, eyeing the walls, the gate and those that guarded them with equal suspicion. She rested one hand on Longtooth's furry head as she considered her options. She had enjoyed traveling with this small group of folk who were quite different from any she had ever known. There was always advantage in learning the ways of others, much as one would study the ways of the beasts.

At Dazi's pronounce both about Kay and to her sister, the Hunter looked up and met the Dayalan's eyes. She gave a brief nod of assent and agreement. She had no desire to journey beyond these tall walls into the press of unwashed masses.

Jankin was now very close to the guard and Kay, standing alone, as if not a part of the group, gazing at the city in wonder. Part of it was acting his part, but much of it was quite real. This was amazing, stupefying, and no place for the likes of him to be sure.

Cesare

In watching Darian, her nod confirms that they are going with Daxia.

He takes a last look at the city, a part of him wanting to go and explore.. but he would feel the same way if he had made the other choice. Rhoni like to explore.. and then move on.. be it cities or trails. And Kadri has the right of it whether caused by her or not, cities are places of trouble.

Darian seems a little distracted of late, he is concerned but respects her privacy. They are close enough now that if she wants to talk the opportunities are there.