Setonian Empire [the search]

[Uthuk]

Martin

Martin catches the last words from Ely and with a laugh,"Calling a mule Lightning seems wrong somehow... they are not know for their speed?"

[Yawielas]

Ely grins. "I know...it's a joke." She lightly pushes her knes into the animal's flanks, and trots out of town.

[Truwar]

Butch chuckles at Elysia's explanation to Martin.

We need ta teach ya the finer points o' sarcasm, boyo! Hee ya, Zephyr!

Butch gives his reigns a flick and sets his mule-drawn cart in motion, giving Martin a laughing wink.

[Jongluer]

Marcuus laughs and then hits his mules flanks and flicking the reins a bit, murmuring a prayer to himself as the group heads out.

[Geech000]

Krahl

Krahl jogs after everyone else, axe held easily in front of him.

[Uthuk]

Martin

"Well, I guess so."

Martin starts to hum and follows the others.

[amanodel]

Woooo, big jump in time and space, hail Einstein.

The first two days pass rather uneventfully, it seems you have choosen a path which lead miles away from cities. By your calculation, you should reach the frontier of the High Plains soon. Since Ciwelty and the High Plains wage war against each other it maybe wise to think ahead of time.

[Yawielas]

Ely ponders. "Hmm....Normally I'd say we need to get off the road, but that's gonna be difficult with the cart...Maybe we could disguise ourselves? I don't want to get caught up in a battle." She slips down from her mule and pats him on the neck, then digs out some food and a pot from her saddlebag. "How about we discuss our next course of action over a meal?"

[Truwar]

Butch considers a moment, the halts his cart.

Well here is as good a place as any ta grab a bite and Ely could certainly use sumthin’ ta eat. As far as travelin’ across country, iffin we need ta do it, I could always just ditch the cart. We’re gonna move just as fast on foot as on mule, if we go off the roads.

[Yawielas]

Ely glances at Butch. "I'm not five years old, you know...When it comes to eating, I think I can take care of myself. Anyways, we may have to dump the cart and mules, hopefully we can find somewhere to sell them, then travel off the road."

She starts preparing a small fire for cooking.

[Truwar]

Awww, don’t be grumpy now Ely. It’s just that yer so darn cute that ya bring the motherin’ instinct out in me. Now be a good lass and eat sumthin’ fer momma Butch.

Butch gives her a long wink and sets about gathering wood for the fire.

[Geech000]

Krahl

Out of habit, Krahl circles once around the campsite before sitting down.

[Yawielas]

Ely grins and sticks her tongue out at Butch. "We're not all your size, you know." Then she starts cutting up some vegetables and meat to make a stew.

[Jongluer]

Marcuus looks about letting Krahl perform his inspection of the area, then he looks out at the distant area before them. He speaks as he gazes out, "Well we were going to travel from the beaten path eventually, so it'd be best to ditch the cart though the mules we should keep till we need to lose them. Still though battles don't always happen along roads, in fact the plains would probably be better suited for battlefields anyway. So even going off the roads doesn't garuntee our safety, it just makes it less likely to meet advancing armies, but we could get caught inbetween the two which is just as dangerous..."

[Uthuk]

Martin

Joins Krahl in his inspection and then return to camp.

"One thing to consider is the fact that going in the wilderness will look more suspicious than traveling on the roads. Just look how the Setonian army looked at us comeing through the wilderness.
I would suggest we stick to the road and just get a decent reason why we travel in the area... I can't think about a good one at the moment though.
I'm not familiar with these countries but I doubt they force people into the army, so the only thing we need is a reason good enough so they don't think us to be spies"

[Truwar]

Butch listens uneasily to Martin’s words.

Martin has probably got the right o’ it, there is jist one hitch… They aint to fond ah’ “half-breeds” in the high plains. And last I looked there’s a few o’ us “half-breeds” in this here group.

Besides, an army at war usually don’t pay no nevermind ta niceties like “havin’ a good reason fer being where ya are” or “bein’ on important business”. There like ta see our food as more provisions fer the army, the men as good levies ta fight and the ladies… Well let’s not dwell too much on that…

[Geech000]

((I think there was a slight misunderstanding about Krahl's inspection of the campsite. He just walked around the campsite without really paying attention to much of anything. He didn't do it to make sure the camp was safe. He just felt he had to do that before he joined the others at the campsite. Vague memories of being put on patrol back in his old tribe.))

Krahl sits down and watches Ely making the stew. He listens a little bit to the conversation, just as something to distract him till the food is ready. They're using big words. It must be important. They will tell me if I'm supposed to know. I wonder what an ah-me is. Weren't those really big tribes, full of warriors? I think that's what they were.

[Yawielas]

Ely smiles at Krahl and hands him a piece of dried meat so he'll have something to munch on untill the stew is ready. She also slips him some dried sweet fruits she got at the market. Then she speaks up again: "I think we'll be questioned wherever they find us, whether on the road or in the wild. But it's easier to hide off the road, and one of us can scout ahead for trouble."

[Uthuk]

Martin

Martin ponders the matters at hand for awhile and speaks up, "Well, I'm certainly not totally against traveling off road so if the majority want's that I'm in."

While waiting for the food (that someone is cooking?), Martin picks up his pipes and plays some soft tunes.

[Geech000]

Krahl

Krahl looses all track of the conversation, being pleasantly distracted munching on the dried meats and fruit.

[Jongluer]

"So let's look at our options, go along the road we could get forced into the armies or worse. Or we can sneak off the road and try to pick our way, which will probably only lead us into a battlefield or what used to be a battlefield, which if we just stuck together we'd be able to either get through or around. I say we head off the road, are we all agreed?" Marcuus looks about the party looking for some sort of consensus.

[Yawielas]

Ely nods in agreement, putting the stew over the flames of the small fire. "I think that would be best."

[Uthuk]

Martin

Martin looks around and gives a small shrug, "Looks like we take the off road path"

[amanodel]

Ely and Jisika prepared a delicious meal, and after some star-watching you went to sleep. Jisika wanted to stay up all night, but Fahd took over the guard for the second half of the night.

In the morning you wake up refreshed, since nothing siturbed your sleep.

[Yawielas]

Ely packs up her bedroll and gear and goes to find a stream to refresh herself in.

[Truwar]

Butch wanders down to the stream and sinks, with surprising grace, onto the ground next to Elysia. He leans over the water of the softly burbling brook and splashes a double handful of the icy water into his face. After going about a few more hygiene related tasks, he sinks back onto the back of the small waterway and glances at Elysia.

So, how did ya go about pickin’ up the craft, Ely? Ya seem a bit to delicate ta have run with a street gang, no offence intended, it’s just street toughs got an aura about ‘em and ya aint got it…

[Yawielas]

Ely quickly rolls her sleeves down when Butch arrives at the stream, and proceeds with splashing water on her face and neck. At his question, she sits back on her heels, hesitating for a moment. Then she looks at him, considering. Finally deciding, she answers: "No, I didn't run with any street gang, you're right about that...I was bought by a burglar when I was eight. He needed someone small, to slip through openings he couldn't, then open a door or window for him after. He taught me how to pick locks, climb walls, stealth, cunning...I was a useful spy as well, looking like an innocent child if anyone saw me. But they seldom did."

[Truwar]

When you were eight? Were ya born a slave? I had a rough patch ta hoe as a lad but at least I had me freedom, even in the gang... even before I got me size. I only got the smallest taste o’ slavery and it was enough for this feller, believe you me.

I can understand how cuttin' lose now and then would be new to ya. I'm guessin' yer "master" (said with more than a tinge of disgust) didn't want ta cut inta his profits by givin' ya anything more than he had ta...

[Yawielas]

"No, I wasn't born a slave, I was kidnapped. There was a raiding party in our village, Swanryver, and several children were stolen and sold off in Setonia. I guess I was lucky it was Julius who bought me, some were sold to...well....Julius wasn't too bad, really, he treated me more like an apprentice than a slave the first years, after he was sure I wouldn't run away, of course. Then I got caught spying on some of his competition one day, and they handed me over to the city guard, claiming I had broken in to steal. So I was compromised, you might say, and Julius had to pay a fine." She shudders involuntarily. "He wasn't too happy about that. But he took me back, after...Had to pay to heal me. And we had to move to another town, start again where the city guard didn't know me. A few years ago he got a new apprentice, but he fell on hard times, and couldn't keep us both. So he sold me to the mines. I got away about two weeks ago, so yeah....I'm pretty new to indulging myself. And why am I telling you this?"

[Truwar]

Butch smiles at the slender young elf and fishes a cigar out of his pouch, jamming it, unlit, into his mouth.

Yer probably tellin’ me on account o’ me sweet disposition. Or maybe I jist charmed ya with me dashin’ good looks.

He winks at Elysia and then he gets a bit more sober, removing the cigar from his mouth and staring at it thoughtfully as he addresses her.

Ever talked ta anyone else about this before? Nah, don’t bother answerin’, with the lovely way ya came up I’m guessin’ ya never had nobody ta talk to, nobody ya could trust. That’s a tough way ta be, fer a long time, much less since ye were only a lass o’ eight. Even in the gangs we could talk ta each other…

Butch places a surprisingly gentle hand on Elysia’s shoulder.

Yer among friends now Ely, we aint gonna sell ya off or mistreat ya or nuthin’ and if any chump we meets thinks ta mistreat ya, I’ll make him regret the day his mammy ever first kissed his pappy. That’s sumthin’ ya can take ta the bank, missy.