The Caravan

"Probably best to round up all of them at one time. Don't know how long before they break down and move, so more time efficiency to ask them all and then make one return trip back to the caravan. I have a fairly good memory, so we should be fine."

Elwyn motioned towards the chef, "So lets go ask her next since that was the next person we were going to talk with."

Elwyn moves over to the chef and asks, "I heard you need some assistance with something?"

The cook was busy stirring a big pot of gruel, handing out bowls to everyone before looking up at the two girls, "You're the delirious one." she took two bowls and put them to the side, "Remember to eat before heading out, lest ye collapse."

Going back to stirring her pot she continued, "It's quite simple, i need you to go into the crags and collect some juniper berries for me. Beyond that i need another thing. There's this special kind of herb that grows deeper in the crags where the sun can only just reach it. The leaves have a blue line growing along them and the flowers are panicles, red with smatterings of orange and yellow along the edges. That is all." She turned back to the line of people, stirring the cauldron as she went ahead with handing out more bowls.

"Another thing conveniently located on the crags. At least it's all in one place for now," Elwyn said. "Berries are probably outside, and the herb is a little further in, probably some caves. Though not too far as she says the sunlight still reaches it."
She took up a bowl and passed it to Gjal. "Might as well fuel up before going to the priest. If we're lucky, maybe the snakes will still be in the cave, too sluggish to move at all before the sun gets too high."

Gjallaska took the bowl and grimaced slightly as she saw the gruel. She started eating regardless, taking a seat nearby as she did so. "Do you mind me asking where you're from, Elwyn? I don't mean to come off as rude, but I haven't seen many people with ears like yours."

"I'm a Tushen from the Queendom of Aria," she responded. She paused a moment as she tried to think of a way to frame the next part of the response. "Not seeing many of us outside of our home continent is... normal... I guess. Most tend to stay near home because the humans next door seem to want to kill us and the snake people also want to kill us. So safety in numbers?" she added with a nervous laugh.

She wasn't sure where Gjall was from, and the last thing she really needed was one of those Light people wanting her dead. Though, since she was working with this caravan, it was unlikely she was one of those whackos from the neighbouring continent who wanted to purge her people...

"So.... are you from around here?" she finally asked.

"I'm not, actually." Gjallaska smiled again, a little fainter than usual. "I can't really call it my home anymore, but I'm from the Scar, to the south. Not the Scar itself, though, I don't think anything can survive there." She sat in silence for a moment, kind of blankly staring at her food. "I can understand, being surrounded by people who want to kill you, I mean." She stopped herself, pondering whether to continue for a moment. "That's probably talk for another time, though. Apologies for souring your meal. I'm ready to continue to the priest whenever you are."

Elwyn nodded slowly at Gjall. She herself didn’t know much about the Scar other than it was close to New Ras.  She faintly thought about them having wings, but it wasn’t particularly vivid if it was. Gjall sounded as if she was on the run like her, or at the very least not very welcomed back home.

“It’s ok,” she responded. “I asked so not on you if I ruined my own meal.” She shovelled the last few bites before adding, ‘Well lets go find that priest. Time waits for no one and we need to get moving,” she added with a smile.

The priest was kneeling away from the camp, reciting something in another language with hands raised up towards the sky. Seeing the two approach him asking about their next task he sat up, dusting himself off, placing his hands upon his forehead and then lowering them towards his chest, a gesture in another language accompanying him.

"Khere, children." the old man lowered his head slightly, "Forgive me, i was praying for our journey. Please, follow me." he already turned around, leading them towards the wagons, "I shall be candid, my request is selfish, to an extent, but i have found a way to voice it in such a manner that it could be of use to others." he took two baskets from one of the boxes, placing them on the ground.

"The cargo i am accompanying requires constant care and maintenance. However due to the...unpredictable conditions that struck us during out journey at sea, my supplies were ruined. I require lilies of the valley to consecrate the box, and to perform a prayer for the ill in the caravan. Some of the children have been coughing and i know illness when i see it, whether it be the little lizard folk or our own. Travel takes a toll on all of us after all, some more than others. But the Creator is kind, and a vigil will raise the spirits of the folk, even if they do not follow my faith. They grow all along the road you see, and are sacred to our worship. Yet i ask you not be too...zealous, in your aid of me, try not to pick them all up and gather them slightly but evenly, so Creation may heal. In addition to that if you could gather wildflowers for me, that would be good. I believe chaplets might cheer up the young ones. Put them in the first basked."

"As for the second one...well it is a bit more difficult. Perhaps a lot more difficult. You may not even have much time for it or it could take you all day. Further afield, when the crags become forested, one can, i assume, find bees. If you could gather wax and honey for me, i would appreciate it. But again, i caution you, this is rather far from the road, and gathering such things may not end well for you for obvious reasons, no matter your skill as guards. I know you're not apiarists so i shall not expect you to fulfill this second request, but if you could it would be greatly appreciated. I'm not certain whether or not you could even find them, but if you do, i would be very grateful to you."

Elwyn walked out of earshot of the priest and spoke to Gjal.
"Well, I'm not one for bees, so we're probably going to have to forego the wax hunting unless you know of methods for dealing with bees. Other than that, all three seem to be on the crags, so hopefully all will be next to each other and we'll have this done by mid morning." She paused and added with a confident chuckle, "Well, assuming you're agile on your feet, though even then, shouldn't take much longer than noon if everything is located nearby."

Gjallaska bowed her head slightly and waved goodbye to the priest as she followed Elwyn.
"Bees... I think I can work with that. I can't produce a very strong flame anymore, but if we have the fuel, I believe I remember something about smoke scaring them off. Getting up the crags shouldn't be too much an issue, I'm pretty er, light on my feet, I guess." As if to demonstrate, she raised herself up to the point where her entire weight was resting on a single toe. "Moving around won't be too bad, a good change from just following the roads."

"GET THE TOWEL YOU HARLOT!!" a roared erupted from the forest as more sounds continued to erupt from a rough voice that was in a language that as unknown to most in those lands.

"My lord! Do you need another pot?" a softer and more regal voice shouted back across in a hurry

"Yeah obviously you dumb-ass!! Can't you see its full!!" and the movement of leaves could heard as hurried movements brushed the leaves and the grass aside. Disgusted groans seemed to emerge, as the more regal voice spoke once more

"My lord....I've emptied the pot, do you want me to..."

"YES!!!"

"You sure..?"

"Stop being a woman and do the fucking job! It won't kill you!" the regal voice could heard grumbling

"My lord i did warn you not to eat!!"

"I know! ....By Cyrion coming to this shithole was a mistake!"

"Maybe we should have stayed in Car Nalange my lord?"

"Yeah and handle you stupid father and brother! You fops can't even handle a sword properly! Now come back ! The pot is full!"

"ah....fleas..."

Elwyn nodded at Gjall's suggestion on the smoke.  She too recalled something familiar being told to her once.

Taking her pack to carry the items back, the two left the caravan area and began their trek down the pathway towards where they needed to go.  About halfway there, Elwyn's ears perked up as she heard a nearby stream.  A quick bath would be nice right now... and refreshing.

She turned to her current partner in crime, a somewhat mischievous grin on her face.  "Saayyyy... why don't we head down towards the stream take a brief moment of refreshment.  Cool waters do wonders for one's health."  She half expected Gjall to think for a while, but much to her surprise, and joy, Gjall quickly agreed to the detour.  

Elwyn was on cloud nine, or possibly eleven thinking of the cool, refreshing waters that she'd get to wash in when it hit her.  The stench.  That disgusting smell that should never be within one thousand miles of a stream.  "Sh!t" she muttered as she both recognized the smell and her dreams being shattered into a million pieces.

She then also became aware of the voices, and likely the source of the smell.  "Of course... it's them..." she muttered with an eye roll.  She had to stop herself from saying more if only not to offend Gjall.  "You want to tell your people about keeping their sten--- dirt to themselves.   Holes are far better than streams for what they are doing."

Gjall looked confused, to say the least. "My people? This far from the Scar? You must be mista--" Then the smell hit her. "That, is not my people. Or any people I know of." She coughed. "Not even the dwarves are this... this.". Putting her hand up to her mouth, a faint pink light started to glow on the back of her hand, fading quickly and causing her to seem immediately relieved. "Guess I won't need taste or smell for a while, if this is what it's going to be... I don't have much practice, but I can try and do the same for you."

The voices, however, became a little more prominent to her. "That's not a dialect I recognize. I'm still learning Ras', but it doesn't sound like that either..?"

A Young man or more appropriately boy could be noticed running around in the bushes. "My lord i'm coming!!" He was a common Human , with brown hair reaching up to the top of the neck covering his ears which seemed to be well kept. But in contrast he had a ridiculous beard which looked silly on the young man as it didn't suit his face and covered his the mark of innocent youth. Upon further inspection one could see he was wearing a gamberson covered with some mail around the neck, his attire was noticeably made out of Cyrian smiting, and upon him there was a cape which had a crest on it of a golden boar upon a red field.

The young man disappeared out of view. And after a brief while he returned to dispose of a pot onto what seemed to be into the stream. The man was covering his nose with a cloth as he did so. "I swear to the light this land is an alright trash waste." he whispered to himself before heading back "COMING BACK MY LORD!", one could notice upon him that he was armoured with a tiny rapier on his belt and beside it a bollocks dagger.

"STOP!!! Get horses ready! I think this is the last row!"

The young man was noticeably disturbed and was seeing running up as he rushed towards the shadows of a tiny tent. Through the whole instance while he was in the line of sight of the two "inhumans" he never managed to get a glimpse of the two, too preoccupied in the "affair" of his master.

"I'll take you up on that offer..." Elwyn responded to Gjall.

"Not familiar to you huh?" Elwyn spoke with a somewhat nasal tone. "They aren't speaking Ras nor are they speaking Hilde. Which means... they're Cyrian..." her tone was one of almost visible disgust. "If I go out there, I'm going to burn them, I can feel the flame starting to form. These people think they are so high and mighty and look at them! Being disgusting out in the open!"

"Or.... maybe get the boy to trip... and get that pothead to actually wear a pot... Which you think is better?"

She clasped her hand over Elwyn's mouth and the same pink glow appeared. Once the hand was withdrawn, Elwyn would notice her sense of smell become muffled, but not muted, and taste remains unaffected.

"Hmm... a direct confrontation makes the most sense... but... can you get him with a full pot?"

"Of course I can get him with a full pot, though the main offender seems to be the one squatting...." She paused a moment as she weighed her odds, "Direct confrontation you say? I don't think you realize that his people kill my people on sight. Something... something... purge with fire."

The thought of fire made her do a finger snap motion, though no sound was actually heard from the snap, "Or we could just use a lightning bolt from the heavens.... hmmm.... what would their deity sound like... probably like some pompous jerk...." She would have gone further if not for the poor boy running back and forth which was grating on her even more.

Elwyn uses Thunderbolt! On the Water (near the Lord)! It's not very effective, because Elwyn forgot that fresh water does not conduct electricity as much as sea water does (missing salts that would conduct the electrical current at speed). So you'd get a clap of thunder nearby with a shock delivered no stronger than a light tazer....

The squire was soaked after hearing the sudden boom. He looked annoyed as the water laid upon his gamberson which now felt heavier on him and he felt also surprised as he started to theorise if the thunder had a part to play with his soaking. Then surprise overtook him as he saw his master also soaked. "Cursed shithole!!" as he raged after being soaked. He "finished" his job in much disgust before taking the pot himself. "You get the horse boy. we're leaving this place as soon as we can...umgh!" he clasped at his stomach, before walking off towards the body of water and disposing of it. "Now great i smell like shit! Boy ! Get the perfume we'll be wearing it like the maidens of the court of the duke of Marirons." the squire rushed of a tent as he was attempting the wash out of segments he had on his "clothing" he felt surprisingly weakened after the soaking as if he was stung.

The squire advanced. "My lord you should try the water." The knigth nodded and the squire took a fial of water which he used to throw water from the fial onto the knights clothing before rushing back into the tent and using a large amount of perfume on his lord and on himself. The squire and knight both felt mutually disgusted by the situation and displeased. "These lands are filled of annoying magic l feel." The knigth rubbed his stomach which was in pain. "Get the armour ... I'll be wearing it!"

"Yes my lord"

The squire rushed back onto the tent before weakly rushing out with some piece of armour before attempting to outfit his lord.

"You know... This certainly sounds like a direct confrontation." Gjallaska uncovered her ears, albeit she covered them a little too late to begin with. "Still, that's what I'm best at, if they want to, I'll let you do the talking. Stab them if they're too close though. Can't have you getting hurt." Gjall drew her sword, speaking a few incantations as she does. The sword in her hands falls a little, as if it were to heavy for her, though she recovers it quickly, shifting her view to look at the blade and direction of the Cyrians. "Huh... That's... Weird."

Elwyn recoiled a little from the spell's backlash. It was not what she expected, perhaps the aether was a little more wild here than in Aria due to the lack of the Aetheral Condensing (AC). She would have to be a bit more mindful of that or seek advice at a later time, she thought as she rubbed her right hand a bit. That aside, it still had the intended effect to startle the Hilde (Humans) and get them to stop their defilement of the area and had perturbed them. Though by now she was feeling a tad sorry for the one who kept running back and forth, as if the other was disabled or something... though he looked in perfectly good health...

Elwyn took in a deep breath. This was one of those conversations she'd have liked to avoid, but she couldn't use another spell without exactly knowing if the backlash was from aether flows or her own lack of concentration.

"Are you so damaged that not only do you defile the area with your.... stench... but you need someone else to clean you up? I know sometimes the Hilde seem to mature slower, but if so why are you out here by yourself? Got lost from your group?" She rubbed her temples, "Much as it loathes me to say this, but if you need safety there is a caravan a little further down the road that can offer some mild safety until we find your parents to properly take care of you."

The knight was starting to be outfitted in his armour in a rush. As the squire was "morphing" the armour into his master's body. They were suddenly caught by surprise by what seemed to be a strange feminine voice. The squire and the knight then noticed that there were two onlookers, the two raised their eyebrows as they heard one of the women speak to them.

The knight who was now more-less outfitted marched up, as the squire looked generally confused but was annoyed at the comment calling them kids and infants, "how dare she calls us kids. Look at her! A woman in scantily clad fashion insulting!" he muttered in Cyrian to his master, the knight ignored him, as the squire shot daggers at the woman who he felt insulted his noble honour. Now that was his day, not only he was handling his master doing his "commotion" but now he has to handle a woman patronising or more appropriately matronising him.

The knight spoke up politely while slightly annoyed at the comments, he wasn't offended. After all these are strange lands with strange people. "Sorry Madam for the sight" he spoke in a rough Rasian. "But i'm simply human. Was i to do it inside my armour? No bother i'll spare the details." The squire noticed the rabbit trait of the woman who spoke, and suddenly he felt an increased bitter taste in his tongue. The knight who had by then already noticed her rabbit like features, paid no real attention. "I'm warning you quickly that you should avoid eating local food without hindsight. As i can see you are a traveller also."pointing at the ears of Elwynn before getting up closer to the two walking slowly in pain.

The squire advanced closer too, giving though a more hostile posture then the knight who was presenting himself seemingly disarmed. "We aren't travelling in a group nor we are lost, well i like to think so. We are on a errand, and we are planning to move out of the area."

"Yeah and we are too busy for your caravan." the squire intervened in Rasian, the knight looked annoyed at his intervention.

"Uhh.... yeah. You should probably be traveling with a botanist to make sure you don't eat the wrong things...." Elwyn sighed. "Not everything that is green is edible. Or colourful. Especially not colourful..."

She looked at the squire as he approached with his stance. "And you, don't do anything you'll regret. Eating random things that you're unsure about isn't very mature way to handle life, unless of course, you're just used to eating everything because you think it right to do so..." She then motioned towards the knight, "Your pal over there looks in no way able to move out of the area. Whether you like it or not, the caravan has a healer that will probably do you more good than wondering around defecating every five minutes because he probably poisoned himself...."

The squire's gaze at the "rabbit" was turning more angry, meanwhile the knight instead focused on the woman who he just noticed now pointed a sword, the thought that raced through his head was that to avoid a fight. He looked back at his squire "i feel we have no choice.." he whispered to the "boy" in Cyrian. The squire sighed and the knight turned back his gaze at the "bunny" and the other woman. The squire grew looked disappointed, he preferred handling his defecating master then having to handle strange travellers and even weirder locals, who had a tendency to be cold towards him and his master.

The knight was eyeing the "human" with the sword, "Well looks like you're insisting... so i won't reject an invitation for care." He gave a polite even nearly dumb looking smile, but what raced behind his mind was the belief that he could be robbed soon or worse...kidnapped, but for now he said to himself. He'll play along.

Elwyn heaved a heavy sigh and looked over to Gjal, "Well we've wasted a good portion of our time on this, we better get going on what we actually came out here for. I'm getting a headache dealing with these two. I've said my bit unless you want to add something, we should probably be off before the caravan leaves us behind for taking too long."