Cináed's Story

The mail was heavy, hot. The sunlight blazed down on the training yard near the edge of the village, gleaming off of the armour of the lone, small figure within it. Chain links rattled with every movement, dragging against damp cloth that clung to his skin. The helmet was the worst, padded with leather and practically cooking his head inside, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and face. It was like fighting inside an oven.

The sword arced in swift motions, heavy whooshing noises as it cut through the air emanating from its blade. It caught the light with each arc, sparkling, brief blinding flashes. It hit its mark, cutting into straw-flesh, slashing, thrusting. It clattered against wooden shields, limbs, skulls with loud clacks, thuds. The figure wielding it moved deftly, if not perfectly, his form was practised but inexperience was clear. Steps were missed amongst the intricate footwork of the swordsman, blows were made poorly - too much momentum, moments of open guard. Each time a small curse came from beneath the helmet, golden eyes narrowing slightly.

Despite the heat, the beads of sweat that rolled down his skin, the lone figure did not seem to feel the discomfort. He had never been discomforted by heat, even in the thick of summer when the sun's rays beat down like fire and others burned or tanned. His skin was fair still, untouched. He paused, breathing heavily, and lowered the arming sword to rest for a moment. The practice dummies stood stoically, waiting for the training to resume while the short warrior caught his breath.

Newcomers had come to the valley. Some people were scared of what they might bring, what changes to their way of life might take place. Cináed was uncertain what to think. He welcomed those that came with a smile and good cheer, as he did any strangers, but nobody knew what else lay outside their borders. What might come.

One could only maintain a healthy optimism about it, though. What was the worst that could happen?

Ricard's cheerful mouth began to gleam. "Outsiders! Outsiders are here!" He yelled, the suddenness and the excitement in his tone causing an old woman nearby to gasp in fright. It was fine, there was nothing to be frightened of! Ricard rushed towards Adion Volf, almost desperate to shake the man's hand. "It's good to meet you, Adion! We've been anxiously awaited travelers for days now!

"Plants, you say? Our alchemist can help you there, I think. You should see her, she lives by the well on the western outskirts of the village. She keeps a book of plants, but even she has never been able to record all of them.

He turned around, quickly jogging over to a child. "Tensin, go and tell Larsy at the Inn to get a room ready, then run to find my sister and my father. Have a coin for the effort and buy yourself a sweetroll."

The child quickly took his pay and ran to do his duties, allowing Ricard time to walk back Adion, though the sight of someone else he must have missed stopped him before he could say anything else. "You! You there! Are you a traveler too?! Of course you are, I don't recognize you and everyone knows everyone in these parts!" He shouted towards Richter Lazarus atop his horse. "Are you his companion? You must be! You must come, the villagers are always keen to hear about the outside world!"

"Tensin!" He shouted, the child stopping before he left hearing range. "Make it two rooms!"

-

Kaden stopped, the soft grass beneath his bare feet tickling between his toes. That was a woman, but she was clearly like no woman he had ever seen before... And that beast behind her? Was that a cat? He had heard tales of such huge cats worlds away but never would he have expected to find one in this valley!

She was speaking to him.. What were those words? He didn't recognize them; he wasn't sure what if he was supposed to. "Hello?" He mimicked. Well, he knew what THAT meant. He slowly slid his foot backwards across the summer-shot ground and narrowed his eyes a little. What was she planning to do? Was she hostile? Should he stick around? He couldn't help but notice how she continued to make her way towards him, passing his comfort threshold well before she could get close enough to reach out and shake his hand.

Then suddenly, he was gone - down the slope towards the stream on the legs of a world-class sprinter. He was young, he was slim, and that gave him both speed and stamina. He easily hopped over the running water, then set off up a flower-covered ascent. Over it lay Fermiah's Village, though he had no idea until he came face-to-face with it.

Cináed was stood leaning against the fence at the edge of the training yard when he saw a youth crest the rise that led up and away into the wilderness beyond the village. The training yard itself was on the edge of the village, and so he had a plain view of the young figure as he came into sight. Still helmeted, Cináed peered up at him with surprise, reaching up with a gauntleted hand to pull the helmet off.

Long - though short in comparison to this youth's - golden blonde hair flopped out as he lifted it, the loss of covering making it more apparent that he was only a teenager himself beneath all the armour. He raised one hand in a friendly wave, smiling up at Kaden.

"Hey!" he called, "Are you alright? You seem a little out of breath!" Cináed leaned onto the fence, the hand holding his sword hanging down to one side, the other tucking his helmet under his arm.

Kaden found himself leaning over the wall and breathing heavily in order to catch his breath. He looked back, wondering if the woman had followed him, but it appeared she and her pet monster had chosen to stay away. Well, that was good, at least. "I'm fine," he replied to Cináed, "I just saw something back there... Like a cat, but huge, and it had a woman with it. A woman with dark skin.."

His heartbeat slowing, he stood up straight and pulled his coat tighter around himself, before binding it shut with a leather cord that had come loose during his flight. "Where is this place?" He asked, looking up to the other boy dressed in armour. "It's safe, right?"

He seemed to be on the outskirts of some sort of farming village, which was all well and good, but other people seemed to be elsewhere and he had no idea how they would take to stranger-

"No! I refuse! You will not force your ways on these people!" An elderly man in a brown robe of animal fur said as he walked alongside a second man, this one wearing loose leather fittings, a bandana around his mouth and a sword at his hip. This second man also had a scar over one of his eyes that made him unpleasant to look at.

"Old man, we are offering you much. There is no injustice and will be no injustice done if you simply sign the document and allow us free reign."

"I read the document and you will not have my signature by will; nor will you force it. I can understand the shrewdness hidden between lines and behind complex phrasing. The edicts of you strangers will not put these people under an obvious attempt at enslavement. Those mines were closed for a reason, long ago, and I will not permit their riches to be exploited by you outsiders."

"My leader will not be happy about this, Elder Fermiah. All he asks for is the mine and a few workers to do the mining, think of your position. The men I work with are not businessmen or soldiers, they are ruthless killers who did not make the mountain pass journey to be turned down!"

"And I am old and stubborn and care only about my children, this village and how many crops we will harvest for the winter. I say a final time: you will not have those mines. Turn away and go home, for everyone's sake."

"We will return, Elder. Hopefully with more satisfying terms."

The stranger passed the two boys chatting by the wall and left the village without another word.

-

"Of course!" Ricard said, nodding to both Adion and Richter. "The Inn is this way, near the center of the village. Me and my sister will take you there, it's not far and we can offer a meal in return for stories of beyond the mountains."

Ricard turned, and began leading them down a cobblestone road and past houses with wives hanging out laundry or tending to the garden behind wooden fences, and children playing in the streets. The inn was quite large, with tables set out front where several workers sat drinking and laughing.

"Here we are," Ricard said, pointing to the sign that read "The Fat Boar". "There's a stable behind the inn for you to use, Mr. Richter, and for Adion, the road down to the left leads to the herbalist's alchemy store. Just look for the sign with the mortar and pestle on it and you'll know you've arrived. Anyway, if that's everything, I think I'll go inside and get myself an ale. I'm not supposed to drink, strictly, but my father's not here and Illasera knows that if she tells him I'll dunk a bucket of water on her bed again, hahaha."

"She's probably one of the travellers new to Elories, like you," Cináed said, smiling, "You are a traveller, right? I don't mean to presume, but you don't look familiar, and I thought I knew everyone around my age in this valley. I've been wrong before though!"

The cheerful blonde slipped off his gauntlet and extended a hand, "My name's Cináed, and I guess I should say welcome! This is Fermiah's Village. Fermiah's the Elder, and the founder. And yeah, it's safe. I mean, there's a few outlaws around the valley but they steer clear of the settlements for the most part."

Cináed grinned, stepping back from the fence to sheathe his sword in the scabbard at his hip. "And even if they came here, I'd deal with 'em! Can you fight? I mean, 'cause you're a traveller, you must have to be able to deal with bandits and monsters, right? Or are you with a convoy or something? I only ask because I've hardly got anyone around here to practice with- not to presume you would, or anything, uhm..."

He laughed awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. He opened his mouth to speak again, but was cut off by the sound of raised voices from nearby. Cináed turned with surprise upon recognising Elder Fermiah's voice, tuning into the conversation part way through.

By the time it was over, the boy's cheerful smile had been replaced with a worried frown. He glanced back at Kaden for a moment, "Hey, you should come with me, I need to talk to the Elder, and you should meet him if you're gonna stay here at all? You're gonna stop here, right?" Cináed's eyes were hopeful, already letting his imagination run wild with the stories a lone traveller could tell about their journeys.

Illasera frowned thinking they thought she was a child, “I am only two years younger…” she pouted with a sigh. “I am just…childlike.” She explained hearing people harassing her dad in the distant. “Be right-“ she started to say as Ricard left with the others. She sighed as she walked to her dad only catching a brief bit of the conversation. As the men left, she stuck her tongue at them before turning to her dad. “Are you okay?” she asked in concern. “What did they want?” she asked him with a tilt of her head.

Heiwa started walking when the shout of the leader of the town distracted him. He blinked as he decided to head towards it, seeing the other few people heading there as well. He may as well introduce himself to the elder anyway he was intending on staying here for a bit anyway.

"Goodbye!" Ricard said, cheerfully sending off Adion before turning back to the other while his sister ran ran away to see their father. He had heard shouting too, but decided it wasn't worth the trouble investigating if his father was already dealing with it. His sister was clearly more exciteable than him, but he didn't believe she would be in any trouble so let her be.
"And of course, Richter. It's alwasy good to speak to people from foreign lands. From what I know our cultures aren't too dissimilar but the little differences are always interesting to hear about. I plan to go out there myself one day, so I need to stock up on information! Anyway, I'll see you inside. I'll get some ales in and get a large table so we can seat people."

He made his way into the tavern at that point, the smell of pipe-smoke and ale filling his nostrils. He was quick to get some ales in from the girl at the bar and set them down on a large table with chairs all around. He took a seat, sipping his drink and occasionally petting the Tavern owner's old dog when it went around to the patrons looking for attention.
Once Richter joined him at the table again, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm from this village. Have been all my life, though I know the whole Valley just as well. I've heard travellers calling it a hidden paradise, which I guess is quite flattering, hahaha."

"How about you? What or where is home for you?"
-

"Uhh, yes, I'm a traveller, I suppose. I've been travelling for years," Kaden said, rubbing the back of his head as he answered the other boy as he shook his hand. "Though I don't think I could tell you where I've been. I've never really been able to get a hold of a map, so I've sort of just.. Walked in whatever direction I felt like, you know?"
As Cináed sheathed his sword, Kaden sat back against the fence and looked over to where he could see an old man having some sort of conversation, though they were too far at that time for him to make anything out. "Fight? Well, I can - kind of. I'd rather not fight unless I had to, but I guess I'm quite fast and can throw a punch or two. I don't have any weapons though, so most times I tend to just sneak around outlaws or run. And what did you want help practicing with-?"
He had stopped at the end of his question to watch the stranger leave the village, and was somewhat surprised when Cináed suggested they go to see the Elder. "I guess I can stay for a while but... The Elder? Uhh sure, why not."
"You two!" The Elder called, waving Cináed and Kaden towards him. "Don't stick around there at the end of the village, there's no saying if that man will come back or if he'll bring friends with him! You should go home, or to the tavern, or anywhere inside and around people. I'll feel better off that way and besides," he paused to sniff the air, "rain's coming. I can smell it. You don't want to be gettin' soaked to the bones."
As Kaden waited to follow Cináed's lead, Fermiah sighed at the sudden appearance of his daughter Illasera.
"Yes, Illasera, everything's fine. Where's your brother? Is he at the tavern again? He knows I don't want him drinking, he isn't quite of age! Here, do your father a favour and run to the tavern and tell him to get home, then come back with him."

-
Inside the Alchemy store, a middle-aged woman with greying brown hair stepped in from a back room and leaned over the counter, where her necklace hung don over a corset made for a woman twenty years younger.
"What can I do for you?" She asked, straight to business. She wasn't the creepy, wrinkly old witch Adion probably expected, but she certainly looked like the cat-lady title wasn't too many years ahead of her.
"You want potions? Ingrediants? I've got them all right here."
((I don't think I missed anyone, did I? O_O Also, feel free to NPC people if you'd like, as long as you don't kind of overwrite what other people have done, y'know? :) ))

"Elder!" Cináed protested, "You know I can take care of myself! Let him come back, I'll show him he can't mess with us!" the teenager scowled defiantly, but only for a moment. The expression seemed almost unnatural on him, quickly slipping back to a pleasant smile. "C'mon," he said, turning to Kaden and starting to walk over.

"Oh, it's alright, I just hoped that with all the travellers arriving I'd be able to find more people to practice my swordplay with," he said, "I can beat 'most everyone in the village now, but I'm still a long way from perfect. I need someone who can properly train me, but there's nobody I've been able to find here. No masters."

He grinned, "That's not your problem though! What's your name, anyway? I can't just keep calling you traveller forever!"

As the pair approached the Elder and his daughter, Cináed offered them a small wave of greeting. "Hi, Illasera," he said, "I hope you aren't giving the newcomers too much trouble." he teased, winking.

Turning so as to 'present' Kaden to the other two, Cináed smiled, "This is Elder Fermiah, and his daughter Illasera," he explained to the traveller, "And this is Kaden. He's a traveller, he just got here!"

[I assumed that Kaden would answer the question prior to them approaching Fermiah and Illasera, so had Cináed use his name there :P ]

"Definitely not! I won't have you picking fights with those criminals. We will do everything we can to ensure a continued peace and avoid a confrontation. So if they come back, do not be challenging them. You might have skill but I imagine their experience will quickly make up for that."

With Elder Fermiah's lecture over, the Elder sighed and considered sending word to other settlements. They had never had need of a standing force of warriors before but this time... Ugh.

Meanwhile, Kaden simply followed Cináed's lead. "Sorry... I'm not really sure if I'd be any good with a sword. There are masters out beyond the valley though, maybe you should seek one out? And I'm Kaden, though I wouldn't mind if you kept calling me traveler. I like how it sounds mysterious... Like 'Lone Wolf' or something."

He soon reached the Elder and Illasera, nodding to them both. "Greetings. I hope it's okay for me to be here... I just got lost and stumbled on this place."

-

Ricard blinked, then took a huge gulp of his ale as though it would help him process that information. "That sounds..." He began, beginning to check his fingers and space them apart as though doing measurements. "Is the world really that big? I've never seen deserts or oceans before, though as you can see we do know what mountains look like. So.. What's it like there? How different is it?"

He looked out of the window for a moment, as though trying to imagine a different scenery on the other side of the glass.

-

"You look ill," the woman told Adion, licking her thumb and then flicking through the pages of some kind of lodger on her counter. "I can give you a potion for that, or you can take the cheaper option and buy the herbs only and mix the potion yourself. I don't recommend that, though, there's all sorts that can go wrong. You give someone too much medicine and they'll quickly froth at the mouth."

"So... You're here to catalog the local flauna. Why should I give you a head start, hm? You planning to pay for it? Bah, nevermind, it's not like there's any great secret in there. The book's over on the shelf, the one with a pink flower on the cover."

Cináed sighed, "Yes, Elder," he muttered, grimacing.

The teen turned his attention back to Kaden then, "It's fine for you to be here! We've got all sorts of travellers hanging around for all sorts of reasons. You should stop by the inn and see if they still have rooms available. Otherwise there are a few people camping out on the common, but I don't think the Elder's very happy about that."

Cináed looked down at himself with an embarrassed laugh, running a hand through his damp hair. "I should probably change out of my armour and wash, I must look a state. You wanna walk with me or go find somewhere to stay? I don't mind, I'll catch up to you later if you'd rather sort a room out quickly."

"Well-well, that is interesting," the woman replied to Adion, her fingers flicking the page of her lodger and quickly scrawling a note down with a quill. "Though that creates a paradox, does it not? Enough medicine can poison a man, and a small enough dose of poison can heal one. I know of strange men in lands far away using Snake venom before entering battle. It is said to increase their alertness, energy and strength and dulls pain when used in the correct dose, yet could easily kill them if even a drop more is added to the mix."

"Of course, it is not for me to test these things. It might be in your best interest if YOU do so, however. One must know himself, after all. So, have you done here? I have things to attend to, so I would prefer it if you left if you have no other business."

-

"I have heard of cities," Ricard answered, "but I can not imagine them. They sound hectic and dangerous yet at the same time, so wonderfully magnificent. I would like to visit one, perhaps even build one of my own some day. The closest we have to a city lies at the far end of the valley by the lake, but even that houses no more than a thousand people. This village houses no more than a hundred and half, but the proximity to the mountain passes makes us one of the most important and my father is well respected throughout.

"So you can imagine why such things seem... Well... Almost impossible to us." He was grinning, never doubting the man for a moment."

Gulping down another huge gulp of ale, Ricard sighed and lay his head down upon the table.

-

"Uhh, thanks," Kaden began, "but I want to take a look around before deciding anything. There are some things I want to check out, too, though I'm not sure what I'm actually looking for yet. There are merchants here, right? I could use a travelling cloak and maybe a knife."

He looked around, his eyes stopping on a large tree that gave shadow to several gardens beneath it. As he thought about climbing said tree in order to get a better view of the surroundings, habit dictated he place the thumbnail of his left hand lightly between his teeth. It only took him a few seconds to decide, at which point he turned and nodded to Cináed.

"I'll catch up with you later, probably at the Inn. Thank you for being so welcoming."

He said nothing else; good conversation not being a particular skill of his. Climbing, on the other hand, was a skill he did have, so he took to the tree and began to fluidly scale up to the higher branches where he could see most of the village from above the smoking chimneys. After several minutes of mental mapping, he moved on.

"Alright!" Cináed said, smiling, "Good luck finding whatever you need, if you need any help then ask around town and most anyone will be happy to lend a hand."

With a final cheerful wave, the armoured teen headed off into the village towards his home. It was only a short walk, and after a time he came to the little house where he and his parents lived. He pushed the door open and poked his head inside. Immediately, the pleasant aroma of cooking hit him. His mother was standing in the main room over the hearth, stirring away at a stew hanging in a pot over the fire.

"Back already?" she asked, "I thought you'd be practising for another hour yet, is something the matter?"

Amara was a kind-hearted woman in her early forties, a head of greying black hair tied into a long braid down the length of her back. She looked older than she was, a feature common of many men and women of the time, a life of hard work - albeit a pleasant one - taking its toll. She still had a graceful beauty and strength to her despite her aged skin and frail form, her green eyes both stern and warm all in one.

"I just greeted one of the newcomers to the village," Cináed replied, "A boy about my age! His name is Kaden, and he has incredibly long hair, and he's a traveller! Just imagine - he's as young as I am but he's probably seen so much of the world!"

Chuckling, Amara gave Cináed a wry smile, "I'm glad that you've made a new friend and made him welcome. Just don't go getting any ideas! Your father and I need a strong young man like yourself to take care of us in our old age!"

Cináed grinned, "I know, mother. I'm not about to take off on some adventure. It's just exciting to hear about it. I can't wait to meet the others who've come here too. I'm going to go down to the inn later and see Kaden, and maybe some others!"

"No drinking," Amara cautioned, "And be sure to give the boy some space as well. I know how enthusiastic you get with new people, you're probably going to alarm someone one of these days."

"Yes mother," Cináed rolled his eyes, "I'm not that bad, anyway!"

Laughing, she shook her head, "No, I know. You're just a very warm and friendly person, and I'm very glad of it. Just remember, with all these travellers coming, there'll be some that aren't like us - who'd be willing to take advantage of a trusting and friendly local."

Cináed nodded, thinking back to the man that the Elder had been talking to. "Alright, mother. I'm going to change out of my armour and wash before I head down to the inn."

"And eat something!" Amara called after him as he walked towards the back door, where a trough of fresh water was placed beside a bucket for cleaning purposes. "I know you, Cináed, you'll sneak some drink in you while my back's turned, and you're to have something in your stomach beforehand!"

"Yesss mother..."

Illasera smiled as she heard the others, “Well as dad said, welcome to the town!” she said, “Check on brother? Finnneee.” She said with a sigh, “I think I know where he is. So I will be right back.” She told her dada as she ran off down the road, passing by a few familiar faces as she did. She soon reached the tavern as she opened the door. Illasera spied her brother as she walked on over to him. “Heya, dad wanted me to keep an eye on you or check on you. Same thing right?” she asked with a grin.


Heiwa watched the interaction between the elder and the others soon walking up to the blond boy, “Excuse me, you probably don’t know but there is no harm in asking I suppose, do you know where a blacksmith is?” he inquired him with a slight tilt of his head, the bead on his bracelet seemed to float a bit before he brushed it down.

"I wouldn't believe you," Ricard said with a raised brow, "because surely there aren't that many people in the world? How could you fit that many in a city? But, I think you might be telling the truth. We've had plenty of travelers here who we could see were trying to hype up their stories, but you seem quite humble. Trustworthy, even."

With a grin, he took another sip as Adion sat down at their table. "Hello again Adion! I hope the Alchemist was friendly? She can be a bit... Eh.. Sometimes! Maybe you can back up Richter's claim here, eh? Are there truly so many people in the world that you can fit a million in a single city?!"

Unlike Richter, he had know way of knowing Adion's exact nature, though he certainly felt something funny about him. When Adion tried to explain himself to Richter, Ricard raised both brows again. Necromancers? The people who controlled the walking dead and lived in dark towers? Well, Adion seemed like a polite enough man, so he just shrugged and went back to dri-

He stopped himself, quickly pushing his glass over to one of the other two so he could hide it from his sister. "Hi Illasera. Figures Father would send you. Anyway, you should hear the stories these travelers have. Cities! Cities with a million people! It's amazing!"

-

Over by the bar, the tavern keep sighed at Lady Caprice and began to shake his head as he finished wiping down a tankard. "Sure, you can have a room. But I hope you travelers realize I'm being made to provide for free to you people. I hope you make it worth it, and at least get a few drinks in so I can turn a profit, aye? So what'll you have? Ale? Wine? You seem the fancy sort, so we can bring out the special wine if yer' prefer."

As the sun began to get low in the sky, Kaden finally found the tavern and entered. He recognized no-one, and it seemed Cináed hadn't arrived yet, so he decided to just head on over to the bar. When he arrived, he stood beside Lady Caprice and tapped the counter.

"Uhh.. I'm interested in a room?"

"By the Gods, another one? What is it with travelers today? Have they built a road?! Where are you all coming from?!" The Barkeep exclaimed.

"Uh.. I can go if you'd prefer," replied Kaden.

"No, no. You'll get your room."

Oh no! Thought Caprice, she was not making a good first impression at all. It was not her intention to be so so . . . rude, she supposed was the right word for it. It was just that she had never been around so many different people before and frankly she was more frightened and nervous then she let on even to herself.

"I-I can pay for my room." Caprice stammered out when the Inn Keeper addressed her. "And wine would be wonderful thank you. I have enough coin for everyone's drinks. Please keep them coming." She smiled hoping her kind gesture would make up for her rudeness and uneducated social manner.

Plus, she had managed to sneak enough coin and trinkets she could sell to survive for a good few months from Valeriya Castle. Why not spend it celebrating her first night of freedom?!

"Thanks for the advice." She said stopping before the table where Adion and his comrades sat. "Though it was not my intention to be so discourteous." Caprice added as she took up a empty seat at the table. "So what's everyone having?" She beamed happily as the bar keeper placed a glass of red wine before her with a look that said you had better have the money for all the drinks you're about to order. "I'm Caprice by the way."

"Richter is my name," he said as he held out his hand, "and I'll have another ale, but I can't help but insist on paying for it myself."

Richter looked at the woman; she seemed mysterious, but quite beautiful at the same time. Her expensive looking velvety clothes made her seem like she could easily pay for the table's drinks, although he had quite enough coin himself.

"What brings you to these parts, Caprice? And where have you come from?"

"Richter! It's lovely to meet you!" Caprice smiled as she shook his hand and shook it a little too fervently.

This is wonderful! Thought Caprice. Real people! Actual people! All the company she had had back at her father's castle was the maids, servant and her fathers brutish knights.

"And I insist that I pay for everyone's drinks tonight." She said taking a sip of the sweet but spice wine. Another marvel, she had never tasted anything quite like it before. "I'm from a very far away land." Caprice said taking another long sip of her wine as she thought how best to answer Richter's simple question that made her a little nervous.

Easier to stick closer to the truth she decided.

"Valeriya." She replied as she took surreptitious glance at Richter.

Would he recognize who she was? Would he put a blade to her throat when he realized she was Dhampire? The daughter of the Vampire Lord Arundel who ruled over all of Valeriya and his Sorceress wife?

Don't be absurd! Caprice chastised herself. Nay, nobody knew who she was. In fact, she could be who she wanted. She could be herself and not worry about people judging her, as long as her teeth stayed up and out of sight!

"I have come to explore the lands beyond Valeriya. You see, I have never before been outside of my home lands."

Never stepped outside the Castle Keep! Mused Caprice grudgingly to herself.

"I seek adventure!" She confessed with bright eyes. "What of you Richter? Are you from these parts or are you a fellow adventure as I?" She winked.

It was some time later that Cináed was making his way towards the tavern, now significantly less bedraggled looking than he had been when he departed from Kaden's company. Dressed in a simple cloth tunic and trousers, he was humming a tune to himself as he walked through the village.

On his way there, he found himself approached by another newcomer to the village - wrapped in a large cloak. He smiled broadly to Heiwa, "Hi there! No, I do know! The blacksmith is just a few buildings down from the inn, but I think that he's probably closed up shop for the day by now. You could check, though, sometimes Gareth works late into the evening - mostly depending on how much he wants to drink!" The teen laughed, "You must be a traveler too? You should join me at the inn when you've checked on the blacksmith, there must be a whole crowd of newcomers there by now!"

Cináed noticed with curiosity the odd behaviour of Heiwa's beaded bracelet, but initially dismissed it as a trick of the light that it had moved of its own accord.

Gesturing for the other man to follow, Cináed started off towards the main part of the village once more. "My name is Cináed, by the way! What should I call you?"

Illasera grinned, “Well who else would he send to get you?” she asked. “With millions of people?! You are joking right?” She said as she turned to the travelers sitting down in a chair. “Is he joking?” she asked, completely forgetting her previous duty to get her brother out of her. “Hey miser can I get some water!” she called out to the tender with a grin. “Well brother is a nice guy, bit of an idiot…but a nice guy…like a puppy!”

Heiwa nodded, “So it is closed today? That is no problem, it asn’t that urgent a matter…more of a curiousity of mine, dad was a black smith.” He explained as he glared at the floating bead that soon stopped. He spied the gesture as he followed him, “A drink sounds perfect after a long day of travelling.” He commented with a chuckle. “Hmm? I am Heiwa, and yes I am a traveler. It is a pleasure to meet you Cináed.” He was careful on saying it correctly, names were important after all.

(IF I forgot to link you sorry.)

"Thank you, Richter! It's no problem, really! They call the Valley a paradise, but I think that's just because we've learned to blossom in the peace of isolation. Things are changing now, though. A generation ago, no-one could make it through the mountain passes alive. According to stories, if the weather didn't finish them off, something else did.. A creature of some sort, though no-one's ever seen it. But now? The passes are opening; thawing out. People can come and go in relative safety! I'm truly excited to see what will be beyond those mountains for myself."

Ricard frowned for a moment, looking to Illasera. He wasn't sure how she would take the news... But this seemed as good a time as any to tell it, especially with Richter pointing out how the passes would eventually freeze over again. "I'm planning to leave in the Spring."

It was sudden, like a numbing slap to the face. "Leave our home, the village and the valley. I think it's time, what with my nineteenth birthday coming up this winter. I want to see these cities of a million people for myself."

He smiled as he finished his drink.

-

Outside, it was dusk, and the world was glazed with the musky orange of the setting sun. In the woods it was already twilight, and out of them stepped twelve men dressed in a mixture of leather armour and ragged clothing. They were all armed, with swords, bows or axes, but they moved quietly through the growing fields of corn as though well practised in remaining undetected. As they got closer to the village, they drew weapons, taking positions with bent knees and making sure the final couple of villagers who were still lingering outside would miss them until they retreated to their homes.

One of the men looked up, the leader of the group with an axe at his hip, a recurve bow in his hand and a quiver of barbed, home-made arrows hanging from his belt. He watched the sky, the blanket of clouds far in the distance slowly creep towards the final light rays of their resident star. He grinned, knowing that the clouds would hide them even further from the approaching moonlight.

"Are we ready, boss?" Asked one of his men in the quietest of whispers.

"Yeah," he replied. "I gotta plan, don't worry. I'm not where she is, but it's a small village it won't be hard."

Another one crawled over towards them after peeking out over the small dune of grass which they had chosen to hide behind. "The farmer and his lady wife just went inside, Boss," the rascallion whispered. "What'oo we do?"

"Improvise," the Boss grinned, getting up and quickly making his way across the open ground back towards the corn field. On the way, he picked up one of the lanterns used for lighting the small street and cast it into the sea of crop. It soon caught light, spreading as wildfire to destroy most everything the people of Fermiah's Village needed to survive the winter.

As the rogue with the bow watched his plan slowly take an unpredictable shape, a villager had noticed the fire and and began to scream to raise the alarm.

"They're burning the crops!! They're burning the crops!!" Was his yell. Everyone could hear it, and as the bandits came out of hiding, the wild events of the evening began.