Oren's Story

Jall - Vinlund - Three Days Prior

The room was full of lit candles, but it somehow still seemed dim. At its center sat a wooden table, adorned with dancing candles of its own, which illuminated a map that lay spread open on the table's surface. Two individuals stood on either side of the table, both appearing to examine the map closely. One of them was a rather corpulent man, though he seemed to wear the weight well. He had a large mustache that not only seemed finely waxed and cared for, but it also must have been perfumed, for the person opposite of this man could smell the fragrance wafting over the stale air, boasting.

"Now, as you likely know by now, for you surely would not be standing here in front of me if you didn't know, we've been having some, how would you say, issues with some of our trade routes. More specifically, we've been receiving reports about attacks on the route that runs through Vindolanda here-" the man leaned forward over the map to examine it briefly before pointing to one of the numerous lines that decorated it, "and even moreso on the route that runs through the mountains a bit further to the East, here." His finger hovered over the map until it located another one of the many lines and he tapped it.

"I know I don't have to go into the details of just how important it is for these trade routes to be clear of such threat, and normally this would be a problem we could solve on our own," a blatant lie, which both parties present knew, "we're just spread a little thin right now."

The other person, a woman clad in armor and hair the color of straw, remained quiet and attentive as the man spoke, though her brow was furrowed. She held up a flat palm to the man as he finished speaking, as if to halt him from any further speaking.

"Captain, I did not think that I would need to clarify to you again that I'm a diplomat here and not some blade for hire. You must stop calling me here under false pretenses, especially when there are other Hounds you could just as easily employ in my stead."

The captain gaped at her for a moment before gathering himself and beginning to shake his head.

"The very reason I summoned you, Nadel, is because of your diplomacy. Maybe you can reason with these people, convince them to help guard the routes in exchange for coin." Another bold faced lie, another they both recognized.

"I'm sorry, captain, but no. I'm going to take my leave now, because your waste of my time has admittedly insulted me, but I will still do you a service and pass along your troubles to a Hound that's more suited to do something about it. Good day."

---

En Route to Vindolando - Vinlund - The Next Day

She was on horseback now, heading South due for The Core. She was on one of the more prominent trade routes that ran through Vinlund, the very same the captain had referenced the previous night. It went through Vindolando, a bordertown located just north of the foot of the mountains that separated the two provinces. The peak of these mountains was known as Mount Koan, a name she was told meant "great doubt". She examined the stark peak and supposed it was rather foreboding, so she could see how it could inspire a great amount of doubt in a person.

Neither her or her steed were any stranger to passage through the mountains, however, so she saw it fit to appropriate prepare for the task when she arrived in Vindolando.

---

Vindolando - Vinlund - Some Time Later

After arriving in the little bordertown, Nadel sought after what few provisions she required. When she had done so, she momentarily considered the possibility of staying overnight at the inn and setting off early in the morning, but figured it'd be wasteful of her to not travel as far as she could before actually growing tired. So her time in Vindolando came to a rather hasty end and she continued.

---

Camp - The Borders - That Night

Nadel found herself grateful for her armor's lack of heat dispersion that night, as the mountains grew cold once the sun declined below the horizon. She had stopped to make campground, in a place long familiar to this sort of treatment. Her movement as she flitted about to gather firewood and then subsequently worked to build it up kept her warm, so warm that she considered sleeping in it. As she ate a modest meal of cheese and bread, her consideration turned into a decision. She curled up near the fire and slept after.

She woke early and set out, surmising that she'd be back home by the next morning.

---

Hunter's Castle - Barracks - Present

Once Nadel arrived at Hunter's Castle, the first thing she did was return her horse to the stables, parting from her equestrian companion with a pat on its muzzle. From there it was straight to the barracks. She had decided to skip sleep that night to finish up the final leg of her journey, so its call tugged at the back of her mind as she trudged onward. The sun had only begun to rise, but Nadel knew of at least one certain individual that would be up at this hour, and he was the perfect candidate to pass the information she had received in Vinlund onto.

Considering the barracks were East, she angrily squinted against the sun's rays as they shone over the ramparts. The walk wasn't a long one compared to the journey she had just taken, and when she set down what could be considered the final path before coming upon the barracks, she was somewhat surprised to see two more people than she had expected. As she approached, all were recognized, but only one mattered to her at the moment.

Harran "Razor" Rager. A Senior Hound and a man Nadel thought more than fit enough to become a knight such as herself. She clenched a fist and held her arm against against her chest, her armor clanking appropriately as she did so. She held this in a brief salute to the others and then dropped it, immediately addressing Razor.

"Sir, may the morning greet you well. I bring word from Vinlund, some of our established trade routes suffer from bandit attack and they require assistance in the form of steel."