“Away from the capital? Why, are you running from someone there?” Amelia smirks at him. “Not that I care – your reasons for coming here are your own, as long as they don't cause me trouble.” She shrugs. “Anyway, are you here just to ogle me for free, or do you have something to offer me? If it is the latter – what, exactly are you offering?” She looks at him expectantly. “Well met, miss Avella, nice to meet you as well.” The elf nods at her as her looks her over once more. He stops her before she gets to mention the walking trees, though. “Let us talk outside, no need to bother the other customers.” He leaves the shop and waits for her nearby, between two buildings. “Now, what were you saying?” Lathrul listens to her explain about the moving trees, then nods. “I see... well, there has been a bot of a mixup. I was traveling at night, trying to reach Marika as soon as I can, and I did see something that looked like moving trees, but that was to the north of the road. There were some moving shapes to the south, but those were a lot more humanoid, most likely humans or elves. Of course, just because I did not see any doesn't mean there weren't any trees to the south. I also... no, never mind.” For a moment it seems like there's something he wants to add, but then changes his mind. “Anyway, since we're already talking, would you mind helping me with something? I came all this way for a reason, but I could use some help... especially if it comes from such a charming young lady.” He finishes with a smile. “Of course I don't expect you to work for free. Give me just a minute... where did I put them...” Irina starts looking around the shop and quickly finds three herbs: one blue, one red, and one yellow. She puts them on the counter and shows them to him. “These are the herbs I need. 15 of the red and blue ones each, and 20 of the yellow one. Fortunately they all grow in groups of twenty to thirty, so that won't be a problem. I will pay you 5 Gil for each set, so a total of 15 Gil if you can get me all the herbs I need. But I need them fresh, so try to bring them to me today, please. You can put them in this.” She takes out a small basket and puts it on the counter next to the samples. “So how does that sound?” She gives him a hopeful look and a pleading smile. A young guard gives her the Gil she is owed. “Good job today, miss. Looks like in time you will be able to make them into proper bowmen.” He tells her before going back to his duties. Her spell slams into an invisible wall, never reaching its intended targets, though it causes the undead to stop their advance at least for a bit, buying her a little precious time to escape. Fortunately the undead do not pursue them, at least for now. Ida and Eike are able to safely return to the carriage, followed shortly by the wraith. It is weakened, but she should be able to fix it with her magic, as long as it takes no further damage. “What now, mistress?” Eike asks once it is clear there will be no more attacks against them, at least for the moment. “Do we risk it and try to find the village the zombie mentioned? Or do we head back to Marika and report our findings?” The lady is all too happy to return the kiss and even pouts a little when it ends. “Tempting... but no, at least not at this time. We have enough to worry about as it is, we don't need any more distractions.” Edward chuckles. “Speaking of things to do, thanks for helping get rid of the wolf that was causing trouble for our woodcutters, dear. Did you find anything to explain where it came from?” Victoria asks. “According to the report a diary and a spell book were found. Did I not tell you that, dear?” The young lord looks at his wife. Mylea realizes that he is referring to the diary and spellbook she still has in her possession. “No, but you were rather... distracted at the time, darling. I guess it just slipped your mind.” The blonde smirks at her husband. Sara looks at the stone dildo, her face getting even redder. “No, it's fine, I'll do it... but can we please keep this between us?” She turns to look at Arthuria pleadingly. “I'll die from embarrassment if anyone finds out I did this sort of thing...” The housewife walks over to where the large stone dildo is, removes her panties, and slips a hand under her skirt, pleasuring herself until she gets wet. The she positions her body above the stone toy and starts slowly lowering her body. “It's cold...” she notes when her nether lips touch the head. “Good luck with the sword...”
"Hohoho, whatever could you mean?" Anton chuckles as her accusation that he was running away. But as she finally got down to business, the old man grins. "As of right now, I can offer you 100 Gils to help with the brothel." He replies in a more professional tone, the one he used whenever he conducted business with nobles. "As for ogling you, hoho. Well, let's just say I can also help... ensure that the future employees are well trained in the art of love making."
Avella listen to his story, thinking it maybe be something without connection to problem what she trying to solve. It look like in the place like Marika, on borders of civilization there is a lot possible problems and quest, each other on it's own. "Hmm, maybe it is something different from what I saw. There is a lot of unknown in this region after all, to be certain to conection." Avella said as she crossed her arms on cheast. "Helping you with something? I'm always eager to help, but I would like to get know more about your problem before I agree."
Ganith mulled it over. He really didn't think this kind of job was in his wheelhouse or worth the pay, but she was cute. Maybe she'd be willing to do a little extra if he did a good job. "All right then. It's a deal." he takes the basket and turns to the exit. "I'll be back by evening then."
Ida started healing Eike and then wright. "We return back and report our success." She said briskly. "There is nothing more we can safely find here - there is too much chaos." She declared as she finished 'healing' both undead. As she finished, she quickly moved the carriage back to the village. She would make her report, then take her praise. After that, she intended to spend time developing and securing her new land. No reason to go into the danger again in near future.
"Thank you, love. They're farther along than I thought they'd be, but they've still got a long way to go." She collects the twenty-five Gil and stores it. "This town got a general store? I could use some things." Namely, a way to shave and some rope, but maybe something there'll catch my eye too. She asks the guard for directions and makes her way to the store.
Amelia rolls her eyes. “Oh, please. You think a woman like me needs money? Especially such a paltry amount?” She gives him an “are you serious” look. “As for training my future employees... perhaps in the future, but not right now.” Having shot down both ideas Amelia goes quiet for a bit, thinking about something. “Still, there might be something you can help me with... Tell me, are you any good at convincing and persuading people?” “Well, to cut a long story short... Two noble families feuding with each other, one hired a thief to steal an heirloom from the other, the thief succeeded, the people that hired him tried to kill him in order to shut him up, the thief escaped after killing a member of the family that hired him. Now the first family wants the thief dead as payback for the death of their relative, while the second family wants their heirloom returned. I am here for the latter, and I could use some help... Interested?” Lathrul looks at her questioningly. “Good luck!” Irina calls after him. Once outside Ganith quickly finds his way to the bridge and then across it. Soon he is in the forest, alone with the trees and the occasional sound of forest animals. Nothing happens on the way back, giving Ida all the time she needs to finish healing Eike and the wraith. Thankfully the unknown spell did not affect the illusion hiding Eike's true nature, so that's one less thing she needs to worry about. After returning to the village and getting a chance to freshen up Ida is once more brought to the library, where the lady is waiting for her. “Welcome back, my dear! I am so happy to see you! Before you report your discoveries let me tell you about the mine. I sent men to investigate it while you were gone and they sent me a report earlier today. They found robes confirming that these idiots were indeed remnants of the cult I told you about. You must have seen the robes yourself, but forgot to mention them – can't blame you, since you were rather... distracted when we were talking...” She smirks. “Also, the men found the remains of a second, smaller mine nearby. Both places have some iron ore left, so we can set up a mining camp and start mining ore. In short, it was worth sending you there. Again, good job!” Victoria takes a deep breath, her expression serious. “Now, tell me what you discovered in the forest. Did you find the ruins of the city? Don't omit anything, since every little detail can be important.” With the directions given to her by the guard finding the general store is easy. Walking through the door Lydia finds herself in a rather cramped shop full of all sorts of items. An orc is standing behind the counter. “Ah, a new customer! Welcome, miss! How may I help you? Looking for anything in particular, or just browsing?” He asks as he looks her over.
Avella make big eyes when she listen to story. Damit, so some tales of her halfbrother Priman about nobles are actually true? That part of course when he didn't tell about his conquest in bedrooms by some rich and powerfull noble woman. "Well, stealing is the crime so this thief deserve to be punishment, but on other hand these noble break the deal, so the thief have right to defend himself and... Wait, that isn't the point here." She noticed his questiongly stare. "So, if I understand correct, you want to return what was stolen to rightfull owners? In that, you can have my help. What is that heirloom and what we know about the thief? In last days a lot people come to Marika, so it won't be easy to find one thief. Also, if I will be on his place, I would buried the heiloom underground somewhere in the wild, to make it ewen harder to find and use it as his last bargain cheap."
Arthuria awkwardly looks away from The Scene and draws her Sword while moving to The Second Painting, imitating The Stance.
Ida smiled hearing the news. "Does that mean I will receive a bonus for the second mine?" She asked, then turned serious. "I found the ruins... but it's... quite crowdy out there. There are cultists facing undead elves in the ruins." She paused, thinking about how to formulate the next part. "I have met a refugee. He mentioned that cultists came first, then necromancer arrived - the two factions clashed before they stopped fighting. They observe each other. The man mentioned that he and others found a village in the area. But before I could know more, he died and I was forced to run away." Ida finished her report.
“Yes, I want the heirloom, to return it to its rightful owners. I'd rather not deal with the family that hired the thief if I don't have to. I mean, they already betrayed the thief and tried to silence him, who is to say they won't try to silence me as well if given the chance? The reward is not worth the risk.” The mercenary explains. “You... might be on to something. From what I managed to find out a man matching the thief's description bought some supplies, then left the village and headed south, along the river. He could go east, into the hills, or south and then west across the river, into the forest. In both cases he will have plenty of chances to hide the item – assuming that he has not done so yet. As for what the item is... an enchanted necklace. A golden chain, with a large gold coin hanging from it. The family crest is engraved on the coin. It is believed to have been crafted by the family's founder, many centuries ago, which is why they value it so much and want it back. When I started chasing the thief the reward was at 10'000 Gil, though it might have increased since then.” Lathrul finishes with a shrug. (Something like this, but with a different design of the medallion: Spoiler: Necklace ) As she moves toward the painting on the wall Arthuria brushes against the stone sword stuck in the floor. Immediately her shadow begins moving in unnatural ways, growing and rising, quickly taking the form of another Arthuria. It's almost like looking into a mirror, except her copy is holding her sword in a different manner. Behind her she hears Sara let out a moan as the housewife impales herself on the stone phallus. “Interesting... So, we have the cultists, the undead elves, the village, and possibly the group this 'refugee' belongs to, assuming that he is not part of any of the other groups. That's four groups that we know of...” Victoria remains silent for a minute, thinking. “Let's focus on the cultists for now. Tell me everything you can about them, every little detail you can recall, no matter how minor.”
"Hoho, well that's unfortunate." Anton chuckles, as his main bargaining chip was shot down. Thankfully she seemed interested in his second offer. But just as he thought all was lost, "Oh?" The old man raised his eyebrow, "Well, I have been known to be rather... persuasive. But it'll depend on who you want me to convince." He replied with a confident smile.
“I don't know if you've heard, but some priestesses will be arriving in the village soon, perhaps even tomorrow. Each of them seeks to establish her religion in the village and convert as many people as she can – neither of which is something I care about.” Amelia begins. “What I do care about is that one of the priestesses is a healer, and any decent brothel needs healers to help keep both the employees and the guests healthy. For that reason I want the priestess – and possibly other members of her order – to work for me. That's where you come in – I want you to persuade her. It doesn't have to be exclusively for me, mind you - as long as everyone at my place remains healthy she is free to work for other people too.” Amelia gives him a warning look. “But know that when I say 'persuade' I mean it. In the past various people have tried forcing members of this particular order to do things they did not want to. And somehow all of these various people, from the lowest of peasants to the greatest of kings, ended up dying from rare deceases. Coincidence... supposedly. But do you really want to bet your life on it?” She gives him a long look. “So, do you think you are up to the task? Or should I look for someone else to persuade the priestess?”
"Oho? I haven't gotten the chance to sedu- I mean persuade a priestess before." Anton grins,"So I merely have to make it so that she'll place your employees and customers at the top of her list then?" He asked to make sure he got it right. "Alright, I can at least give it a shot." The old man nods confidently, already picturing what his next target looks like. "Then, should I succeed, what do I get out of it, hmm?" He then probes Amelia for his payment, already banking on the fact that he'll manage to convince the healer.
Avella roll pukle of her hair on finger, selecting information what was given to her. East or South, not too detailed directions but it should be enough for the beginning. "Hmm... Both directions have a lot of possible hideouts and ways of escape. Also, I'm not expert of the tracking... But I know someone who is close to nature and She will be eager to help us." She said thinking about Marda. "She is a druid and I already worked with her, so Marda is trusted. Let's go to lumber camp, on the west side of the river. She will be happy to help us." She said sure it is true and if Lathrul didn't oppose, they both will go to lumber camp. Also, Avella thinking it would be a good idea to ask dryad if she didn't seen anything on her forest. Before they leaves, she bought in general store nice looking potted plant, wondering if that gift would please dryad. For sure, better than cutted flowers.
So much stuff ripe for takin', but I shouldn't risk pissin' off the only goods shop in town, especially since I'm gettin' by just fine with the trainin'. Wait, that reminds me--there's two potion makers here, right? I wonder if one of 'em would wanna arrange some goods disappearances. Even if they don't, they might blame their rival anyway. I shoulda thought of that earlier! Lydia greets the orc enthusiastically. "Hello there, love! Yeah, I got in town yesterday. I need a razor, soap, a length of rope, and I'll see what else catches my eye, handsome." She winks at the shopkeeper before glancing over what's in stock.
Ida shook her head. "Not much to tell." Ida shook her head. "I only know that they were first in the ruins, and were pushed out by the necromancer... at least, that was what I was told. They crashed with the undead, before it finally ended in some kind of stalemate. The two factions observe each other, but make no move to attack each other." Ida explained as she recalled the information.
"A shame. Nonetheless, I'd like your permission spread the word in Marika. Perhaps I could have permission to build a church, too, when I find someone to sponsor it?" She looks at the pair. "Indeed - there's a journal I've only partially deciphered as of yet."
“Yes, that will be enough.” Amelia nods. “Very well, tell me where you're staying. Once the priestesses arrive I will send you a message to let you know which one it is and where she's staying. Up to you how you approach and convince her. As for your pay, you have a choice: A one-time payment in Gil, or a permanent discount once my brothel is opened. And before you ask – no, that does not include me, and no, you don't get to use my girls – or boys, if that's what you're into – for free. Deal?” “Alright, if you think she will be of help... I doubt a delay of a few minutes will make much of a difference.” Lathrul shrugs and follows behind her. To Avella's disappointment there are no potted plants for sale at this time. Then again, she doesn't know where to look for the Dryad, and the forest is quite large, so trying to bring a gift might have been more trouble than it is worth. They find Marda at the lumber camp, taking a breaking after having finished something. “Avella! What a nice surprise! What can I do for you? And who is this?” She asks as she sees the two elves. The fake Arthuria does not react – it seems she is waiting for the original to make the first move. “Sure thing, cutie! Give me a moment!” The orc gets to work gathering the stuff she just listed, and soon the razor, soap and rope are all on the counter. “Anything else?” Spoiler: Search 1d100 = 61 Looking around the shop Lydia sees a ton of random stuff, but it's hard to tell what, if anything, will be of use to her. Still, there are a few things that catch her attention: a silver bracelet, a pearl and a crystal statuette. “Tell me about their clothes. I assume they were wearing robes, but what kind? What color? Any sings or decorations? Tell me everything you can recall - I want to see if they match any of the cults I know, or if they are a new one.” The lady asks more questions – apparently this is important for her. “Sure, go ahead. As long as you don't try to convert people by force you are allowed to spread the word of your goddess around the village. Same with building any sort of temple.” Edward gives her permission. “Mind if I take a look at this journal, and anything else you have found?” Victoria looks at her excitedly.
