Age of Ice and Blood: A Pathfinder System Heroic Fantasy Quest

Fortieth of Olweje-hamba (Olweje Descending) 1348 A. L. (After Landfall)

"Close, my lady? I am..." a breath, confusion, you are unsure what she is proposing but not entirely blind. You are no green boy, to blush at the mere sight of a pretty girl, but you feel your cheeks warm now just the same. "I would be honored by your company, but my training as a squire and knight left little time for more than courtly graces."

"Truly?" Esha tilts her head, as though seeing you for the first time. "Well you must be naturally adept at it then."

As a smile twitches on her lips once more you cannot hold back a startled laugh. "It makes for unfamiliar ground..." you hesitate a moment, then in a single breath add. "Though I hasten to add it is not unpleasant."

"Well good, I would not wish to make you ill at ease," though her tone is still light you hear something darker beneath it.

"It really is a lot easier than most give it credit for you know," her voice grows faint, her eyes wander out the window. "In the Imperial court of far Oromo the God Kings seal their wives and daughters away and only permit them the company of eunuchs, in Orinilu a woman of high birth might be driven into taking the Veil of Ikomi for being seen in public in the sole company of a man she is not related to, even among the Anwa whose passions burn so bright many a feud was started and many a duel paid for in heart's blood over two people too close in the wrong place. Sometimes I wonder if the hunters of the cold woods do not have the right of it, keeping such company that suits them and keeps them warm in body and spirit."

"I..." To be entirely honest you are not sure what to say to that, what to even feel, repulsion, sympathy, regret, some strange mingling of all three, or other feelings that you can not even name.

"My apologies," the sorceress rises from her seat with a sigh. "It is like trying to dance without music, trying to guess what is and is not the proper thing to say... well the reasonable thing to say. With practically every other person I have ever met there is that melody at the back of my mind, not so loud as to drown out the world, but loud enough that I know when I am about to make some dreadful misstep, to make of myself a fool or worse. With this... with you I have to guess more than I ever had in my life."

A wave of disappointment washes over you and before you can even think the words slip out "Is that why you..." Though you practically bite your tongue at the end the damage is done.

"Why I am interested? Of course not, you are a person not a Luara puzzle box," Esha scoffs much to your relief. "If all I wanted was the company of one whom the memories of blood to not recall I would keep Zaia awake arguing philosophy. I would rather keep you..." she adds with one last smile, more in her eyes than upon her lips before bidding you farewell over her shoulder.

You are rather proud of the fact that you manage to reply in a level tone.


Third Day of the Greensinging 1348 A. L. (After Landfall)

You arrive in Apuku at the wee hours of the morning and find the city alight with a thousand thousand candles from humble tallow to fine beeswax for this is the day when the fruits of the earth are celebrated, the passage of the time of war onto the bounty of the harvest. According to custom this is a auspicious day to make plans for the year ahead as well as to raise a new house that will last through the breath of Ikomi. Though your thoughts are far indeed from raising any walls.

Even as Antonio hastens to pay his dues with the harbor master you rush to see what has become of those of your men left behind in the city in your absence and if your plans and offerings had been enough to keep the horses safe.

There is still a strong guard at the new stable, Knikut in their heavy furs and mercenaries festooned with teeth and other trophies of past battle both as well as you are relived to see James and Hugh looking no worse for wear. In the former's case he might even have added one last inch to his height. "My Lord, thank Saint Nicholas the sea was kind to you..."

"Not that I do not appreciate the well wishes, but I sense there might be a bit of a story behind the fervor," you reply as you walk into the warm light of the stable and storehouse all at once that if your 'home' in the port.

Hugh nods. "There was and plenty of it I'm afraid milord. First there were these shifty folk who tried to get all friendly like with us, ply us with drink and tales about how the Knikut are savages and we had best be ware. I think they were planning to try to but us all together like a ox to market but our pledge ain't for sale so we gave 'em the short stiff. Then there was a time someone tried to poison the horses, poison thorns if you can believe it, shot 'em like arrows from what Tender said. If it weren't for her healing they'd both be dead, or all of them I should say mare and foals."

"Did you catch the one who did it," you ask sharply, a little too sharply judging from the fact that poor James practically jumps away, but you cannot help it. There is something particularly vile about hurting a poor beast who had done you no harm and that had never asked to be dragged into the feuds of humankind.

"No luck, they was gone 'fore we looked," James picks o the tale. "We sent word to Ohun up at the palace about the king's new horse being near poisoned and they didn't try again, though if it was his doing or just luck I couldn't say "

What do you do next?

[] Question James and Hugh in more detail about the people who were too friendly

[] Seek out Ohun and see if he found anything about the person who tried to poison your horses

[] Find out more news of the Islands, particularly the planned raids on Korman

[] Write in

OOC: This feels a bit like it is two updates and not one with the shift in subject, but I figured that with both of them being short and this being an overnight vote it would be best to get us back to shore. Your last maritime encounter roll was 'nothing of note' again which is why I replaced it with flirting.