[Continued] - Harrowing Festival - 1 VC - Vaul

[Keehnelf]

7:00am

The woman is alert, if not hostile, as the two approach, her eyes slipping quickly toward the hilt of the sword standing in the dirt. She stands before they reach her and she dusts the remains of a crumbled biscuit from the leg of her leather armor before offering the pair a smile.

"Morning, adventurers. Come to lend your strength to prepare the fields?"

[Spartakos]

Rhodri finds himself unable to sleep much, after his group's return. After a few hours, he gets up and gets dressed, then takes his bow and heads out of town. He has no interest in grubbing in the dirt like a farmer; instead, he figures he will try to scare up some game--a few coneys, maybe some pheasants or quail, that he can provide for the afternoon feast.

Not going far; not sure what the game situation is like close to town.

[AleBelly]

Crivit answers "Yes, there few things nobler than tending to the earth. How may Veles, by way of my unworthy body, be of service?"

[Keehnelf]

7:10am

The woman gestures with the point if her sword toward those pulling weeds or beginning to loosen the earth nearby. "I know little of farming, but it looks like simple enough work, compared with hunting down old riches or new threats."

[AleBelly]

Crivit goes to work, pulling the polluting and vile roots from the sacred earth.

[Keehnelf]

Rhodri will be available at 9:40am when he returns from his quick hunting trip.

[Marullus]

Nihilius raises an eyebrow as he listens to Crivet and watches him eat the sweet. "Veles? It is a different type of planting that is done in his honor. Let us pray your God agrees to forstall meeting with any of us. He anxiously awaits me, I am sure, but not yet long enough for my tastes," he says with a smile. He breaks a piece off of another sweetbun and feeds it to the wolfhound, who's eyes have been riveted to it since it emerged from the napkin, then eats a small piece himself. As Crivet turns to depart, he adds, "When you've finished, I'd appreciate any word of what lies beyond this town. Perhaps over a cup of the wine. It is the deep red vintages your God prefers, yes? Until then."

He then takes a step to close the distance to the young lady, offering her a polite smile. "A lady with a sword, with little interest in dirt and weeds, is more intriguing to me than a man who seeks the nobility of picking stones. If I might avail myself of your company?" He reaches into the napkin for a fresh sweetbun and offers it to her.

[KingOfCowards]

I thought if anybody would have wanted a sweetbun, it would have been Crivit.

Welcome aboard by the way, Marullus.

[AleBelly]

Nihilius stands a long moment, sweetbun extended, as Crivet ignores his greeting and departs. He blinks once. "Things are not as civil as I once remembered," he says curtly to himself. He breaks a piece off of the sweetbun, and feeds it to the wolfhound, who's eyes have been riveted to it since it emerged from the napkin, then eats a small piece himself.

He then takes a step to close the distance to the young lady, offering her a polite smile. "A lady with a sword, with little interest in dirt and weeds, is more intriguing to me than a man who seeks the nobility of picking stones. If I might avail myself of your company?" He reaches into the napkin for a fresh sweetbun and offers it to her.

Ha ha ha. Sorry, I got distracted by the hound-woman exchange and forgot about the bun. Yes, Crivit would definitely have accepted it.

[Marullus]

OOC: Thanks. If you want to move forward, we can leave as-is. If you want to go back and edit your post, we can redact. I don't mind either way.

[ETA: Fixed. ]

[Keehnelf]

The woman watches Crivit's back as he retreats, as though uninterested in the young man's question, and then smiles half-wryly. "You must come from a far land, indeed, to be surprised at a woman soldier." She knocks the dirt off her blade and cleans the point absent-minded my with a red wool cloth tied to her belt before sheathing it, then turns her full attention to him. "My mother's sister served in the Red Guard of Jarvis for eleven years, and my grandmother's sister was captain of the palace guard in Thalen that has since been annexed by Char. In my family alone, there is plenty of men's blood on women's blades."

[AleBelly]

OOC: Thanks. If you want to move forward, we can leave as-is. If you want to go back and edit your post, we can redact. I don't mind either way.

OK, done!

[Marullus]

The woman watches Crivit's back as he retreats, as though uninterested in the young man's question, and then smiles half-wryly. "You must come from a far land, indeed, to be surprised at a woman soldier." She knocks the dirt off her blade and cleans the point absent-minded my with a red wool cloth tied to her belt before sheathing it, then turns her full attention to him. "My mother's sister served in the Red Guard of Jarvis for eleven years, and my grandmother's sister was captain of the palace guard in Thalen that has since been annexed by Char. In my family alone, there is plenty of men's blood on women's blades."

[OOC: Did she accept the sweetbun?]

Nihilius bows formally to her. "I am Nihilius, and it is my pleasure, then, to meet one of your esteem. Might I have I be honored with your name?" He pauses and nods his assent to her statement. "My home does seem quite distant, I fear... perhaps you can tell me more of the Arch Duke, Thalen, and Char; it is my desire to be of use to our Lord as best I may."

[Dram]

Baxtaw will continue to work the fields. The next morning he will go see if anyone needs help setting up tents for the festival.

[Keehnelf]

She did not.

"My name's Zirina, and I don't have any of the esteem the others earned. I'm a mercenary and bound to be until they plant me alongside my colleagues a few weeks or a few years from now. All I know about the duke is that he pays real coin, does so in a timely and generous manner, and doesn't intrude in affairs that aren't his business. Thalen and Char are far from here, and hardly a matter of importance." She gets a bit steely-eyed at that last bit, and makes a curt apology as she wanders off to "patrol" the fields for signs of danger.

[Marullus]

Nihilius says no more, watching as she departs, his gaze lingering contemplatively upon her. Finally he wraps up the proffered sweetbun with the others in the napkin, tosses the last remnants of the partial one to the hound, then begins back across the fairground to the merchants and tables. The wolfhound snaps up the piece of bun and, after several attempts, manages to swallow it whole before trotting to catch up with his master.

[OGRE MAGE]

Buryl wakes and scratches himself thoroughly before heading out to the festivities. He seeks out the hunters and trackers to see what they are doing to celebrate on this finest of days.

[Keehnelf]

7:20am

Buryl finds one of the hunters working with a massive wall of a man(?) hauling canvas sacks filled with dirt around a section of the festival grounds, forming a low wall around a ring of bare, packed earth.

Another of the hunters works busily nearby with a handful of children between the ages of 8 and 10, showing them the intricacies of several methods of reed- and grass-weaving. All the children are arrayed in a small group, bundles of grass and reed lying nearby as they prepare to begin some kind of craft project.

The other hunter, Adrienne, is out in the fields working alongside a scruffy adventurer with a limp to pick weeds and clear fields for sowing.

[OGRE MAGE]

Buryl addresses the hunter teaching the children.

How goes it my good man? I am looking for a way to lend my talents to the upcoming festivities. I see you are working on some thatching. I would be glad to lend a hand and maybe learn a few techniques from you, if you need the help that is. Otherwise, I would be grateful if you would steer me in another direction where an ol' trapper might lend a hand.

[Keehnelf]

The hunter (Jonas) smiles. "Aye, help from all is appreciated. However, the effigies are the task of the children, once they understand the basic techniques, as is tradition. If you want to put your skills to use, I know that Lyran is working on finishing up the wrestling ring but once he's done he'll be setting up a tightwire between two poles--any rope-craft you have will be well suited to that." He motions off to where the mountain and the smaller hunter are hauling sandbags.