Chapter 1: the Road to Holgrim - part 1

[Breila]

When Carith walks over to the red robed mage, Hedra stares after her, then shakes her head.

She goes to find Dorir and asks him. "You're not going to let the teenagers fight in front when we're attacked, are you? I thought of teaching them the War Chant to back the fighters up. So please could you make sure there's a time of day when none of them is on duty and we can rehearse?"

[Jenara]

Carith smiles sweetly stretching out she purrs like a cat and flashes much flesh.

"Don't tell me your afraid of me too?" she shakes her head and out glares the chanter. "Why does a woman showin confidence scare people huh?"

"Anyway i digress, Wolf huh? Many merc's leave themselves behind, never heard of a caster doing it. So, suggest you stay near the fighters, you look like i could snap you in half, mind you you die with a smile on your face..." she grins wide and punches him lightly.

"oh one last little thing, enough with the complaining, they could of left you out in the wilds on your own, doubt you would have lasted too long." giggling to herself she decides to see what is going on up the front. There was too much noise going on, the whole Damn hoard would hear them! It was time to kick butt.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Dorir listens to Hedra's request and replies, his words devoid of emotion. "Absolutely not. Any individual of age is required to be in the guard during caravan journeys. It is part of the agreement for their safe passage." Hedra stares at him intently, so he continues. "The teenagers are not in the front line. At least not the youngest of them. They tend to be shield bearers, defending our fallen until help can arrive. The older youths are given spears (Or these sharpened sticks that the humans call spears). They provide a second line of attack, behind the sword-bearers. The only ones in the camp who do NOT fight are the children and the elderly, and even then, the elderly are required to have daggers on them at all times." He pauses to glare at Hedra for a moment before concluding, "Those daggers are not for the zombies, either."

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Karen glares at the big, ugly, albeit muscular woman. "I WAS alone and doing quite fine thank you! Lucky would bring me nuts to eat and there was a spring nearby! AND I had a bed!"

[Jenara]

(ooc: Ugly? from her point of view perhaps, but Carith isn't totally unfortunate looking. Just rough around the edges...)

Carith turns before walking away, catching the comment from the Girl Karen.
"Well, then that's a problem isn't it?" She shrugs nonchalantly, seeingly uncaring, "But you are here now, I don't know how safe your 'home' was, but for now, it is with us."

She turns to head to the front, giving her a grin, her broken tooth visible. "It isn't that bad."

[Talyn]

The man who calls himself Wolf turns away from the woman who keeps talking to Karen. He seems somewhat embarrassed by the brash and bold young girl.

Meanwhile...

Karen puts her hands on her hips and gives the older woman a firm look. "Safer than here! Out in the open with this loud lout." she says with a gesture to the caravan. She pets Lucky and goes back to walking.

Wolf turns towards Dorir. "How well scouted are these roads?" he asks the dwarf. "Do you expect a lot of trouble on this journey?"

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Dorir glances to the mage. "Aye, there's always trouble in one form or another. This time we have the added burdon of bandits to be wary of. Caravans have been reporting massive losses of food supplies while traveling this route, though no caravan has suffered direct bandit attack." He turns his gaze briefly back to Hedra. "...another reason we need every available set of eyes. We travel with the bare minimum. Travel light, travel quick."

[Breila]

"Dorir, what exactly are you trying to tell me? I'm quite good at reading between lines, but if the situation is that serious, I'd rather not guess wrong.

I've never been given a proper briefing, so I did what I thought reasonable.

Perhaps now would be a good moment to tell us what is expeced of me? And of our mage here?"

"Oh" she turns to the man in red robes. "How thoughtless of me. I'm talking of "our mage here" and have completely forgotten to exchange names. I am Hedra Gudrunsdottir, chanter, as I'm sure you can tell." She extends a hand to the man.

[TigerStripedDog]

Bill walks quietly during the second day. Often times he is chewing on some scrap of leather, or humming to himself in what seems to be a non-sensical tune.

At one point along the walk, he approaches the small girl with the squirrel, seemingly oblivious to the obvious protective nature of the mage with her.

"IS funny that you carry skeewurrel. How you do? Them is very small, run very fast. You catch?" he asks, peering over her shoulder at the tiny creature. Being as large as he is, Bill has very little experience with things so small.

[Jenara]

Carith says nothing else to the girl, instead she brings up the front giving the dwarf sharp look.

When she sees Bill talk to the girl she smiles, the man was actually kind and gentle, nothing life appearances would lead you to believe.

She walks with the teenagers, occasionally showing someone how to hold their weapons better.

Yes, Bandits, walking dead.. All in a days work.

[Talyn]

The mage takes the Dwarf chanters hand with a firm grip, not too tightly though. "A pleasure to meet you Chanter." he says to her politely. "I have heard of your order, but never met one before." he smiles from under his hood. "Call me Wolf."

He glances at Dorir, slightly troubled at the mention of bandits. He has been unfazed by mention of the walking dead, but bandits seems to trouble him more.

**********************************
Meanwhile, with Karen...

"I don't catch Lucky! We stick together because we are a team. He gets me nuts and I keep him warm and groomed." she says holding the squirrel in her hands possessively. The squirrel seems completely unfazed at being clutched in the girl's grubby hands and simply grooms his whiskers with his hands as his little eyes dart around.

The girl looks at Bill suspiciously. "You are big!" she says with obvious rhetoric. "You musta ate too much food growing up!"

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Dorir allows pleasantries to be exchanged before he replies. "You are officially here, for lack of a better term, to calm people down. Prevent panic if and when we encounter trouble. You may never have to use your talents this journey, but by keeping people at ease, you more than earn your keep."

At the front of the line, a hooded man is speaking to Carson. Carson turns slightly to face the caravan over his left shoulder and raises his hand, palm open. The motion is repeated down the line and the caravan comes to a stop. Something troubles him. He whispers a few more words with the hooded man and walks back to Dorir. "Trouble ahead. Get me a few scouts."

Dorir nods knowingly and walks deeper into the caravan. He eventually tracks down Dee. "Your services are needed. You'll be scouting ahead with Slade. Something is giving Carson the willies. I need you two to check it out and let me know what's going on."

[Breila]

Hedra draws a deep breath and starts thinking. Calm people down, alright. For her, calming down is easier when she knows what's ahead. So she walks up to Carson and the hooded stranger.

"Excuse my intrusion, Sirs, but if you tell me why we stop, I can relay that to the people in the caravan and keep them off you, so you can do what needs to be done."

[Jenara]

Carith notes the conversations and discussions taking place and the call for scouts, "keep your eyes open." she notes to those in front.

Slowing her pace she falls in line with the wagons.

"Girlie" she says to Karen with a smile. "Keep your head down, wouldnt want anything to happen to someone who dares stand up to me now would i?" she smiles again and walks away, nodding at Wolf.

She stands alongside Bill, lightly tapping his butt. "Trouble, watch the people. Drive attackers away, or kill em."

[TigerStripedDog]

Bill, still walking near the little girl ((OOC: assuming maybe she will respond later?)) looks ahead and grins.

"Is perhaps time for to make smash. Have no worry in head little one. Big Bill is here. I no let harm come to you and skeewurrel." He says to the small child. Picking up his pace he makes his way to the front, keeping a wary eye around the flanks for any trouble.

[Kafen]

"I will be honored to scout with him." Dee tells Dorir. He moves to secure his new food bowl and meet with Slade at that point. "We shall be fleet of foot."