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Post by Kell Lo'Tharan on Dec 11, 2016 21:59:25 GMT -5
It hadn't taken long for him to gather up his possessions, all he had was the meagre provisions he'd purchased from Hillsfar and the clothes on his back, an almost pitiful state to be in really if he was honest but there was very little he could do about it with his current funds. Soon as he had everything he made his short farewells to the members of the initiative he'd worked with before leaving the hamlet, getting an early start on the day and setting out just as most were stirring from their beds.
While he could be considered quite physically fit he'd never done a longer journey by foot such as the one he was about to undertake to his purchased county in the south, he wasn't one likely to drag his feet the whole way but he knew he wasn't going to be racing along so had left early in the day to maximise the distance he could travel before dark. Reasoning that to walk at an even pace for a longer period of time would serve him better than going at his fastest for a few hours he'd planned his journey around this, with longer walking days that would hopefully allow him to not collapse and not make it to his destination anyway. It was an untested plan, but he was untested in long journeys such as the one he was undertaking, so to him this seemed a good way to go about it.
He'd pass through Rosterford on his journey, or as he'd now heard it called New Skaldira, the Skaldi had emerged as a new player into the dangerous game that Cruinthe was and were taking land for themselves now it seemed. This was completely at odds with what he'd read of them within Korasus, they'd been presented as nomadic in nature and more likely to follow herds of prey or evade other species. Whatever had prompted their change in nature, so far nothing indicated they were particularly savage in nature towards the towns occupants and so he could pass through safely. After that it was a straight walk west and he should reach his lands within a week. The state they'd be in when he got there was completely unknown to him but from what he'd seen of Cruinthe so far they couldn't be too dire surely.
For now all he could do was walk, and walk he did, he didn't expect anything to hamper his trip as the wildlife didn't seem to severe, but with that thought came the realisation that if anything did pounce out at him he had no weapon to defend himself with....that was a problem that would have to be addressed at some point.
SM: 19/20
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Post by Kell Lo'Tharan on Dec 11, 2016 22:19:53 GMT -5
The first couple of days of walking had passed without any excitement, a good thing for an amateur walker such as he, as much as novice as he was were any trouble to rear it's ugly head at him. He was far enough away from the capital in Fordeth that he didn't expect to see any soldiers of the kingdom. At most he was expecting to see some Skaldi from their nearby settlement that now on his third day he was rapidly approaching, the thought of which brought him some small amount of joy. All he'd learnt of Skaldi had been from book learning, which seemed completely insufficient to the young Drokagr now that the opportunity for him to meet an actual Skaldi was now there. The fact that large lizard creatures shared the same world as Drokagr Elkagr and humans was quite refreshing to him, where to an extent the three looked similar in terms of build and body, Skaldi stood sufficiently apart from them all.
Still though he couldn't afford to spend to long loitering observing the Skaldi, while there was no pressing need from outside to make good time and reach his destination, it was his own wish to get there fairly quickly as then he could assess the conditions and begin work as quick as was possible.
Dust kicked up behind the lone Drokagr as he walked, catching in trousers and shoes, although by no means were they the only dirty clothing he wore. The downside of travelling by yourself through the countryside with little provisions was of course that clothing got dirty quite quickly, and when it did there were very few ways in which you could actually clean said clothing. Instead of focussing on that Kell was just powering on, dirty clothing wouldn't cause him to slow or stop and appearance currently didn't concern him as there was nobody about to see him currently. Although at a later date it was possible he'd have to commission himself some more clothing.
Most of his walking was spent absorbed in thought of what the future would hold, he was beginning anew outside of the colony with very little in the way of actual planning, it was at the same time both an exciting and daunting prospect to him, yet he found almost that other than caring for the people that he was now responsible for he had very little else in the way of actual goals for himself. It was something he would need to spend time considering, he hadn't picked the best time either to leave the colony, with the conflict between the human factions escalating, but the past wasn't worth fretting over as it was already done. So mind turned to future instead he continued.
SM: 18/20
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Post by Kell Lo'Tharan on Dec 11, 2016 23:02:27 GMT -5
New Skaldira was a sight. The Skaldi had created a new camp outside of the village within which they lived. The skaldi themselves were imposing, each one larger by far than he, covered in scales of varying shades from greens to browns and reds, it was a feast for his eyes to see them, even if it was fro ma distance. The distance was due to another feature he'd noticed, the sharp claws and teeth that each had. The different breeds were difficult for him to tell apart, having only read up on the subject a few times he didn't know what to look for even that would tell him what species they fell under. Still it was an amazing experience, even if it was marred slightly by the site of the old Rosterford town. Littered with scrap leftover from the combat, it was for sure a town of industry as nearly all he saw were workers, there was very little other life present.
He'd intended to stop off at the market and peruse the wares, possibly make a few purchases if he could find even something so simple as a dagger or maybe a bag for himself, but it seemed after some investigation that a market hadn't been established yet and they were in fact still trying to find the labour and resources to get one built. It was unfortunate that the economy of the first captured Skaldi province wasn't quite working smoothly yet but the Skaldi had very little experience in the matters he assumed so it was understandable they'd have a few teething problems. It did however mean that he had to make do with simple provision for the next leg of his journey and forego the added security of a weapon or any sorts of comforts and continue as he had now on the longer stretch of his journey where he'd cross no more settlements.
Setting out again was difficult but his goal was in sight so motivation wasn't too difficult to find, even if the urge to stay and discover as much as he could about the Skaldi was quite strong, the scholar within him knew he'd be back here before long, luckily it wasn't all that far from his lands so it wouldn't be too difficult for him to visit if he desired.
SM: 17/20
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Post by Kell Lo'Tharan on Dec 11, 2016 23:19:42 GMT -5
The days began to blur, he slept little but made good time, although the monotony of travel was beginning to get to him. The sights of the Skaldi controlled province still lingered in his mind and that was his main point of concentration, in an attempt to alleviate his boredom he began to make plans for future visits there. Maybe once the market was up and running he could gain some sort of trade agreement with the province, although what it was that he'd be able to trade with them he wasn't sure. They seemed to mainly deal in the manufacture of metal items and he knew nothing of the production capabilities he'd have. A city that size would have need of food always so any surplus could probably be sold, that and lumber which his county was perfectly situated to provide as it was in a forest.
The problem would be could the county provide, he needed to focus on the well being of his people before all else and that could take time and effort if infrastructure was lacking. His grasp of industry and agriculture was quite adequate, his motivation for growth and creation having extended into him learning about growth within lands as well as people in order to prepare himself for the responsibility he was going to have.
He truly didn't know what to expect when he got there, it was a worry for him as he'd received no information on the county other than it's location, for all he knew he was walking into a ghost town and he'd have absolutely nothing to work with, but there was nothing he could do about that until he got there and saw for himself.
The light began to fade, along with Kell's energy and desire to continue walking, but he forced himself for little longer as the treeline was in sight. The minute he got underneath the boughs of the forest he assumed harboured his destination he dropped like a stone onto the nearest root that could function as a semi-comfortable seat. Wind whistled through the branches and chilled him, shivering he endured before the idea of making a fire even came to mind. It took not long to gather together enough kindling and dead wood, he'd only had to search the forest floors which were littered with it. Took less time to clear a space out on the forest floor for it.
Pulling out his meagre tinderbox he set to, trying to coax a small flame from the kindling he'd set up.
Roll for lighting fire
Knowledge:10 Easy:15 Camping I(unlearned) Threshold: 25
ZiJ0LxW8-Failure
Unfortunately luck wasn't with him, nor was skill apparently, he managed to coax a small flame into life for several seconds before a gust of wind came and extinguished the single light in the growing darkness. Yet undeterred he set to it again, this time putting himself upwind of the makeshift fire pit in an attempt to block the wind with his body.
Roll for lighting fire
Knowledge:10 Easy:15 Camping I(unlearned) Threshold: 25
-Failure
Once again however the single flame failed to become the fire he was desiring, Spluttering out within the kindling before it could catch properly. Kell sat back for a moment, putting hand to face and rubbing his eyes, shaking his head at his failure before swiping the kindling and failed attempts away and starting again clean.
Roll for lighting fire
Knowledge:10 Easy:15 Camping I(unlearned) Threshold: 25
-Success
This time the spark caught and kindling flared, catching the flickering flame, Kell coaxing it along gently, adding slightly larger wood until he had a nice crackling fire next to him, large enough to provide heat but not so large that it would be out of his control. Leaning back against the rough bark of the tree he rubbed his hands together and basked in the warmth, a meagre comfort but comfort nonetheless that he'd missed in previous nights since leaving New Skaldira.
SM: 16/20··
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Post by Kell Lo'Tharan on Dec 13, 2016 2:36:56 GMT -5
Come morning, when the birds melody filled the air and welcomed him into the new day, Kell awoke groggily. Always a slow waker, that not being helped by the near constant state of exhaustion he was in from travelling so far. It didn’t take long for him to scatter the ashes of his small fire in the undergrowth and have a quick meal of cold rations before he was off again on the final stretch of his journey.
It might have been the effects of food in his belly and a warm fire last night, or just the fact that his destination was close, but either way he could feel an extra spring in his step as he negotiated his way across the forest floor, hopping up and over roots and ducking to avoid being smacked in the face by various branches. The forest was calm, seeming almost isolated from the outside world, even the sun struggled to penetrate through the thick foliage, a positive as far as he was concerned, the sun beating down on him as he walked would make it more difficult and he’d be sweating in no time at all. He was quite happy as he was, the weather luckily had held so far, but if he was going to do a walk of this kind again he’d insure he was properly prepared next time, he’d managed this but maybe some better travel food or warm clothing would have done him quite well.
It was after several more hours of walking that he passed where he estimated his county’s boundaries were, there being no physical marker within the forest to say so meaning that it was more of a guess than anything else. It was another few after that before he actually came to what, if the banging of hammers was anything to go by, a forge. Kell looked down at his dirty clothes and slightly ragged appearance, not much of a way to make an appearance, but he had the necessary paperwork on him so what did it matter. First off he'd need to find who'd been running this place up until now and introduce himself, he felt no need to completely displace them and their insight into the land would probably be very helpful to him.
SM: 15/20
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Post by Kell Lo'Tharan on Dec 13, 2016 21:43:01 GMT -5
Kell stood in front of the sturdy wooden door, the pounding of the hammers from inside the forge in time with the beat of his heart, his heart seemingly as loud as the pound of metal on metal. Before his nerves gave way he knocked politely on the door a few times, quickly pulling back his hand. Near instantly the hammering sounds from inside ceased and a clatter could be heard, heralding heavy footsteps drawing closer and closer to the door.
The door was flung open with considerable force, stopped mere inches from the frame by a burly, calloused hand connected to a similarly muscled arm. Attached to said muscled arm was a similar body, and attached to that was a face that seemed set in it's scowl as if it had been carved into granite. In this one instant however it seemed to change to pure shock, the owner of said face craning their neck out of the doorway and looking about frantically before grabbing Kell in one hand and near flinging him into the building.
"What you doing out there, you got yourself a death wish Drokagr??" The man exclaimed, his voice rough and low, yet tinged with something that sounded like worry. "Don't ya know it's a death wish for your kind to be out and free now? The kingdom will kill you and probably us to boot" Shaking his head wearily and leaning back against a table. The inside of the building was fairly cluttered, really only a large workshop with a small sleeping room attached, tables of tools, offcuts and clutter were piled everywhere, everything neatly stacked or gathered yet looking messy for the pure amount of it cramped in one space.
Kell's look of shock must have been plain on his face because the man barely paused, sighing once again before talking, "You mean you don't know? The crown's law? Anyone other than pure bred patriotic Cruinthians is now a slave in all but name." At the word patriotic his eyes rolled heavily, so much so that for a moment Kell was worried they'd roll right out of his head.
It took a moment for Kell to formulate a response to this information, if it happened then it happened while he was travelling, he'd not been through any crown owned country since Hillsfar, and that had been long enough back that the law could have reasonably passed since. That was of course if he chose to believe this man, there was the possibility it was made up, but in Kell's mind unlikely seeing as the blacksmith had nothing to gain from it as far as he could see. "I've been travelling, from Hillsfar. Probably not the best time for this to happen nor will you be happy to hear it i'd assume, but i'm here as the new count." It was great, just great, what was supposed to be his happy arrival was bittersweet already with this news that could already crush him before he'd even been here a few minutes.
At this the blacksmith stopped his sighing and instead looked directly at the young Drokagr, examining him with the eyes of a hawk before speaking again, "Law says Drokagr can't hold land anymore, we don't want trouble here." His voice low and his speech slow as the words came out. Kell could see where this was coming from, the man was afraid that inserting Kell into the position he'd come for would cause trouble with the crown, it was a valid fear.
"I'd come to believe that this province was no longer the concern of the crown? They rule it not even in name anymore, this area belongs to the RJG from what I understand, has the law been passed with them?" He wasn't leaving here, he'd travelled too far. "Who speaks for this county currently?" He asked, of course he'd need to speak it over with the person in charge, it was them he really needed to convince if he was going to get his way. The answer he got however was not really the one he'd expected, "We don't have much of a government within the county, no proper settlements that need it. I guess if you had to say someone was in charge, most of them will listen to me when need be" The blacksmith grudgingly admitted, seemingly not wanting to admit his responsibility for the area. "The name's Kevin Smith" Reaching out a meaty hand to clasp Kell's similarly offered appendage before pulling it back again and resuming his post leaning against the wall. "Kell Lo'Tharan, my pleasure to meet you. Then you are the man I need to talk to?" His only answer was a brief nod while Kevin thought things through. He could see where Kevin might have trouble, technically speaking having a Drokagr in charge even within lands not currently under the control of the crown could cause trouble, if the crown found out that was.
SM: 14/20
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Post by Kell Lo'Tharan on Dec 13, 2016 22:09:10 GMT -5
"Law says I should boot you out now, or send you to the nearest garrison. Can't bring myself to do it though, you don't seem bad and i've got nothing against your kind." He admitted. His worries partially stemmed from the law against Drokagr owning anything, and also from his inbuilt fear of change, having a new Lord in would upset everything, he'd want to do things his way
"Give me a chance? All I want is good for the people here. If the crown comes looking for me you can hand me over and say I imposed tyrannical rule over you all?" He gave this more as a way out clause for Kevin and the people who actually lived here. He was sure that if he was portrayed as a dictator the crown wouldn't hurt the people here? To his knowledge of humanity that was correct...right? Kevin seemed to think so, or at least look slightly happier with the way things were going now.
Kell was fighting for his desire to do good as it stood, to think the crown should pass such a law was near unthinkable, surely the rest of the non-humans within Cruinthe's borders would feel the same. To think that the crown could in one swoop render them all as near enough nothing was beyond barbaric, someone would fight back against it, they had to, if not now then definitely at some point, if no one else then the Skaldi certainly would, they'd shown they weren't afraid to face the humans. If they went into the fray Kell at this point wasn't sure if he'd remain his usual nature or end up charging in there after them, how dare they demean the Drokagr like that. It was either fight or go underground and live out in hiding for those who the law had effected.
Hiding, a thought sprung into Kell's mind, "I have a proposition for you. What if I were to say that you acted as my stand in. You be the face of the county." At Kevin's rapidly worsening look Kell rushed on with his explanation. "Just until this mistake is overturned, or we find a way to circumvent it. To go around it. I'll take on all of the responsibilities that the recognised Count usually would, but in the eyes of the public you would be the Count."
Kevin's brow furrowed deeper, something Kell hadn't thought initially would even be possible, yet it had happened. The blacksmith thought over the implications, with him as the figurehead they wouldn't be under scrutiny or attack from the Crown for having a non-human lord, and the boy would take on the responsibility of the position. He'd be Count in nothing but name, but it would protect his county, whilst also giving this boy a chance to prove himself, if it came to it he could still just as easily kick the boy out later at minimal risk to him and his. "I'll give you a chance. First whiff of trouble though and you're on your ass or in chains. Got me?" He was by no means a dumb person, just uneducated. The boy could improve things if given the chance, but he'd have to be kept on a tight leash. "And anything you do you run by me." He said, jabbing a soot stained thumb into his own chest.
SM: 13/20···················································9mk2P_6G
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Post by Kell Lo'Tharan on Dec 13, 2016 22:38:10 GMT -5
"Manor house is just to the north of this Smith, old Count liked to be close enough to get his orders in quick as possible. It's in serviceable condition, might just need a lick of paint. You're welcome to it still." Kevin explained, seeing Kell's expression brighten at his minor success, drew him back to the time when he'd made his first horseshoe. "Gladly, doesn't look like you've got much room here for another" Kell replied, looking about once again at all of the stacks of tools on every available surface.
"What can I expect then? In the way of Infrastructure?" Seeing Kevin's blank look he elaborated, "Production? obviously smithing is on the list if this room is anything to judge by but other than trees around i'm not sure of much else." It took a moment for Kevin to actually figure out what the newly minted Count meant, and then he gave a slight chuckle before his response, "Well the woodcutter's burnt down a few months back. The mine's flooded then collapsed in the storms a while back and the farm half ruined by a herd of salamanders passing through. Bitten off more than you can chew?" He said the last with a laugh at the boy's expense. See if he could sort that out, it'd take more than youthful ideas there. "Where's the tools? We need to get them going again as fast as we can surely? How haven't they been repaired yet? How has this place even survived with no wood, lumber or ore? Or food for that matter? I'm surprised you've lasted so long." Kevin stood shocked for a minute that the boy had bounced back so quick, eyebrows raised for once before he realised himself and lowered them again. "They went with the buildings. And got no iron in yet this month, ya can go try the caravan if you like, might be out on the highway if your lucky."
Near before he'd finished the sentence Kell was making preparations, 'borrowing' a large woolen jacket he'd seen and asking Kevin to prepare him as much food as he could take on such a journey. It was a shame really that he didn't have a bag or anything of the lie to store it all in, but maybe he'd commission one when they had some materials to use, and for that they'd need tools.
SM: 12/20
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