It has been many years since Amelia's capture at the hands of steppe raiders. An unfortunately common fate of many women, and hers was no different. Not too long after her initial capture she was sold off to many different men and women, many of them cruel and barbaric. Others who were captured alongside you were either taken by other buyers or perished on the journey, and it wasn't until you reached the frozen tundras of the Vaegirs you found an opportunity to escape.

Your previous master was an aspiring lord, a wandering knight who had taken you and many other women as part of his harem, after slaying the previous bandits who had brought you already. Far from noble, he expected you to serve him faithfully for his "rescue", and despite his arrogance he was indeed very skilled with a sword. Fortunately for you, one of the other slave women was willing to distract him, smuggling you and the others the key to escape while she spent the night with him. During that time you were able to carry off some equipment, mostly loot from previous battles. You escaped alone, the others having gone their separate ways to flee from the knight should he realize what had happened and gives chase. However for better or for worse, a blizzard had struck that night, hiding your trail but threatening your life.

After a sleepless night of running you manage to reach the village of Sumbuja, where you took refuge in a farm house. The place looked well enough but there wasn't much in the way of livestock or crops: it must've been winter now, and with it everyone was housed inside just trying to survive. At the very least, it wasn't snowy down here, so you were able to find a dirt road leading south, taking you to the city of Reyvadin. All sorts of folks were coming and going, farmers coming to market, merchants to trade with townsfolk, mercenaries looking to sell their blades, or soldiers awaiting their next orders. However by the time you arrive it was already nightfall, and you barely managed to get inside before the gates were closed. Honest folks were already heading indoors, and the city was big enough for you to get lost in without people to give direction.

Tired, hungry, and cold, you would wander the streets looking for an inn when you could hear the rasp of a blade being drawn. Behind you was a lone man, wearing a masked helm that hide his identity. He cursed under his breath: you had spotted him before he could've ambushed you. There was no guard in sight, and you could hear nary a whisper from the buildings around you. You seemed to be alone, and this man knew it as he came charging right at you, blade in hand, looking to take either your money or your life. He must've been following you because you could see that you had walked right into a dead-end alley as well: the only way to escape was pass him. Now you must act, less you suffer the fate you had already worked so hard to escape.

Amelia cursed at the sight of the man charging her. She didn't have much time to think as she was backed up into a dead end. Her hand fell to her side, gripping the worn leather hilt and pulling a short sword from the scabbard tied at her waist, barely managing to grip it. So cold, tired.... She was unsure if she'd have the strength to fend off this attacker, but she had come so far! She had to try!

"Leave me alone!" she yelled out, her voice hoarse and dry from so long of never using it, she sounded almost like a stranger to herself. Amelia learned long ago to keep quiet and do as told or suffer further punishments. "Please," she said, the last part barely a whisper and mostly to herself to hold on and prepare for the fight.

She steadied herself, staring the man down and waited... waited until he was close enough she could side step him and swing the blade at a downwards angle towards his arm. Being no expert, she felt her grip falter a little, but was quick to tighten her grip again and drive the edge of the blade towards the man.

Your words seem to fall on deaf ears, an experience you know all too well. The man continued his charge, raising his blade above his head to strike. At the very least you could tell this man was no soldier: the raiders who took you had better form than this thug. No doubt he simply expected his size and ferocity to make up for any deficiencies in his technique. Were you a peasant this would've been enough to end you, but at the last moment before he brought down his blade you were able to dodge him and tried to cut his arm. Instinctively, he raised his hand to block, getting cut across the forearm. He had a thick layer of cloth as a makeshift form of armor, but even that didn't prevent him from getting cut by your blade. He grunted in pain, having to switch to his less dominant but uninjured arm and began to swing wildly at you in close-quarters. It was hard to tell if this man was trying to take you alive or not: he certainly wasn't trying to be careful.

Fortunately the man's wild swings, as scary as they are, were predictable since he treated his sword more like a club than a blade, making exaggerated movements to try to get the most force out of each swing, which would give you more than enough time to dodge him. It doesn't seem like he was trying too hard to defend himself despite your ability to fight back, presumably he expects you to go down easily. As you dodge his blows, he lunges and stabs his sword, missing you shoulder and his blade plunges into a wooden pillar. For a second, he is stuck, giving you a chance to act.

"Stop it!" she yelled out once more at the man, gritting her teeth against the cold that started to sting her hands.

But, it seemed her words once more fell on deaf ears as the man continued his attacks. Thankfully he was slow, unbalanced, making it easy to dodge this way or that, but sometimes barely getting out of the way. Unless an opportunity arose, Amelia was unsure how much longer she'd be able to keep at this. Each hit of their swords rang through her body, wreaking havoc on an already weakened form.

Finally... Like some unspoken miracle, the man got his sword stuck! She knew she didn't have much time to think, and did the first possible thing she could think of. He was still so close as he tried to free his weapon from the pillar, she snuck out from between him and the pillar, lifted a hand and yanked the helm from his head before raising the pommel of her sword and bringing it own to the back of his head. She heard a sickening thud as the two connected, and watched as his form stiffened for a second before slumping to the ground with a groan.

Unsure if he was just knocked out, or worse, Amelia sheathed the sword and looked around once she got to the end of the alley way. It was still quiet and no one was seen. She glanced back over her shoulder at the body still on the ground, frowned, then left and quickened her steps as she searched for a tavern, inn, something still showing signs of life she could find safety at for now.

The man barely manages to pull his blade out before you strike him down. He grunts, trying to grip his head but ends up just dropping to the ground in pain. Eventually he passes out, leaving you alone in the alleyway. For now. As you moved out from the alleyway two figures approached. One was a dark-haired man, he looked like a Kherjit. Strange, considering you were far from Kherjit lands. And with him was an orc. Only a little bit taller than you, but better armed and armor. He wore banded iron and had a large polearm on his back. Looked well kept. "Whoa there! Are you all right? Well.... I guess you're alive, at any rate. I'm not sure that we can say the same for the other fellow. That's one less thief to trouble the streets at night, although Heaven knows he won't be the last.... Anyway, maybe you can help me with something. Let's talk more inside. Out here, we don't know who's listening." The man motions you to a nearby inn. The orc stays silent, but he doesn't seem to be paying too much attention to you, but rather to the others around you. It was like he was on the look out for something.

Amelia turned to the man, nodding her head quickly, though she still looked pretty startled over the ordeal. "I... I didn't mean to kill him... Did I? I was just trying to get away," she stammered, glancing back towards the alley she had left, then back to the two with her now, taking them in for a brief moment.
The one speaking with her looked a lot like someone from her lands, which was odd, but then again, they were the wandering type. It wouldn't be too far stretched to say they wandered off, as unlikely as it was since her people tried sticking together more often than not. The other, the orc, she knew of them but had never seen one in person, or at the very least this close up. But he seemed busy looking. So, Amelia turned her attention to the other and followed him to the inn, keeping her head low as a gust of wind picked up and whipped her hair about.
"I-I don't know what I can help with," she answered softly, chewing at her bottom lip. "But I will try." If for now it meant getting out of the cold and a chance to fill her belly.

The two would lead you to an inn, which seemed fairly busy. Lots of drinking and merriment here you'd almost forget that thus place was barely a hundred feet away from a violent assault. The kherjit man takes you to his room, with the orc staying near the door looking out into the hall. After a few minutes he looked to the kherjit and nods. Then the man looks to you.

"My name is Bagai, I am a merchant and Craftsman of the Laspada caravan. We've always had brigands in the hills, driven to banditry by war, debt, or love of violence. Recently, however, they've been getting bolder -- leaving their camps in the wild and venturing into town, looking for unwary prey. The watch commander tell us it's because of all the fighting on the frontiers -- fewer men to keep an eye on the streets -- but I'm not sure what to make of that. It seems to me that the most logical explanation is that these bandits have an ally inside the walls, who helps them enter unnoticed and helps them identify particularly tempting targets... Yesterday, you see, they took my brother."

Bagai takes out a flask of wine and see bread from his pack, setting them down onto the table before you. He pours himself a cup and breaks some bread to share with you. Unlike your hard tact in your rations, this bread was fresh, fluffy, with a hint of nutty sweetness. "My brother and I was staying here to do some work for the Merchants Guild. Pay was well enough but he was restless and wanted something more exciting. So he started fighting in the arena, trying to be the last man standing. Eventually, he succeeded and earned himself a tidy purse of silver. However a fool and his money was soon parted. Went to the tavern and brought drinks, boasting about his wealth. Drunk and wounded he left the tavern before I could find him and... He was kidnapped. Right in front of me. They managed to smuggle him out of the city before I could go get help. I've no doubt they intend to send me a ransom soon, which I don't intend to pay."

Bagai looked to you, fingers clasped as he looks to to you directly. "So here's my proposition. You look like you've had a bit of experience with a blade -- and more importantly, you must have a bit of fire in your belly, or you would've kneeled over once that thug showed up. So here's what I'm asking you to do: track down these bandits to their liar, teach them a lesson they won't forget, and get my brother back safe. Naturally, you shall not be going alone. In return, you'll earn my lasting gratitude and a bit of silver. What do you say?"

Amelia followed silently, but looked around the inn as she followed. Looking for all exits, quick escapes.... She was still unsure of this man and his intentions, she wanted to be sure she could leave as quickly as possible if needed. She was rather hesitant to enter the room, her steps faltering at the threshold, but a quick glance to the orc with them, she walked inside, making a mental note where she placed her knife so she could grab it.

Sitting down, she would listen to Bagai, thanking him as he offered the bread and ate it while he spoke. It might not have been much, but it was food, and much better than the rations she had been eating for days now. If not for the story she was being told, she might have started crying. but she remained relatively stoic, only nodding when appropriate in breaks of speech. When he was finished, Amelia swallowed hard, unsure how to answer.

Sucking in her bottom lip, she looked to the table between them and rolled over his words. A small sigh finally escaped past her lips. "I'm much better with a bow, if I'm honest," she replied with a small shrug of her shoulder. "As for not giving in to the cowardice of that man, well I have many reasons but I have certainly come too far to be put down by the likes of him." Gaining a little courage, she looked back to Bagai. "I wish to help, I know how painful it can be to be torn from family and loved ones.." There was a pause, almost like she might decline the offer. Would she really be of any help in this matter? And she still needed to recover from even getting here.

"I will help, but I hate to admit I will need sleep and rest before I can venture on much more myself.. It... It has been a few long days on foot."

"Of course. I'm thankful that you'll help. Honestly, if I hadn't found help soon I might've left to save him myself, and likely would've just ended up bleeding out in the woods somewhere. Here, take this." Bagai hands you a pouch of coins. 100 Denarius. "I don't expect you to do this out of the goodness of your heart, so here is some payment. Use it to buy whatever you need. Food, room, maybe some equipment. When you're ready just come see me here. I won't be going with you since I need to follow up with some leads here, but Malakaus can go with you." Bagai motions to the orc. He nods quietly, opening the door for you. "It's late now so go ahead and rest. Tomorrow we can discuss more about what to do. I can only hope that we aren't going to be too late."

Amelia let the bag of coin sit on the table between then, hesitant to take it. When it came to matter of exchanging money, she was used to other services needing rendered first, and never once did she see that coin. A shaky hand finally came forth and clutched the bag, lifting it from the table and tucking it away. Getting up, she bowed her head a little towards Bagai. "Thank you, sir," she said softly.

As she turned to leave, she only paused long enough to glance up at the orc, Malakaus he was called, nodded her head and left. A little ways down from the room, she stopped and looked down at the pouch of coin on her. What on earth had she just gotten herself into?! It would be foolish to run, and she had done enough of that as is. But to find someone she didn't even know, and fight off who knows how many people to do so... A heavy sigh left her as she trudged back out to the main room of the inn where there was still plenty of merriment happening and drinks to be had. Here she would secure a room for the night and get a little bit more food and drink for herself, taking the plate and tucking herself away into a less occupied corner, watching the room with wary eyes.

It was unfortunately uneventful for the rest of your night. The most I retesting thing was people getting a bit too rowdy, dancing and singing loud enough that the innkeeper had to kick out the drunks, but nothing major. Malakaus came down and had himself dinner as well, singing along with the innkeeper minstrel to some poem about life in the Veiger north and the beasts there. He didn't seem to notice you, or perhaps he was ignoring you. Either way it was getting late with most of the patrons going home or to their room. Soon it was just Malakaus, the innkeeper, and you left.

Amelia kept to herself most of the night, the only interaction she really had was if she needed refills on her drink. Otherwise she just observed everyone, being extra cautious if others got too close or too rowdy. Still, it was a nice change of pace compared to the last few days, and knowing she would have a bed to sleep in for once seemed to put her at ease, for the time being anyways.

When she noticed Malakaus finally, she pondered if she should introduce herself. They would be working together, but he seemed relatively content keeping to himself. Once the crowds cleared out a bit more, Amelia finished off her last drink and cleaned off her plate before getting to her feet. From there, she slowly closed the distance between herself and Malakaus and bowed her head to him. "We never get to properly greet... My name is Amelia."

The orc looked to be writing something down when he saw you approach. He closed his journal and looked up to you with a small smile and a nod. "Malkus. Bagai is always getting my name wrong." Malkus takes a drink from his flagon and examines you closely. As if sizing you up. "You seem nervous. From your dishevel look and lack of supplies... You're a runaway. Who captured you? Nords? or Vaegir?" From the look of him, Malkus seems to have seen many roads. His hands were rough, almost gnarled, and though he wore a mask you could see faint cuts and scars on his face. His hair was in long braids, a style not to dissimilar to what some nords wear when their hair gets long. His attire however looked Rhodok: the styling of his pants, boots, and tunic weren't anything local, and they almost looked fancy, though from the stitches and patches it's obvious that Malkus' outfit has been through a lot. Unlike before he doesn't seem to have any weapons or armor with him, not even a dagger.

"Malkus?" she repeated, raising a brow. "Much easier to pronounce at least," the woman admitted with a shrug of her shoulder. But she stiffened up a little when he questioned about her capture. Was it that obvious?

Amelia's gaze darted about the room real quick, as if double checking to make sure they were the only ones there. Pulling herself up into a seat, but still keep one between them, she shook her head. "I honestly don't remember who took me in the first place, it's been years. I think. I've lost track of time after so long counting." She paused a moment, folding her hands together while stroking the back of her thumb with the other. "I know I made it to Vaegir days ago, that's where me and some others managed to escape but I ran... and now I am here."

Amelia looked over to him, looking him over real quick herself. "Where is it you come from?"

"Rhodok Republic. Small village in the mountains." Malkus says as he figures that you didn't want to talk too much about your experience. At least his suspicions were true. "Been years since I've been there though. Don't even remember what it's called anymore. So I've been a mercenary instead, though that's mostly just guarding caravans. Works easy enough I suppose. Get to travel a lot and with a competent caravan master the trip usually isn't too risky. This whole... Incident with Esur, that's Bagai's brother by the way, is certainly a change of pace." Malkus finishes writing in his journal before putting the boot away into a pouch on his belt. From how snug it fit, it seemed like the pouch was specifically for his journal. "What about you? Where was your home? You don't look Swadian, and I'm guessing you're not Vaegir otherwise you would've ran back to your hometown. Nordic?"

She remained quiet as he spoke, occasionally her eyes would glance up to him before dropping to her hands in her lap again. Clearly there were a lot of habits she would have to break from the past years of captivity. "Sounds familiar, it's possible I've passed through there once before but I can't be sure."

Amelia gave a small shrug of her shoulders before answering him in return. "I'm from Khergit myself, pretty quiet life for the most part just moving here and there. I had this beautiful horse, too, but I don't know if she is still around anymore.." There was a sadness on her face as she spoke, and an almost far off look in her eyes as she remembered her life. "Anyways.. I am not sure what I will do with my life, but for now I will help Bagai and his brother, I just hope I will not be of any hinderance. I'm not a warrior, nor skilled in fighting much."

Getting up from her seat, she gave Malkus a small nod of her head. "I'm going to get some rest so I can be up early enough and find some stuff I need before we leave. It.. It was nice to speak with you." She turned from him so she could find her room.

Once there she stripped off the outermost layer of clothing and kicked off her boots. Looking down at herself, she winced at her appearance. Bruises in varying stages of healing covered parts of her, minor cuts here and there. But for the most part she was just sore and tired. She crawled into the bed and curled up under the blanket. It took some time before she could fall asleep from not having had a decent bed in so long to herself, but exhaustion won and pulled her into a dreamless sleep for the night.

Either by habit or by chance, Amelia would awaken shortly before dawn. She could just barely see the glimpse of orange on the horizon through her window. It was almost tempting to stay in bed, for it was warm under the covers but cold in her room. If or when she would awaken, she would hear some bustling in the tavern. Seems like the owners were already awake and getting ready for the day. There were very few patrons here, and what few were here seemed to only be stopping by to drop off cargo and supplies, as no sort of morning meal had been ready yet. That being said Bagai and Malkus were awake and seemed to be eating from their own supply of bread and dried fruits. Bagai seemed to be talking about something with Malkus but he was speaking in a hush, serious tone. Shortly after Bagai would leave in quite a hurry out of the door while Malkus stayed to finish his meal. Unlike before, he was fully suited up this time.

Amelia groaned as she lay in bed, contemplating if she really wanted to leave the bed. It might not have been the best, but to her it was heaven compared to what she was used to. And it was warm, the room still felt cold, she could feel it on the tip of her nose. But when she turned her head, she saw the small pouch of coin she was given last night.
"You promised," she whispered, then forced herself from the bed and dressed herself in the same things she had before. She did take the time to untangle her hair some and brush out what she could before braiding it down her back, but otherwise she looked the same disheveled and unsure woman she was before.
Gathering up the few possessions she had, she went downstairs to grab a drink at least, deciding to save a much coin as she could for equipment for her new adventure. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she had seen the back of Bagai just disappear through the door, and spotted Malkus on his own eating.
Giving him a quick nod of greeting, she moved to the bar and grabbed a drink, something to help warm her up a bit, before making her way to Malkus.

"M-may I?" she asked, a little timidly, gripping the mug of warm cider in both her hands and keeping it close to her chest. It was almost child-like in how she stood there, head down but looking to Malkus through her lashes, her shoulders slunched forward as if she was trying to wrap them around her and appear as small as possible.

Malkus looks over to you with a nod. He motions her to sit as he takes out another loaf of bread, with some dried fruit, a few strips of salted jerky, and cold peas. "Eat. We'll need to save money for gear soon. Bagai found a lead on his brother. Couple of travelers stopped by and reported being attacked by a gang of bandits. Saw them hauling some prisoners in a cart. Bagai thinks his brother might be there too. He's gone off to scout, so we need to get yourself ready for the trip." Finishing his meal, Malkus puts the rest of his rations away and waits for you to finish as well. He will let you keep it, as he has plenty to spare.

"When you're done eating, give me your sword. I'll head over to the guild to get it worked on. I can tell just from it's handle it's in terrible shape, so let me sharpen it up before you need it. While I do that you should go see about buying a horse. We can travel faster that way, and on an open field we can out maneuver any ambush. One last thing: stay out of trouble. Like Bagai said yesterday, chances are the guard works with the thieves and it's impossible to know who to trust, especially since you're a foreigner here. If you run into trouble head to the merchant's guild. They're at the center of town and have a big emblem with scales and coin, you can't miss it."

Sliding into the seat across from Malkus, she took a few more sips of the warm drink and watched as he produced some extra food. As someone who only had so much to eat, and had food used against her for years now, she was careful to take it, almost as if she was waiting for him to take it away as a sick joke.

As he spoke about needing gear, she nodded quickly. "Yeah, I will need to find something other then these rags to wear I'm sure... Do you know a good place here to get a bow? If I'm going to be of any help I could use something I am familiar with." Taking a piece of dried fruit, she nibbled on it slowly, savoring it. It might not be the most savory dish, but to someone used to eating stale bread and halfway rotten foods, it tasted rather divine. When she finished that piece, she popped one more small piece into her mouth before adjusting herself and slowly undid the belt that held the sword in place and handed it to Malkus.

"I'm honestly surprised it was of any use last night," she muttered quietly. How she managed to escape the man last night was beyond her, all she knew is that she didn't want to be captured again, not after risking so much to get free. Sighing, she looked to Malkus again and nodded at his words about the guard. "I'll do my best to stay out of trouble. Where will we meet?"