Avatar of Shoe Thief

Status

Recent Statuses

3 yrs ago
Current Cleaning day! Made a ton of progress and even found my long lost DS and my missing laundry card that still has a lot of credits on it. Found it in my winter coat of all places go figure.
2 likes
4 yrs ago
Finally got into D&D. Now I feel trapped and I am in love. Should I ask for help or ask where I can get more dice?
2 likes
4 yrs ago
Breaks ups are weird. Not sure how to feel about the other person, or about yourself. It hurts for sure, but it's weird and uncomfortable just how different things seem now.
2 likes
4 yrs ago
I get that dude. Could be one of those days, in the smae boat myself. Hope you're doing better soon though!
1 like
4 yrs ago
It's an ass kick ass world out there. And all we can do about it is keep kicking ass .

Bio

Welcome to my profile! I decided I needed to update this, and I don't have much for updating... Only in a single role-play right now, so far it's going really well!

Most Recent Posts

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Kathryn Pyke
Human, Battle Master, Level 03
HP: 31 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A
Location: Infamous Pear
Action: N/A
Bonus Action: N/A
Reaction: N/A

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Normally Kathryn could sleep like a freshly laid stone on a newly mortared foundation. She had some issues this night though. Mostly the comings and going of traffic, and sharing a room with people who were unfortunately still strangers to her. It was also not helped by the fact that she was not only the first to bed, but the last to wake up. Donning her armor and weapons she prepared for the day. Though she didn't expect to get into combat today she figured it was better safe then sorry. As she finished getting ready she hoped that the groups internal problems had burned out, if things picked up again they would need to be put towards a stop before they were allowed to rekindle again.

The morning was calm compared to the night before. What did catch Kathryn's attention was the amazing smell of Breakfast. Kathryn picked up her pace and made her way towards the table each step in her full gear sounding like a fast paced march. At the table already was Marita, Victoria, and Kosara. "Mornin' Ladies." She spoke with a tone of someone who had already downed there morning coffee and was ready to enthusiastically take on the day. She then took notice of Guido who explained another letter and their current situation.

While he spoke Kathryn proceeded to start loading up her plate with the various breakfast foods. Bacon, fancy breads, eggs, sausages, jams and butter, and most important, Bacon. She listened in as he spoke going through her breakfast as he did. They would be receiving locals support but not from the local Sheriff directly. Seemed pretty strait forward, though that does remove the man for potential questioning about the letter situation. Maybe his support man will know something about it? "Thank you very much." She said towards May as she brought over morning tea. She turned to face Guido as well. "And thank you too for your assistance." With tea and breakfast in hand there was nothing that could stop the Half Giant from ruling her day now.

Kathryn took a few more bites of her food before speaking. "SO where are we startin' today? Askin' locals about the missing people? Retracing the letters to find the hiccups? Splitting up? Grouping up? Following up with those who have returned? Exploring the town outskirts? I'm open to options. Still pretty new to a lot of this stuff." Though the letter situation gave some concern towards internal trust she figured at this point she couldn't focus on that too much. Plus, if things went south she was still prepared for a fight if need be. Though she had no solid experience against spell casters should it come to that. Nor against stealth fighters or monks. She was a total expert at taking problems head on with brute force, but outside of that her experience was lacking. "Or we could just stay here and corner every single person who walks through those doors until we get some answers? I am game for a lot of options really." Then she continued with her breakfast.

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Kathryn Pyke
Human, Battle Master, Level 03
HP: 31 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A
Location: Infamous Pear
Action: N/A
Bonus Action: N/A
Reaction: N/A

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It seemed things at the table were getting tense. Marita's actions have caused retaliation actions from Hugh who seemed to be quickly losing his chill. Kathryn did take note of Hugh's comment about her drinking, even after she requested more. "It's gonna take more t'en a couple fist fulls of beer to bring me down." He did have legit concerns though. They were on a job, and if Kathryn kept drinking like this then she had little confidence in being able to hold her own in a fight. At this moment? Sure. In the morning? She held little concerns for hangovers and had needed considerably more alcohol for it to be a real concern. But there was no reason to test her luck now. Kathryn did tense up when Hugh called Kosara a pest. Was the timing of her comment great? No. But there was a more appropriate response then his follow up rant. Kathryn about stood up to call Hugh out, only being stopped by Kosara herself explaining the issues at hand. Kathryn wanted to step in and stop things from getting worse, but this area was not her strong suit. She had one real skill to her name outside of how much alcohol she could take. And it was being a mass of steel and muscle that was extremely difficult to bring down. It was moments like this where she wished she payed better attention to how Ser Lucas handled situations outside of the job proper.

Marita and Hugh went at it for a long while before things seemed to settle. Hugh made a comment about a leadership role and it made Kathryn think. Most jobs she has worked it had been with people who normally assigned ranks near the beginning of the quests or mission. Even then, she rarely found herself ranking higher then new recruits. "Let's see how tomorrow pans out before we decide who's leadin' who." Marita then took some time to further explain their situation at hand. The concern then being why the extra letters? And why them? "Experience yes, but how many of us are properly qualified for the job? I've pulled a fair share of guard duty, but I am still pretty new to a lot of this stuff. And Ser Lucas..." She hesitated before continuing. "He had a lot of his own issues for a while now. Or it could be..." She debated the words in her head. Maybe the alcohol was getting to her. "What if someone along the line of messaged letters wanted to get a bunch of specific people here who were not on the original roster?" She shrugged and did a little drunken chuckle. "But them's just be the thoughts of some drunken girl." Her chuckles continued a bit as she drank some more of her beer.

Kathryn gave a thanks to Mr. Hardy as he to them more drinks, and listened closely as Mr. Laurel spoke. At the tall comment Kathryn just grinned and spoke softly. "Aye." Room and board was explained, seemed strait forward overall. The only thing that made Kathryn uncomfortable was the fact that they would be sharing rooms. She supposed that should be expected considering the size of the party, and these were free rooms. The look of concern on her face at the comment was visible none the less. He explained some more details which gave Kathryn time to process her current situation. "I think I got my own thangs but thank ya very much for tha offer." She in this case was more worried for the poor halfing attempting to carry her pack of heavy junk and tools.

Victoria and Marita stepped off away from the table for a bit. Kathryn wondered what that was about, but as she wasn't the sneakiest of their party by any definition (Unless stepping on someone and putting them into a coma counted as stealth) she figured listening in wasn't going to do much for her either. They returned soon enough, and when they did Victoria and Kosara planned out a plan to perform for the tavern which Kathryn did admit sounded interesting but after continuing to down the new beers she wasn't sure how much she could stick around for. Kathryn found herself enjoying the music, as Victoria played and Kosara danced. She had to admit, it was not a common show for her to see but it did remind herself of a few of the places Ser Lucas would visit when Kathryn was growing up. Now that she thought about it, Kosara reminded Kathryn of some of the woman Ser Lucas would leave her with when he took jobs she was too young to join him on. The small tiefling seemed to struggle at times with her performance, but in the end pulled it off. With it coming to an end, she figured this was probably the best time to finish her food and beer off and crash in the comfy inn's beds.

The half giant of a woman downed her remaining beer and crammed what food was left on her plate before leaving for bed. Kathryn stood up and waited a moment to see if she would get dizzy. To her relief she was still steady and felt she still had most of her ability to function as a sober-ish person. Kathryn walked over to Kosara and Victoria. "Good Job ya two. T'was a good show." She went to scruff up Kosara's hair before going to bed, stopping again noticing the horns and stopped. Then decided petting the horns worked fine. She then turned to Victoria who stood almost two feet below her and scruffed her hair too. "Goooood night." She paused a moment realizing she may be slurring a bit. Maybe Hugh was right and she did have a few too many drinks. Oops.

She grabbed her bag and gear and walked her way towards the bedroom. In her tired drunken state each step sounded closer to a really slow paced march with the chain mail making it's own sets of noise with every step then a tired young girl making her way to a comfortable bed. Marita had already claimed the cot, so when Kathryn got to the top of the stairs and checked the two rooms she figured it didn't matter too much which one she took. She took a left and entered the two bedded bedroom and dropped her gear next to the bed. Then a dilemma came. She was comfortable with these new people, but was she comfortable enough to share an unprotected room with them? She wondered if sleeping in her armor was an acceptable option in this case either? She decided against it as she had been on the road a while, and not getting a good night's rest would likely only make things worse. She did however take her bedroll out of her bag to add more layers onto her bed. After doffing her armor she crawled into the bed furthest from the door with her long sword in it's sheath under the covers with her, and her two hand axes resting on the bedside by the bed. Once settled she wrapped herself and her sword up tightly, stretched, and found the next problem of her night. She grunted in frustration as her feet poked several inches out from the base of the bed. "Foeken' 'Ell." She knew this was a possibility, but it didn't make it much better. Rolled up into a newer fetal position which despite being less comfortable she was still covered in her many layers of blankets and bedding. Now with her shield resting comfortably-ish at her feet.

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Kathryn Pyke
Human, Battle Master, Level 03
HP: 31 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A
Location: Infamous Pear
Action: N/A
Bonus Action: N/A
Reaction: N/A

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Everyone took to the zone of truth differently. Some were visibly stressed or upset, some decided to just roll with it and see where it went. Despite how many beers Kathryn has had through the night she was still very functional. She was still able to take note of Victoria's string of comments where she seemed to try and avoid answering the question as long as possible before giving a rather short but sweet answer. Some list of grievances, then an offering of butter. In that moment Kathryn had remembered the dinner she had ordered and was feeling peckish again. Kathryn took her rye slices and dipped them into the communal butter before taking her bread back and trying it. "Aye, it is pretty good." She dipped her bread into it again before adding some of her beans and cheese to the bread again. If there was anything to distract her from her worries it was food and beer.

Marita took a moment to also explain more about how the zone of truth works. The woman though a little blunt with her actions and reasoning seemed at the very least fair about it. She took a moment to apologize which Kathryn greatly appreciated. It gave Kathryn the impression the woman was reasonable. Even offered her own bit of private information in a retribution of sorts. Devil worshipers, followed up by a language she had no understanding of. But listening to it sent chills down her spine as she listened t the woman before her speak it. A voice that though commanding at times wasn't unpleasant to listen too now chilled her. Kosara was another story entirely.

The little tiefling had a lot to say about Hugh's choice words which did pull a chuckle out of Kathryn. Soon after Kathryn had complained about her lack of beer the woman had called out to order some more. "What a great idea!" thought Kathryn. "Aye, same here please. More beer 'ould be great!" She thought about her pronunciation with these words. Maybe she had more to drink then she thought. She'd be crawling off to bed soon enough, more beer wouldn't cause her too much here. What surprised Kathryn was that Kosara spoke that strange chilling language as Marita. What also surprised Kathryn was how Kosara got her letter. She had just... found it? Kathryn thought that was rather amusing. "You are one strange little horned lady." She said with an amused tone that totally wasn't influenced by the beer. She reached out to pat her head and stopped trying to figure out where on her head she could pat without getting her hand caught on the horns before deciding to hold off for now.

Naivara had a story much like Kathryn's. With the key difference being the letter was for Naivara from a good friend, where Kathryn got here's instead of her old friend. The woman also got a chance to explain a bit about her lifestyle which Kathryn found amusing. She did explain the how odd it was for her to receive the letter as she didn't make much of a name for herself and she wasn't the easiest person to find. Though the woman tended to lean more towards living with nature Kathryn couldn't help but making comparisons. The closest she had to a permanent home at the moment was an Inn she had stayed in more then others. It was a popular spot for Ser Nathan in his down time. He knew people there, it was a good place to pick up work, and it was about as far from her old home as she could be. "Welcome back to the lands then Naivara." Kathryn spoke in a welcoming manner.

Though there was some tension within the newly formed party it seemed it was reaching a settling point. The party was well rounded, and seemed like it could handle a great many challenges should the need arise.

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Kathryn Pyke
Human, Battle Master, Level 03
HP: 31 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A
Location: Infamous Pear
Action: N/A
Bonus Action: N/A
Reaction: N/A

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It seems everyone who wanted to make an additional request had. Things ranged from modest things like Naivara's request for things that belonged to the woods, and towards magical items as requested by Hugh. Kathryn couldn't claim to be an expert of either, having minimal understanding of things magical, and herself not being sure what objects that would be that belonged to the forest. But she was excited to see where this mixed party from countless backgrounds would go. Kathryn herself hadn't had much in terms of a group of people to spend her days with. It was almost entirely Ser Lucas, his drinking buddies, and the women that he would drop her off with from time to time when he took jobs that taking herself along weren't too practical. She did take note of Victoria's comment about random acts of kindness. "I know how shocking? It'd be insane should something like that happen." Kathryn piped back in a joking tone.

It seemed her request would be granted though. A chance to update and properly replace a lot of her gear. No more cleaning rust off her person, no more chain links locking together until they snap, a chance to properly retire her family sword before it's wear and tear finally broke it. Though she did lack any formal location to keep it. No family mantel, no graves she could rest it on safely, but she could wrap it up until some time she could. She was tempted to rest it on Ser Lucas's grave, but she didn't trust a few of the locals enough to leave a sword of castle forged steel alone on a grave. And she'd rather not get into conflict with the local law of the inn she was calling home. The sheriff continued with everyone else's requests, only stopped by a sound that could only be described as Blunt Force Trauma. Kathryn's first instinct when hearing this was to stand up both of her hands reaching towards the handles of her axes, but stopping once she realized it wasn't things turning for the worst. She sat down slowly hoping that the others were too distracted by the commotion to notice her. On the plus side, food was on it's way out. Pork Pie, Potatoes, Rye slices with beans and cheese, and beer. She tore into her food at a pace that implied if she stopped for whatever reason she wouldn't be allowed to finish her food. Stopping only to sip her own beer.

She got the attention of warm tea but cold everything else tonight. That was fine for her but it was a good thing to note. Kosara attempted to keep the conversation going and help form some personal bonds within the party. Kathryn spoke while finishing up her current bites of food. "I can understand liking music. Can't say there is too much to say about me. Left home at a young age, traveled a lot, I enjoy beer and parties and fighting. Can't say there's much more interesting outside of that." What did catch Kathryn's attention through her annihilation of dinner was a comment made about the letters. There were only three letters sent out. Seeing as double that were turned in, Kathryn's mind turned towards suspicion. And u[on hearing this she stopped attacking her food and froze. She wondered about her own letter, and wondered about the others at the table. She sat back, her hands casually going down below the table, resting again on the hilts of her axes. Was this another trap? And if so who was in on it? She debated who she could take at the table. All in all she stood no chance against the whole table, but she believed if she could force any one member of the party into a one on one melee she'd have the advantage. In Martial prowess Marita looked like she could have put up a decent fight. Hugh too maybe. But if kept to a strait on Melee Kathryn hoped she held the advantage.

Kathryn was thinking up a strategy of how she would handle the situation at hand when Marita spoke. Zone of truth. And back to the letters we go. Marita explained her side first, then Hugh. Though Hugh's was more of him passing his own breaking point. Kathryn couldn't blame him, she wasn't far off herself. He was pissed, very pissed. Reasonably so. He did attempt to add to the mystery and to try and clear it up. What did surprise Kathryn was how he didn't immediately put any mistrust on the group itself. Was that an issue she had? That when things started to turn south she mistrusted those closest? She calmed herself slowly letting go of her axes again. That was twice in a short period of time she was ready to fight her way out. She took another sip of her beer to try and calm her nerves. She wondered for a moment how many she was on at the moment but in the chaos of things she couldn't be sure. Three? Four? She figured between that and a good meal she was still well within her own tolerance. Hugh did make use of his rant though, he formed a good starting point. The letters were a great thing to look at, something was clearly up with them.

Though Hugh had a point about Marita's sudden display of magic on her allies, Kathryn felt Marita was still in the right trying to clear things up as soon as possible. Kathryn stood up holding her beer as if it was the most important object in the room. "The letter I got isn't mine. It was never met for me. And if things had been just slightly different I likely would have never known about it's existence." She took a sip of her beer to help calm herself down. "It was originally meant for my mentor Ser Lucas, who had passed a couple months before it's arrival. Likely the sender not knowing he had already been buried in the ground. Having never taken a real quest of my own outside some simple guard duties I wanted a chance to prove myself, and as Ser Lucas's ward I convinced the messenger to give me the letter and decided to follow it." She chuckled a bit struggling talking about the past few months. "If I am being completely honest I was expecting to be kicked out the moment the sheriff showed up. My guess is he's desperate enough to just go with what he has. Or as Hugh suspects, he's not in his own best mind at the moment. Either way, here I am!" She spoke the last sentence with a bit of musical tone to it. "Stolen letter from the dead man that raised me!" She downed the rest of her beer in several long gulps and looked into it once it was gone. "foehckin 'ell, de beer is gahne" She spoke with her accent heavy before sitting back down in her chair. "Marita." She spoke with her eyes still locked on the empty cup of beer. "Your intentions were good, but trust is a two way street. Can I trust you to not do that again?" She looked up from her empty cup to lock eyes with Marita.

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Kathryn Pyke
Human, Battle Master, Level 03
HP: 31 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A
Location: Infamous Pear
Action: N/A
Bonus Action: N/A
Reaction: N/A

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Kosara seemed to take a lot of interest in Kathryn's explanation of family politics from back home. Apart of her wished she knew more off of the top of her head, or that she had time to share more. Her knowledge was limited to what she had learned by age 9, and what Ser Lucas had attempted to remember. Most of her own culture she learned in bars from drunken soldiers and workers late in the evening. Kathryn did take note to Victoria's behavior when talking about Music from Kosara's homeland. She thought it was odd at first, but the more she thought about it the more she realized that there was a conflict sometime back. Kathryn attempted to recall some of it, but most of what she did know came from stories of old veterans that Ser Lucas hung out with from time to time. In the moment of first hearing those stories she figured they were fictitious, but when recalling Victoria's mentioning of schooling she wondered if their bard was related to it. She seemed way too young for that though, and if rumors of the conflict were to be believed it had happened long before either of them were born. Unless Victoria was older then she looked?

It seemed Kathryn wasn't the only one worried about their copy of the letter, more of the party stepped off stage to continue their own adventures for now. Kathryn worried about her own copy of the letter. Though it was authentic, it wasn't her letter. It had belonged to her now late mentor Ser Lucas. But as the Sheriff continued his inspection, she wasn't called out. Yet. Either the letters were not as specific as was implied by the messenger, or the Sheriff may not have wanted to cause a scene here over it. Either way, it was a win for Kathryn. The tall warrior hadn't noticed how quiet things have gotten until she heard the commotion within the kitchen. Once it had settled a bit things continued with nothing else to distract from it.

Kathryn listened intently as the situation was explained to them. Missing people. A fair number of them, and those returning acting a lot more strange then expected. Kathryn wasn't sure what she expected when she accepted the invitation. Maybe something closer to a "Go here and stab these people" kind of mission, or another protection job. She leaned in while listening, her elbows resting on the table, and her head on her closed hands as she tried to pick up as much as she could. Despite the concerns of the situation, she was thrilled, excited even for a chance of a real adventure. But this? It was something that would test all of her skills to accomplish. There were internal conflicts holding the good Sheriff back that contractors such as herself and the party would not face, conflicts that Kathryn wanted some clarification on but Marita had cleared up the bulk of them before Kathryn got the chance to ask them. She had to admire the headlong actions of the woman. This almost seemed like something she had experience in the way she was asking questions. Hugh had brought up additional question on both pay and the quest at hand. Many of which were questions Kathryn found useful but were ones she wouldn't even consider asking mostly as they would have never occurred to her to ask. She held an expression of both wonder and concern as this party took control of the situation around her. But she was starting to worry she was way out of her league, and thought back to Marita's comment of being dead weight to the party.

Hearing talk of goblins had gotten Kathryn's attention rather well. Though her experience was limited, her castle forged steel blade had come across plenty of Goblins on her adventures. Given the chance, she could cleave her sword into a goblin the way a child would swing a large stick through some drapes. This was where Kathryn excelled rather well. With how things were looking her best bet was to not drag the party down too much outside of combat, and once in a battle situation unleash a hell upon her enemies in a way that proved her usefulness. Kosara did bring up the concern of those who were still missing, dragging Kathryn's thoughts back to the mission. Figuring out what happened to these people, and solving the problem.

Kathryn took a moment to think of things she needed before accepting the sheriff's offer. She looked down at her chainmailed body, taking note of the rust she had attempted to sand out several times. The armor was nearing the end of it's life when Kathryn first got it some time ago. Made of several pieces of armor, nicely patched together all things considering to form one set that fit her rather well. But there was only so much repairing and replacing of parts she could do to this old set before it wasn't able to keep up anymore. In that moment she took note of spots with visibly newer links then the rest of the armor, but of worse quality overall. Places she had patched herself after Ser Lucas had passed. "If this turned out to be something pretty major..." She broke contact from her chain mail and made eye contact with Sheriff Arbalest. "A good chance to rearm and re-equip myself would be much appreciated. If things turn out to be a rather normal situation then it wont be needed. But it would be rather helpful and if you're open to it we can work out specifics later based on how things go?" If nothing came of this, she gets some housing and food for a while. But much of her gear was at the end of it's life. Her family sword though it was well made wasn't made for nearly 15 years of constant use on top of whatever use her father put on it, and his father before him, and whoever had used it before them. Apart of her wondered if her father knew it was old enough to only serve limited use, and such why he normally left it hung up instead of wearing it on his side?

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Kathryn Pyke
Human, Battle Master, Level 03
HP: 31 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A
Location: Infamous Pear
Action: N/A
Bonus Action: N/A
Reaction: N/A

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The party had a new arrival that joined before the sheriff arrived. Jorlton Forpara, a magical gnome who claimed some wizarding magic. Kathryn with an understanding of magic that generally boiled down to "Magic is magic, some people just do it differently" So she had little reason to doubt the claims. Gnomes were also shorter then Kathryn had expected, though she wondered if that was a bias on her part as most people were shorter then her.

Kosara was still all over Kathryn as if the tall woman was the most interesting thing to ever happen in her life. Though it appeared her Grandfather figure in her life was also pretty important to her, saved her life, and raised her from time to time. "Bigger then I? That is a sight to see. When this is all over I'd love to meet him!" Kosara seemed to have a strong interest in Kathryn's noble heritage too. That was a bit more of a touchy subject to Kathryn, but she doubted that Kosara had any malice to worry about. "To keep it short, I don't know how it works here but back home most of those titles are inherited. They can be awarded or granted, but most are inherited. To get them awarded if you are not nobility, or if you are lesser nobility looking to rise up, you need to preform feats that can not be repaid in thanks in any other known or possible way." She tried to think of an example she could use, but after a moment of thinking she held off. "I can tell you about some of it later if you'd like." The only one she could think of would be her mentor Ser Lucas, but it was a bit more emotionally stressful then she wanted to deal with at the moment.

A small woman came out soon enough and what Kathryn quickly noticed was how fast people got out of her way the same way many people stepped out of Kathryn's way to avoid being stepped on. Kathryn figured it must be a local reputation that others knew to be careful of. She came up to ask about orders and Kathryn had to think for a moment almost missing her chance to ask the woman for her order. "The pork pie sounds lovely. And some of those potatoes please! And if I could get some of those rye slices with beans and cheese that would be even better! Would it be possible to get some more beer?" It was a free meal, and Kathryn had missed a few recently on her travels due to timing issues and stock with a poor shelf life being the only things available on much of her travels. Kathryn took note of the other martial of the group leaving to find a privy, Leaving Kathryn as the main Martial and a few who could hold their own as a martial fighter such as Marita.

It wasn't long after that when the organizer of this party arrived. An old man who reminded Kathryn of Ser Lucas very much so. The way he acted around the off duty guards, held a calm but demanding presence of the room as he walked though it, the fact that one could see his experience in scars and expression. The man was physically different in a lot of ways, but he seemed like he lived a very identical lifestyle as her former mentor. Kathryn did get her beer refilled by the man that followed up being the Sheriff so that was already a win. He asked about the letters they had received, and Kathryn hesitated. For all intents and purposes, the letter she had wasn't meant for her. It was meant for a man who had been buried in the ground for some time now.

With much visible hesitation Kathryn reached towards her armpit and pulled out a long, thin leather pouch that had been hidden under the chain mail. Opening it up she pulled out the letter out of the pouch neatly folded. Though it had suffered some wear it was still in good condition. She placed the small pouch on her belt before handing the letter over to the man.

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Kathryn Pyke
Human, Battle Master, Level 03
HP: 31 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A
Location: Infamous Pear
Action: N/A
Bonus Action: N/A
Reaction: N/A

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It seems Kathryn's joke gained some more traction then she expected. A comment from Alastor here, some fantasy dreams from Kosara, Victoria's more subtle response. Kathryn replied to Victoria with a simple "I imagine we will." Overall a joke well had and well worth it. She wondered if it was important enough to correct those who misunderstood her joke as fact but she figured they would get it eventually. What she did take note of was an additional new comer approaching the table. Another woman much to her surprise who seemed like yet another religious follower. Kathryn was starting to feel very out of place now considering the number of clerics and warlocks in the room. Her experience with anything arcane was rather limited leaving her to try to figure out how she would now fit into this newly formed group. Kathryn had no magical properties of her own, and had no idea how anything magic or arcane worked outside of a rare occasion that she never got an explanation with. The confusion showed on her face even more as she eyed the spirit that sat comfortably on her shoulder. A horse? Wait? Unicorn? Kathryn was at least able to catch her name, Mona Holcombe. She seemed nice and looked forward to learning more about the woman. "Nice to meet you Mona. Glad to see I am not the only one who noticed the unusual party setup here." It was pretty common for Kathryn to be the only woman on a lot of her caravan guard runs. Even when she was working directly with Ser Lucas it was rare to see more then one other woman in the group. It was a nice change of pace to have that reversed in her mind. It made her feel just a little less out of place.

Hugh approached and introduced himself adding a second gentlemen to the party. He explained he took steps to make sure the place wasn't a trap by hiding in the corner and waiting for them to all arrive. He explained his worries which were understandable, but it didn't help the unease that Kathryn now felt of being watched. She found herself setting her beer down while Kosara squeezed her other arm. With her now free hand she checked to make sure at least one of her axes were free. Though she was better with a sword the axe could rather easily be thrown across the room should she be attacked. She did her best to hide her now building concern of this meeting being a trap. Though she didn't have a lot of concerns with Hugh himself, a lot of that unease did come with hiss arrival and reveal of him eyeing the party before entering. She tried to set aside her bias of the situation to get a better understanding of the man before her. He seemed pretty nice, but he also had a feeling of being worn and beaten down. As if a toll was building up on him.

Kosara was having the time of her life squeezing Kathryn's arm. Kathryn held back a humorous chuckle as the small horned woman was having the time of her life. Kathryn had trouble figuring out if these actions were totally innocent or if there were some more Lewd intentions at play. She was a lot more tolerable then others who wanted her attention though so there was a plus. The comment about massages only left Kathryn more confused about the small girl's intentions. "Kat probably works best." She contemplated how to answer the massage comments for a moment before answering. "Let's see how this quest goes first alright? No point in making promises when we don't know what the future holds." With how several events in her life played out, she found herself pretty regularly not planning for the future outside of rather short term goals. Kathryn found the comments between Hugh and Kosara rather amusing though took note of Hugh's indirect answers. She found it suspicious and she found herself looking around the room briefly to make sure things were still safe. She also noticed the back to back comments about her grandfather and decided to ask about it. "Your Grandfather seems like a rather nice person. Are you close to him?"

An authoritative, almost power demanding voice straitened things up pretty fast. Marita Barel as she introduced herself took charge of the situation, turning this casual get together into a meeting of asset consolidation and mission priority. It was commanding and Kathryn respected it. It reminded her of Ser Lucas when he took charge of the situation. The woman wanted motives in the air, and she wanted to know what each member brought to the table. She explained she was a Cleric of Pholtus, but that didn't mean much to Kathryn other then she held arcane abilities that Kathryn did not. After the quest, she would make it a goal to learn more about arcane magic and religious groups. The members of this new party started listing off their skill sets and abilities and Kathryn was overall very impressed. Hugh was specialized in situations of needing to be quiet and helping the party do the same, Victoria was a bard, which Kathryn wasn't sure how well it would be applied to their situation but the woman had a feel about her that said she could not only hold her own, but that she could cover abilities that no one else in the party could. The woman made a point to explain how her skills would help round out the parties in areas they may have been weak, and she could see the logic in that. Kosara seemed to know a bit more on Victoria then Kathryn did. Alastor much like herself was another martial focused companion. Something a lot closer to what Kathryn was used to working and interacting with, so it was nice to know she wasn't alone in that regard.

Kathryn got ready to explain her own self when a woman who introduced herself as Naivara Gray walked in and introduced herself. Kathryn wondered if she was a woman who demanded the attention of the situation, but watching her interact with the situation at hand it was clear she was struggling. For her, this was an attempt to rip off the bandage then let the situation drag out and get worse for herself. Kathryn understood that idea. She had been like that for years until it had been drilled out of her. She was a hermit? That left Kathryn curious about her lifestyle. She wondered what life was like for her. Was it something like herself and Ser Lucas on the road? Or was it even further from that? Kathryn would have to ask about that at some point. Kathryn added to Marita's reassurance. "Welcome aboard. I'm excited to get to know you as well." Kosara introduced her skill set next, and Kathryn was impressed watching the girl show off her skills in magic. Far more then anything Kathryn knew how to do, some healing magic and cantrips. She seemed to cover a jack of all trades situation which worried Kathryn and without any noticeable armor the girl seemed very susceptible to being squished or stabbed or worse.

Kathryn stood up letting the chain mail slide itself back into place as she took her turn to introduce herself. She gave a short bow before speaking and then stood up once her title was spoken. "My name would be Ser or Lady Kathryn Pyke of the lands of Arcanaple. Whichever you prefer." Her accent got a bit heavier when stating her title as if it could only be said with her accent. "To get into skill sets, I have been trained in a long list of martial weapons, combat styles, maneuvers, and tactics by Ser Nathan Lucas of the lands of Arcanaple for the last dozen years. I can take a beating, and I can give one out considerably harder. My personal specialties are with a long sword, but I am comfortable with a rather large range of weapons. I've been told by a few people I am rather strong, and I am inclined to believe it at this point. Most of my experience at this point comes from guarding caravans and tagging along with Ser Lucas on his own missions when possible." She normally preferred the more humble approach to things, but there was clear pressure to show that she could carry her own weight and assist the party in areas they may need it. So she made an exception. "I look forward in seeing how our diverse skill sets can complements each other." She said with a smile before sitting back down next to Kosara.

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Kathryn Pyke
Human, Battle Master, Level 03
HP: 31 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A
Location: Infamous Pear
Action: N/A
Bonus Action: N/A
Reaction: N/A

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Kathryn had little experience with adventurers. Most of the company that Ser Lucas worked with tended to be soldiers, guards, mercenaries, and others of those likes. What she did notice is what they had in common, the smart ass comments, the strong silent types, and at least one flirtatious one. Victoria had made her presence known pretty fast, and seemed decent enough. She expressed interest in staying in contact post contract and that sounded pretty nice to Kathryn. At the moment Kathryn had nothing to go back to other than the tavern she had been calling home for close to three months drinking enough to make herself wasted. Which unfortunately for her was a lot, so it was expensive. "Nice to meet you Victoria." Kathryn replied with a bit of a smile. Korsara was her own story, she seemed to know less of their situation then Kathryn did. Which wasn't a lot to begin with. She seemed fun. She was still getting a feel on the rest of the party. Mostly those who had arrived before her.

Like what has happened nearly every time Kathryn had gone to a new place in recent years, the comments began. Victoria was the first to make a joke about Kathryn height. As far as she could tell there wasn't malice in it so she wouldn't need to retaliate for it. Not entirely. "I suppose that is true. But that isn't the reason I am as tall as I am. You see..." She broke off for a moment, as if contemplating if saying the comment was worth it. Then turned to lock eyes with Victoria with the most serious face Kathryn could make. "I am a half giant. Though my final height can't be predicted it's not unlikely I will be doubled in height in a few years time." She spoke as if it was matter of fact and took another sip of her beer. "Buuut I suppose the veggies helped." She chuckled returning her attention to the rest of the group.

Then there was the responses of Kosara. Starting things off with with a nice offer of cooling her beer for her. "There's not much left, but if you don't mind I'd love it. Thank you very much." Kathryn had just met this woman and she already liked her. If there was any weak spot for the giant woman it was her love of beer. "I see you're also a woman with a taste for the finer things." Kathryn spoke while lifting up her beer. Then Kathryn knew something was up when Kosara made her way to Kathryn's side and started staring at her the way that Kathryn stared at a barrel of beer from her homeland. The request to touch her arms through her off pretty drastically. She had been on the receiving end of a few comments, most much more inappropriate then this. So hearing this threw her off quite a bit. She hesitated for a moment, and was ready to tell her would be admirer a firm no. But when she turned to at least look her in the eyes of the girl something about those eyes. Combined with the beer mustache and that face... "I uh... Okay..." Kathryn held out one of her arms in front of Kosara so she could feel it. Then with her other hand took another swallow of her beer nearly finishing it.
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Kathryn Pyke
Human, Battle Master, Level 03
HP: 31 / 31 Armor Class: 19 Conditions: N/A
Location: Infamous Pear
Action: N/A
Bonus Action: N/A
Reaction: N/A

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A few weeks back Kathryn found herself in celebration with other caravan guard members on a job well done. Though heavily intoxicated at the time, she was still able to pick out a messenger asking around for her surrogate father. It wasn't long before the messenger came up to Kathryn who at this point in the night was barely able to stand. "Excuse me ma'am. I heard I could find a Ser Lucas here? Do you happen to know where he may be?" These messengers and letters were not uncommon, Ser Lucas was a very capable soldier who possessed fighting skills that few experienced soldiers could challenge. Better yet, he was cheap compared to others with identical skills. Kathryn sat up slowly in her chair as to not make herself dizzy, the shifting chain mail being audible clinking with every movement. She answered with a faded accent as she spoke. "I'm his ward. You can pass any message you have for him to me." The messenger seemed to hesitate before speaking. "That's all well and good ma'am. But I was informed to give this letter to him directly." Kathryn frowned with a look of gloom on her face. The messenger, a young man who likely understood what was about to be said next held his own disappointed face. "Ser Lucas died just over two months ago. If I can help though, please let me." There was a mix of desperation and pity in her voice. She wanted a chance to prove herself, and she had a feeling the messenger wanted to get at least something for his efforts. "I am still his ward. I can take any letter you have for him." The young man nodded and handed Kathryn the letter.

She took a moment to read the letter and thanked the man. Leaving him a tip before he left, Kathryn planned her next move. She'd need a ride and passage to Darenby if she was to make it in any reasonable time. It was moments like this she wished she still had a mount to ride, but as things were she couldn't care for such an animal, nor afford one. It wasn't too hard for a woman in her line of work to hitch a ride with a caravan. What Caravan didn't want a well armed and well armored fighter to hitch along for the low low price of needing a lift? Kathryn finished her drink and stood up to get some rest before she prepared for the trip. She realized her mistake the moment she stood up, she had way too much to drink, and she had until she hit the floor to think over her mistakes.

Now she was riding in the last wagon of a trading caravan attempting to sand out a new patch of rust that had formed on her chain mail. Though she did what she could to maintain it, the armor was older then she was, and couldn't be stored in ideal conditions. She sanded until she noticed her last piece of sandpaper had been worn down to uselessness. When this job was over she'd need to buy some more. The armor would hold up for now, but if she didn't clean it up soon the surface rust may get worse and ruin the effectiveness of her chain mail. Her sword was also in questionable condition. It had been nicked, chipped, and well used in countless engagements. Her grandfather had given this sword to her father, and it was one of the few things she was able to take with her as she fled home. It may have been older, but she had no way of knowing. Ideally it should have been placed upon the family mantel as a symbol of authority for her family. The high quality steel had seen enough abuse that would have had other swords melted down to be scrapped for the raw metal.

The wagon came to an abrupt stop, her first instinct was to slide back into her chain mail as fast as possible, a habit that had been drilled into her for years. It still took time but she was fully armored up by the time the head caravan guard opened the covered wagon. "We're here. Darenby." Kathryn stepped out and nodded at the man before putting her helmet on. "T'anks." She started to walk off when the caravan guard spoke up. "What bring you here anyways?" She hesitated trying to remember what the letter said. "Was told Goblins. Seems like easy money if ya ask me." She said with a bit of a jolly tone to her answer. The caravan guard shrugged and the two went their separate ways.

Kathryn found herself at The Infamous Pear Inn before too long. As many buildings she had to bend over quite a bit before stepping in due to her rather tall stature. She still managed to hit her helmet on the door frame with a rather loud Clank. "ow..." Once inside Kathryn took a look around the tavern. It seemed rather nice overall. A place not too unlike the inn she had been taking on and off residence in for the last few months. She took off her helmet letting her braid down behind her. The place was comfortable enough that she felt safe enough to be without it for now. She walked over to the barkeep her chain mail shifting noisily with every step. "Excuse me sir, I am here to meet with the Arbalest party?" Owen the barkeep was a very pleasant man to chat with. He seemed rather excited himself to be here and to be apart of something important. She couldn't blame him. "Thank ya for the help good sir." When offered if she wanted something she requested a beer of local brew, paid for it, and left with a simple thank you before heading over to the table.

A lot of thoughts passed through her mind as she approached the table. First, she wasn't late. With how long it took her to get here she was worried she would be. Next, were the strange creatures sitting at the table she was to meet at. One was blue with dark hair, and the other she figured could have passed for human if not for the horns that were a clear indicator otherwise. Kathryn found herself starring far longer then was probably appropriate. She broke her trance and made her way to sit at the table. "Sorry. Hope I'm not late." She sat with a light clank as her chain mail landed in the chair. Taking a rather large sip of her beer she took the moment to evaluate those who had showed up so far. A tallish blue man with horns who at first glance seemed like he could hold his own in a fight, the girl with the horns like the blue man who seemed to have little clothes to her name. Kathryn wondered if that was personal choice or just a lacking of. Either way, it's something Kathryn wouldn't be as comfortable with. Granted Kathryn is never comfortable outside of wearing heavy armor. There have been nights where she slept in her armor due to the situations at hand. Then there was the other woman, a fellow human. She seemed ready to move on with the day, and seemed ready for a fight should it come to it. Thankfully the girl with horns had introduced herself before as Kathryn had arrived at the table as Kosara. She seemed pretty fun, already had beer on her face. "Nice to meet ya. My Name's Kathryn Pyke." Kathryn was glad she had a name for the girl now so she didn't have to keep mentally referring to her as 'The girl with the horns'.



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