FourtyTwoKayetan folded his arms. Like the Wandering Nation, he had heard of the Well of Wishes in stories, but he had always assumed it to be just that, a story concocted by those in difficult times looking for just a reason to get through the day. Even the people who had claimed to have seen the Well firsthand often turned out to be somewhat mentally unbalanced or were just outright liars trying to con simple folk out of their money. The woman's goal, for all Kayetan knew, was about as attainable as a warm summer in the Commonwealth.
Still, there was a part of him that was intrigued by her proposal. An attempt to find the Well would certainly be an adventure, even if they did not find it. It would also save him quite a bit of trouble; he had no illusions that the lady's adventure would be a short one. Chances were, it would take weeks or even months just to have themselves moving in the right direction. A long adventure would save him the trouble of having to look around for work or people to travel with every time he stepped into a new town or village. There was also the benefits should they find the Well. Kayetan had no idea what its powers were, but finding it might just be prestigious enough to wipe away his bad reputation within the Commonwealth. Even though he had been officially considered fit for duty, he was well aware that he was probably never going to lead another Commonwealth army with his current reputation.
"Consider my curiosity piqued," Kayetan said at last. "But perhaps we should move to the...Bathhouses you mentioned. Details would be welcome. I do not want to be running into this blind." He groaned inwardly at the mention of a sauna. As a northerner, he was much more comfortable in colder areas. Heat made him uncomfortable at best, and at worst - such as in a desert - it could even be deadly. "But what about our friend here?" He asked and glanced at Zinzie. "I cannot in good conscience have him come along with us on an adventure when he barely has any clothes on. He would not last a week beyond the city walls."
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acquire raifu, defend waifu
10 yrs ago
Nothing quite like schizophrenic weather.
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10 yrs ago
At this point I don't even care where I end up. I just want to do something productive, bloody hell.
10 yrs ago
I still remember four...
10 yrs ago
Standing by to stand by, cap'n!
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I'm sorry. ._. I was under the impression that we were going to wait for Damian to approach our characters. I'll get one up now.
Kayetan glanced at the seal and let out another sigh in his head. Not only was someone from the Yaes Numir Seyur here, she was a clandestine agent as well. He had no personal grievances with the cloak-and-dagger operatives of the Yaes Numir Seyur - they did good work and often were integral to several Commonwealth victories against the Geworians - but they were rarely good news. The Yaes Numir Seyur would not just send people of her caliber out at the drop of a hat. Whatever her task was, Kayetan was uncertain whether he wanted a part in it. On one hand, it guaranteed adventure. On the other, it could also guarantee death.
"A bath, right." He murmured, sounding uninterested in the idea. He had already had his fill of showers while on the way to Arunin, courtesy of the waves his ship had ran into roughly halfway into the journey. "And as a Vastermannen saying goes, 'If you need luck, you are beyond it's help.'" He said with a little smirk. While the Vastermannen were considered to be more jovial than the Svekkern, they were still northern and were serious and grim when compared to the other races of the world.
He leaned back in his seat as Aerrea's food arrived, content with watching the two of them eat, or more specifically, Aerrea. Zinzie had apparently poured the contents of his bowl right down his throat, an amazing feat considering that the porridge was probably piping hot. "I cannot speak for Zinzie, but what makes you think that we would be travelling together?" Kayetan asked, his words and tone perhaps a little more confrontational than he had intended. "I recognize your seal, and the Yaes Numir Seyur would not send someone out like you on a whim. There must be something important that you are up to, and from what I know of your people, it usually bodes ill for those alongside them."
"A bath, right." He murmured, sounding uninterested in the idea. He had already had his fill of showers while on the way to Arunin, courtesy of the waves his ship had ran into roughly halfway into the journey. "And as a Vastermannen saying goes, 'If you need luck, you are beyond it's help.'" He said with a little smirk. While the Vastermannen were considered to be more jovial than the Svekkern, they were still northern and were serious and grim when compared to the other races of the world.
He leaned back in his seat as Aerrea's food arrived, content with watching the two of them eat, or more specifically, Aerrea. Zinzie had apparently poured the contents of his bowl right down his throat, an amazing feat considering that the porridge was probably piping hot. "I cannot speak for Zinzie, but what makes you think that we would be travelling together?" Kayetan asked, his words and tone perhaps a little more confrontational than he had intended. "I recognize your seal, and the Yaes Numir Seyur would not send someone out like you on a whim. There must be something important that you are up to, and from what I know of your people, it usually bodes ill for those alongside them."
"The Wandering nation, right." Kayetan said dryly. If he had any doubts that Zinzie was not of the right frame of mind before, what he had just said removed them. While Kayetan had heard of The Wandering Nation before, and he had spoken to people who allegedly saw its people firsthand, most of those reports were unsubstantiated and any follow-up expeditions failed to find the elusive nation. The official Commonwealth stance was that The Wandering Nation did not exist, and Kayetan was inclined to agree. "A king, no less?" Kayetan asked, sounding ever so slightly amused. At the same time, he wondered if the man had suffered some sort of trauma to make him speak such words as if he really believed them.
At that moment, he heard someone address him by his full name. Groaning inwardly, Kayetan turned to face whoever that had called him. It had to be a new record; it had barely been a day and already someone had noticed him. The woman he looked at was not exactly the kind of person he had been expecting to see, but he supposed that there was a first for all kinds of surprises. He wondered if this was some Geworian trick for a moment, but the woman executed the greetings carried out only by the clandestine elements of the Yaes Numir Seyur flawlessly. Kayetan relaxed slightly, but he did not completely let his guard down. He returned her gesture in the traditional Svekkern way, which was just a simple nod of acknowledgement alongside a thumping of the chest with his right fist. It was short, to the point and very, very Svekkern.
"Go right ahead," He said and gestured to one of the empty seats. "What brings you to Lemea, if you do not mind me asking?"
Zinzie then mentioned something about paying him with gold, and Kayetan decided that for now, he would play along to the best of his abilities. "I do not seek gold. I just seek adventure." Kayetan replied truthfully and looked the man up and down. He looked as if he was going to have a hard time getting bronze coin let alone paying someone in the amounts of gold he was describing. Just then, the waitress came by and set down a steaming bowl of plain, white porridge on the table. Kayetan handed her the money for the food and pushed the bowl over to Zenzie. "In any case, before we do anything, you should get some food in your stomach."
At that moment, he heard someone address him by his full name. Groaning inwardly, Kayetan turned to face whoever that had called him. It had to be a new record; it had barely been a day and already someone had noticed him. The woman he looked at was not exactly the kind of person he had been expecting to see, but he supposed that there was a first for all kinds of surprises. He wondered if this was some Geworian trick for a moment, but the woman executed the greetings carried out only by the clandestine elements of the Yaes Numir Seyur flawlessly. Kayetan relaxed slightly, but he did not completely let his guard down. He returned her gesture in the traditional Svekkern way, which was just a simple nod of acknowledgement alongside a thumping of the chest with his right fist. It was short, to the point and very, very Svekkern.
"Go right ahead," He said and gestured to one of the empty seats. "What brings you to Lemea, if you do not mind me asking?"
Zinzie then mentioned something about paying him with gold, and Kayetan decided that for now, he would play along to the best of his abilities. "I do not seek gold. I just seek adventure." Kayetan replied truthfully and looked the man up and down. He looked as if he was going to have a hard time getting bronze coin let alone paying someone in the amounts of gold he was describing. Just then, the waitress came by and set down a steaming bowl of plain, white porridge on the table. Kayetan handed her the money for the food and pushed the bowl over to Zenzie. "In any case, before we do anything, you should get some food in your stomach."
Kayetan furrowed his brow when he heard the man mention that people were looking for him. Just what exactly had he gotten himself into? Regardless, the chance for Kayetan to back out had long since passed, and if the people looking for the man came looking for trouble, then Kayetan would just have to deal with it. "Careful," Kayetan warned as they navigated the floor of the tavern towards a quiet corner, where hopefully few people would pay them any attention. They attracted several curious gazes, but all of them were harmless. Just people wondering what a pale-skinned Svekkern was doing with what appeared to be a homeless man.
"Stay here," Kayetan said as he gently lowered the man onto a seat. He removed the bag slung across his back and placed it on the table. Opening it, he pulled out a half-full canteen of water. It was hardly clean water, but it had been boiled and condensed several times, making it at least somewhat safe to drink. The fact that Kayetan was still alive proved that much, though he did use it exclusively to water down wines or ales that were much too strong for his liking. Anything that was processed was far safer than water that could have been taken from a stream used as a toilet by some village upstream. "Drink this, but do it slowly. Try not to choke yourself." He said and stood up. "If you find any food in my pack, do not eat it. It might quite possibly kill you."
Starvation was not something that was new to Kayetan, though this was perhaps the first time he was trying to prevent it rather than cause it. During his campaigns against the northern tribes, one of the most effective tactics were to destroy any and all food producing facilities. It was dirty, bordering on dishonourable, but Kayetan had never heard of a war that was fought in an entirely clean or honourable way. It was a small comfort to the victims of the artificially induced famine, but it was what Kayetan told himself to allow him to at least get a good night's sleep.
At the very least, Kayetan could take heart in knowing that what he learned would help one person. The man was going to need something easy on the stomach, and the only thing Kayetan could think of was gruel or porridge. He approached a waitress and pointed to his table. "A bowl of porridge, plain and preferably hot, please." He said. The waitress nodded and headed off for where Kayetan assumed was the kitchen.
He walked back to the table and sat down opposite the man. "You mentioned people finding you. Are you in any sort of trouble I should know about?" Kayetan asked.
"Stay here," Kayetan said as he gently lowered the man onto a seat. He removed the bag slung across his back and placed it on the table. Opening it, he pulled out a half-full canteen of water. It was hardly clean water, but it had been boiled and condensed several times, making it at least somewhat safe to drink. The fact that Kayetan was still alive proved that much, though he did use it exclusively to water down wines or ales that were much too strong for his liking. Anything that was processed was far safer than water that could have been taken from a stream used as a toilet by some village upstream. "Drink this, but do it slowly. Try not to choke yourself." He said and stood up. "If you find any food in my pack, do not eat it. It might quite possibly kill you."
Starvation was not something that was new to Kayetan, though this was perhaps the first time he was trying to prevent it rather than cause it. During his campaigns against the northern tribes, one of the most effective tactics were to destroy any and all food producing facilities. It was dirty, bordering on dishonourable, but Kayetan had never heard of a war that was fought in an entirely clean or honourable way. It was a small comfort to the victims of the artificially induced famine, but it was what Kayetan told himself to allow him to at least get a good night's sleep.
At the very least, Kayetan could take heart in knowing that what he learned would help one person. The man was going to need something easy on the stomach, and the only thing Kayetan could think of was gruel or porridge. He approached a waitress and pointed to his table. "A bowl of porridge, plain and preferably hot, please." He said. The waitress nodded and headed off for where Kayetan assumed was the kitchen.
He walked back to the table and sat down opposite the man. "You mentioned people finding you. Are you in any sort of trouble I should know about?" Kayetan asked.
Kayetan stood at the bow of the ship as it eased its way into harbour of Arunin. While he was no stranger to the cities and nations of Lemea, he never failed to feel a strange sense of apprehension every time he approached a new city, mainly for fear of being recognized. This was the first time he was leaving the Yaes Numir Seyur; within those lands, he was safe from almost all enemies. The neutrality of the Commonwealth had insulated him from whatever infighting there was between the constituent nations of the Alliance. The only true enemy of the Commonwealth was the Geworians and their agents were hardly going to notice a single minor Commonwealth noble when there were so many other juicier targets to choose from.
However, outside of the Yaes Numir Seyur, Kayetan became a lot more noticeable. There was always the possibility that a Geworian agent might notice him; he did look a lot like his father, who had led his fair share of Commonwealth armies south to confront the invading Geworians. While Kayetan was willing to admit that perhaps he was being paranoid - after all, the most anyone would be able to tell from just glancing at him would be that he was a native of the Commonwealth - he liked to make sure every possible eventuality had its own contingency plan. He was no free-spirited Vastermannen. The Svekkern were nothing if not a cautious race.
The ship came to a halt and ropes were thrown to dockworkers to moor it to the pier. Kayetan turned around and walked towards the gangplank to meet the captain. "Thank you for the trip. It was not as unpleasant as I had expected." Kayetan said and dug out a bag of coins from his coat pocket, handing it to the captain. "Your payment as agreed before the trip. It should be correct. I weighed and counted it myself on the second day of the journey."
The captain took the bag and let out an amused chuckle. "They weren't kiddin' when they said you Svekkern types were serious 'bout everythin'." He said and pocketed the bag. "Well, welcome to Arunin. You should be able to find your own way around, yeah?"
"I believe I can handle myself, but I appreciate the concern." Kayetan said and nodded to the captain before walking down the gangplank and onto the pier.
Almost immediately, Kayetan could see another way he stood out among the crowd. He still wore the same clothes he had worn when he left the Commonwealth. A dark blue, knee-length, hooded coat along with grey pants tucked neatly into calf-high boots. It was by no means extravagant, but it did look a bit too warm, considering the climate of Arunin. Kayetan shook his head slightly as he walked off the pier and towards the city itself. At most, he just looked like a Commonwealth citizen who was fresh off the boat. To be safe, however, Kayetan pulled up the hood and kept as much of his face hidden as he possibly could.
He wandered the streets, keeping an eye out for a good tavern to ask around for jobs for an adventurer. From experience, he avoided those close to the docks; they were bound to be teeming with people like himself and any job available would be quickly snatched away by someone else. He also avoided the more run-down taverns. It was unlikely that they would attract the sort of patrons that would be looking to hire adventurers for honest work. Kayetan wanted to see the world, but he would much rather prefer to see it while on the right side of the law.
Eventually, he found one close to one of the city gates, but what drew his attention was the filthy, half-naked man calling out for help in the middle of the street. People walked passed without paying him any heed and Kayetan could understand why. From the looks of it, the man had not washed himself for a very long time and had the smell to prove it. For a moment, Kayetan wondered if he should just walk on by, pretending that he had not seen or heard anything, but he simply could not. His clan, the Kulsomfall, had a long tradition of offering help to all who needed it, stemming from his ancestors offering refuge to those who needed a place to escape the freezing temperatures of the north.
With a sigh, Kayetan hurried forward and pulled the man to his feet, all the while doing his best to ignore the stench. "What happened to you?" Kayetan asked quickly and supported the man's weight. "Do you have a name?" He continued, then quickly realized that the man was probably in no shape to talk. He needed food and drink and perhaps a place to rest. "There is a tavern right in front of us. I will bring us there, is that fine with you?"
However, outside of the Yaes Numir Seyur, Kayetan became a lot more noticeable. There was always the possibility that a Geworian agent might notice him; he did look a lot like his father, who had led his fair share of Commonwealth armies south to confront the invading Geworians. While Kayetan was willing to admit that perhaps he was being paranoid - after all, the most anyone would be able to tell from just glancing at him would be that he was a native of the Commonwealth - he liked to make sure every possible eventuality had its own contingency plan. He was no free-spirited Vastermannen. The Svekkern were nothing if not a cautious race.
The ship came to a halt and ropes were thrown to dockworkers to moor it to the pier. Kayetan turned around and walked towards the gangplank to meet the captain. "Thank you for the trip. It was not as unpleasant as I had expected." Kayetan said and dug out a bag of coins from his coat pocket, handing it to the captain. "Your payment as agreed before the trip. It should be correct. I weighed and counted it myself on the second day of the journey."
The captain took the bag and let out an amused chuckle. "They weren't kiddin' when they said you Svekkern types were serious 'bout everythin'." He said and pocketed the bag. "Well, welcome to Arunin. You should be able to find your own way around, yeah?"
"I believe I can handle myself, but I appreciate the concern." Kayetan said and nodded to the captain before walking down the gangplank and onto the pier.
Almost immediately, Kayetan could see another way he stood out among the crowd. He still wore the same clothes he had worn when he left the Commonwealth. A dark blue, knee-length, hooded coat along with grey pants tucked neatly into calf-high boots. It was by no means extravagant, but it did look a bit too warm, considering the climate of Arunin. Kayetan shook his head slightly as he walked off the pier and towards the city itself. At most, he just looked like a Commonwealth citizen who was fresh off the boat. To be safe, however, Kayetan pulled up the hood and kept as much of his face hidden as he possibly could.
He wandered the streets, keeping an eye out for a good tavern to ask around for jobs for an adventurer. From experience, he avoided those close to the docks; they were bound to be teeming with people like himself and any job available would be quickly snatched away by someone else. He also avoided the more run-down taverns. It was unlikely that they would attract the sort of patrons that would be looking to hire adventurers for honest work. Kayetan wanted to see the world, but he would much rather prefer to see it while on the right side of the law.
Eventually, he found one close to one of the city gates, but what drew his attention was the filthy, half-naked man calling out for help in the middle of the street. People walked passed without paying him any heed and Kayetan could understand why. From the looks of it, the man had not washed himself for a very long time and had the smell to prove it. For a moment, Kayetan wondered if he should just walk on by, pretending that he had not seen or heard anything, but he simply could not. His clan, the Kulsomfall, had a long tradition of offering help to all who needed it, stemming from his ancestors offering refuge to those who needed a place to escape the freezing temperatures of the north.
With a sigh, Kayetan hurried forward and pulled the man to his feet, all the while doing his best to ignore the stench. "What happened to you?" Kayetan asked quickly and supported the man's weight. "Do you have a name?" He continued, then quickly realized that the man was probably in no shape to talk. He needed food and drink and perhaps a place to rest. "There is a tavern right in front of us. I will bring us there, is that fine with you?"
I'm alright with that plan, though just for clarification, we can interact with other characters outside of our pairing, yeah?
It's a stupid question, I know, but I like being certain. ><''
It's a stupid question, I know, but I like being certain. ><''
It's going to be kinda hard for me to pair up with anyone since they'll be at the very least six or so hours behind me. =\
So, uh...If anyone wants to pair up with Kayetan, let me know.
So, uh...If anyone wants to pair up with Kayetan, let me know.
For tech, we could just have really tech-ed up soldiers, like the French FELIN or Singaporean ACMS.
So, uh, I'm confused, should I post now or should I wait until the pairing thing is done?
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