Quest A Journey Across the Steppe

[Maridis Va Dori]

Dearest Maridis,

I was hoping you could aid me in finding a family relic, I believe it too have made it's way too Eagelehead, although the last time it was spotted was many years ago, and so it could be anywhere in the Steppe. About the relic itself, it is a small clay vase, with my family name inscribed on it, among some other drawings. Inside the vase should be a think silver bracelet, with my family name inscribed in gold onto it. I have sent a few trinkets for you to sell and buy resources for the journey, upon receiving the artifacts, preferably both, you will be paid handsomely, as usual.

With respect,
Morst Gorgon

Maridis sat in the inn and read the letter, he knew he'd need other mercenaries, for the Steppe was to dangerous to go alone, sure that meant sharing the reward, but less is better than none. He prepared a letter of his own and had it copied and sent out to many inns across the realm.

To whom it may concern,

Maridis Va Dori is preparing a journey to the Steppe, he requires mercenaries for such a journey and urges all people of such lifestyle to come to "The Bare Maidin" inn located in Alliria, payment upon completion of contract, weapons not provided and food is welcomed as without it, Maridis can only provide small rations. The journey will take place as soon as enough peoples arrive, preferably within a few weeks.

Soon enough a few weeks later, Maridis was sitting in the tavern, waiting for the group of people who had agreed to join, he sat there with a gruff expression as he looked over a map, held down by a cup of ale which was periodically sipped. All the preparations had been made. It was now or never.

 

[Livyatan the Tempest]

Into the tavern stepped the first of the group, a young-looking man with rough, aquamarine hair and red eyes. He was clothed quite plainly. From his upper lip protruded a sharp canine tooth, giving him a somewhat feral appearance in combination with the hair and eyes. He carried a pack which was rather large for his size, and a sword which appeared jagged, almost shaped like a bolt of lightning.
He sat down at the table without a word.

 

[Jane Anderson]

Jane walked into the tavern and looked around to find Maridis, whoever that may be. Nervously she pushed a bit of hair behind her ear, but the bright orange hairs had none of it and fell right back for her face. Her hair was dirty and so messy, someone once asked her if she had a bird living in there. Others had joked that she didn’t look strong enough to carry a bird around on her head. Although it was true that she was skinny what combined with her pale skin colour made her look weakly, she wasn’t helpless. Something she always seemed to need to prove.

When she discovered two men at a table with a map she decided that they very likely were the group, she was gonna travel with. “Hey, I am Jane Anderson, are you Maridis?” she asked as she walked over to the table. Trying her best to look as certain as she possibly could. Even though she extremely nervous to travel that far with a group of strangers. If only her brother was her with her.

 

[Maridis Va Dori]

Maridis stared at the two recruits and sighed, not exactly the kind of people he had in mind. He looks at the first man to walk in and sit, at least he looks like he can moderately handle himself, but the girl, the girl looked like she would snap in half at an aggressive look. He stared at them as he lifted his cup, the map flopped into a curl, and Maridis took a sip of his ale. "Yes, I'm Maridis, nice to meet you Jane, I'm assuming you are both here for the job. I need to know what you are good at, and what's your biggest weakness."

 

[Bayde Foemarr]

Bayde was a son of a smith, not a mountaineer. A hike through the Steppe without a mount was not what he would call enjoyable, but when work called. . .well he lived a hand-to-mouth existence, so he shouldn't complain that hard. Even the walk to the small town took its toll on the man, who leaned on his lucerne hammer by the time he had crested the final hill. He paused to catch his breath, taking in the scenic sights beyond the sprawling city.

Where others would find inspiration in the great heights, Bayde could only stop himself from crying out in anguish. At the very least, it was not raining.

He stepped into the tavern, clad in half-plate and lugging a rucksack bulging with all the items he deemed necessary. A tent, cooking utensils, lots of rope, climbing pitons- Bayde was nothing if not thorough for the job. His footsteps were heavy with the weight on him, though he did not hunch over.

The mercenary was slightly taken aback when he spotted the familiar aquamarine hair man, seated next to what he presumed to be his employer. There was another person, a red-head who looked as if she could use a good hearty meal. Bayde coughed into his hand to bring the attention of the party, standing a little straighter. "Mr. Va Dori? Bayde Foemarr, here ta answer your call to the Steppes."

As an afterthought he nodded at Liv as a greeting. He gave the girl a quick look over, unimpressed before turning back to Maridis to answer the man's questions. "Ai'l swing a hammer fer you, ser. Been in a few good scraps and came out on top. Won't be pulling any bowstrings, sadly."

 

[Jane Anderson]

Jane still standing nodded at the man, “Yes indeed I am here for the job,” she said. As she walked a bit closer to the man. “So, to start, I am very quick,” she said as she reached forward and grasped the map from the table. “and for my weakness, I am currently without my partner in crime,” she added. She had more weaknesses like she had no idea what the scribbles on the map meant, but this stranger didn’t have to know that.

Jane turned around at the new man coming into the tavern. He seemed like the kind of guy that could break her in half with one hand if he wanted to. Brought an impressive amount of stuff with him. As she glanced over at the other she noticed that he wasn’t the only one. Despite carrying around nearly everything she owned, she carried around way less than the other man. Not that she could lift those bags though.

 

[Livyatan the Tempest]

The young man nodded. "I'm a strong fighter, and I can take a lot of hits, but I'm not very agile...I can move quickly within an area, and I'm good at putting out and taking damage, but once I'm in an engagement, I'm stuck there."
He also put his hand out, and produced a small spark in the palm of his hand. "While I'm no wizard, I have found that the power of the storm has favored me with its magic.“
There was a smile on his face as he nodded back to Bayde.

 

[Maridis Va Dori]

Maridis nods at them all and takes a sip of his ale, he thinks for a moment. "Ok, I think we should be good too go. Here is the plan. We hire a ship and sail across the Alliria Strait, now ideally we'd take a ship all the way too Eaglehead, but that's to expensive. Once we reach the Steppe side of the Strait, we walk up to Eaglehead. There will be bandits and other threats, which is why I hired all of you. You'll each get a fair share once we find what we're looking for, our ship leaves as soon as we're ready. Let's go." Maridis puts his cup down and picks up a small leather bag. "There is some food on the ship, enough to last a few weeks, and I have a friend who will be waiting on the other side with a carriage for us, just for our supplies and in case someone get's wounded."

 

[Bayde Foemarr]

Bayde snorted when he heard the blue-haired youth comment on his magical prowess. 'Favoured' him was putting it lightly; he had seen the boy call lightning and thunder, bending nature to his will. He kept his silence instead, shifting uncomfortably at the thought nagging at the back of his mind: how yet again, he was the most physical intimidating person in the party. The mercenary did not know for what reason Maridis chose to hire a frail looking waif, and Blue carried neither shield nor armor, though somehow he never seemed suffer combat wounds.

He nodded at the details of the journey, hefting his rucksack to distribute its weight more comfortably on his shoulders. "Sounds like a jolly good time." he said, thumping the butt of his weapon on the wooden floorboards once. Looking over at the girl he raised an eyebrow. "Think you could manage your inventory there?" he asked, looking over at her build. He knew of the miller's wife who would scream murder at her for not taking care of her weight. Then again, city folk had different ideas of what a woman's build should be- far be it for the country hick to judge her.

The man shook his head instead out of his own shame and walked out after Maridis; like the rest, she was responsible for her own belongings. "Keep up, Blue. No wagon for us this time."

 

[Jane Anderson]

Jane nodded at Maridis, the thought going on a boat kind of worried her. She had never been on a boat and the idea of being surrounded by water and only water, without the opportunity to run away, when her team didn't end up being reliable. made her uncomfortable, to say the least. She wasn’t planning on showing it though. Besides having someone with weather-controlling magic did help ease her worries.

She looked over at the stronger looking man who thought she wasn’t able to carry around her own stuff. “Sure I am,” she answered but the man had already left the Tavern following Maridis. She followed shortly not wanting to be left behind. As she overheard the man speaking with the blue haired man she released the two already knew each other. She wondered if one of them already knew Maridis as well. It didn’t seem like it though as far as Jane could judge, for now.

 

[Maridis Va Dori]

Maridis walked with his motley crew. They weren't what he was expecting, but he figured they'd do. As they approach the schooner they were going to sail on, he waved at the captain and spun around to his small group. "Last chance to decide to stay, once we leave, there is no turning back." Maridis looked at them and pivoted in his spot, boarding the ship. "Let us sail! For glory and for adventure!" Maridis said with a laugh as the boat prepared to lower the sails.

 

[Jane Anderson]

Jane walked onto the ship, without thinking. She already set her mind on going, there was no way she was going to turn around now. She needed to do this. Jane smiled, “glory and adventure,” she said softly. Not exactly the reasons she came here. They sounded hollow with her brother far away from her. “How long do you think it would take to cross?” she asked as she looked in the direction of the seemingly endless looking body of water in front of her.