Open - Her holy creed

[Diem]

A monk was what everyone saw when there eyes fell upon him. That was all well and good, it kept most from asking questions and those few who did venture into that area asking easily answered questions. Still it bothered him sometimes. It wasn't like he was purposefully trying to look like that. Diem returned the bow with one, noticeably lest practiced, of his own. "It is a joy to have met you Ms. Timandre. I am Diem formerly of Syliras." Diem rose with a smile on his face as he wondered about her words. Something about the place she mentioned, Mura, held a certain air of familiarity to it that Diem was unable to brush aside. Then it struck him where he had heard of the place before, he had been working at the docks of Zeltiva at the time. Mura was the home of the Konti's. The sailor who had been speaking held equal parts fear and respect in his voice. If anything Diem could accurately say the sailor did not know the half of it. Perhaps he could not bee faulted for not recognizing Ms. Marishka for what she was, after all he had never met a Konti, but he still felt a little bit embarrassed for his ignorance.

At the man's introduction Diem gave a nod, though the smile was less certain. Gray was an ambiguous name, might not even be his real name, and Diem's short time in Sunberth had taught him to watch for things he might before have ignored. Still, the name fit very well with his aura and it made Diem wonder what it was he was hiding.

Diem motioned in the direction he had left the merchant, and thankfully from this direction he would pass by the stream and he would be able to retrieve his fishing gear and blanket without inconveniencing Ms. Timandre. "I am currently traveling with a merchant on their way to Syliras. My supplies are with him. I do have to pick up some gear but it is in that direction and will only take a moment." Diem turned to the man Gray. "I am willing to offer you some food as well, but I am uncertain how the merchant I travel with will react to such a well armed and mounted man." It was both an invitation and a warning, couldn't be to careful these days, and Diem did not pretend it to be anything else. When he was certain the words had been heard Diem spared one more glance at Ms. Timandre and with smile began walking.

[Marishka Timandre]

The Timandre warrior nodded to the two men as they made their names known, her face remaining smooth and expressionless as they spoke. She paid no heed to Gray's inquiry for the moment, not even turning her face to give him an inkling of a reaction, instead facing the monk Diem as he clarified his agenda in the woods. The prospect of being able to acquire armor on the cheap appealed to Marishka very much, and as apprehensive as she had been of Gray earlier, she was now all ears on Diem's tale. While her embroidered black silk vest has proven to be adequate protection against light opponents--due more to the fact that she never gets hit than the quality of their strength--one would have to question her intrepidness in taking on fights without protection on. "Allow... Us, to accompany you, Sir Diem. I'd like to talk to the merchant as well." she called to the monk lightly before casting a look at Gray. "Well? Shall we?" Without waiting for Gray, she started walking a few meters behind Diem, following him through the woods. "Mura is to the far northeast, beyond the farthest reaches of Syliras." she said to him, still without turning her face to him. She would have asked him why he wanted to know, but she didn't feel the need to say anything else for the time being, opting to stay quiet through the trek.

[Conor]

In the turmoil of his thoughts, Conor built up an image of the monk, that had now introduced himself as Diem. Obviously, he preferred words over combat, and he had a thing for serenity. He seemed genuine and he was generous enough to offer them food and – that was most important – he travelled with a trader. Perhaps that one could repair Conor’s splintmail. And if not, it was always nice to browse one’s wares, maybe there was even a discount to be gained? Conor decided to act polite and to be as honest as would seem wise. Marishka seemed to be charmed by the monk’s offer, and she accepted it gracefully. “I would appreciate it if you would lead us to the merchant Diem,” he said. “I hope it’s not far because I have to check my bandages.”

When he thought of the two holes in his stomach area and his broken ribs it seemed like he received an instant jolt of pain. He moaned a bit when he turned his horse to follow the monk towards the trader. "Mura is to the far northeast, beyond the farthest reaches of Syliras." Marishka said. Conor nodded gratefully. “I hope I can make it there someday,” he responded. After that he just followed the monk, fighting his gradually increasing pain. Until he had reminded himself of his injuries he had been capable to ignore the shredding pain, but now, it had returned in its full “glory”.

[Diem]

The walk to the stream took about the same amount of time his walk from it had taken. He was walking slower, but was more certain and less hesitant with his steps. As the sound of the stream became audible Diem's smile changed a little, and his eyes became a little distant for a moment as he thought of his meditation he earlier. He felt a lot better then he had then, a great deal less stressed, and he had met two new people. Strange circumstances aside it had been a good day so far. When Diem reached the spot he had covered his gear in snow, it took a few moments to dig it out. Without looking at the others Diem said, "I did this to keep the animal's from taking them. Its quite a hassle to replace a fishing rod."

Diem unrolled the blanket to see if everything was still in order. When he was certain everything was there he rolled it back up and began walking in the direction of the merchant. Part of him felt like whistling to himself, but another part though that would be seen as frivolous so he refrained from doing so.

The small caravan came into view after only 5 minutes or so of walking and Diem was created with almost the same sight he had left. The caravan was set up as if it were at camp, a little off to the side of the road. Tents were up and fires going. The mercenaries not working sat around a large fire ring with the merchants, the most notable a portly man with wearing cloths of several different colors. The guards not around the fire stood at attention around the camp. Most wore bits of armor, but one with a light crossbow hanging from a belt wore chain-mail underneath. The one closest quickly noticed Diem when he was only 30 feet or so away from the path, and a few words to the others alerted everyone. The guard wearing chain-mail drew the crossbow from his belt and knocked a bolt. The other two readied drew there swords. To alleviate and fears of brigands Diem raised his hand and shouted to them, "Its alright, there just travelers." It seemed to work as the guards lowered there weapons. Diem noted that they did not put them away though.

When they were within maybe 10 feet of the wagons the guard with the crossbow raised the hand not holding the small, still loaded, crossbow

"Diem, who are these friends of yours?"

"Some travelers I ran across while I was fishing. I offered them some food from my supplies." The guard, having been with the caravan since Sunberth and having seen Diem trying to convince people to lend a hand to those less fortunate, snorted it what was probably a laugh and unlatched the bolt on his crossbow. Taking the hint the others guards also sheathed their swords and went back to where they had been standing earlier. Diem nodded to the man with the crossbow and then moved to the right, in front of the wagon, toward a White Mountain Pony tied to a stake in the ground. The other horses, the ones pulling the wagons, were stacked on the other side. The other guards didn't seem to have any horses.

Diem turned to the others following him and smiled again, it seems he smiles allot. "This is Spot. Before you ask I'm not sure why she's called that either." Spot lifted her head for a moment and looked at newcomers, then with a snort that was definitely not a laugh went back to eating on some freshly uncovered grass. The bald did not seem fazed by the treatment from his horse and went to the saddlebags he had set down near Spot. He set his blanket down and began rummaging through his pack. After a few moment he pulled out some bread, some cheese, and a bundle of cloth which was presumably the fish. He had already cleaned and gutted them before so there was only a matter of cooking them.

Diem motioned to the others to site down on set of logs he had pulled in earlier around his own smaller camp fire. The guards would rather talk amongst themselves then with their employers and Diem always offered fish to those not working. The fire that had been built that morning was almost out but after a few logs were thrown it began to grow once more. Then Diem set the cut of fish on a rock that was noticeably cleaner then the rest of the rocks in the fire circle and a bit farther in. Diem handed a chunk of bread and cheese to the others and walked over to the merchants fire pit to fetch some bottles of water. When he returned he offered one to Ms. Timandre and one to Gray and took his own seat opposite them. After a few minutes the fish began to sizzle as the heat from the fire began to warm the rock, and cook the fish on top of it. "If you want you can go and talk to the merchants and see if they'll sell anything. The fish will be a little bit longer. I'm sure they'll let you post your horse with the others Gray."

[Marishka Timandre]

The Konti warrior was quiet the rest of the way, letting both Diem and Conor walk in peace. When they reached the camp however, the apprehensive looks from the men did not sit too well with Marishka, and the very first thing her instincts told her was for her to always keep her hand on the hilt of her sword. She did not want to cause trouble for the kind monk, however, so she relented and simply scoffed away at their rough laughs and typical men behavior. All around her she could feel several pairs of perusing eyes frolicking with thoughts of her engaging in salacious acts, and behind every smile that her passing brought up was a more perverted imagination. It disgusted her to the core, and in a way she wished she had not taken up the invitation. Was all of it true, or was it merely the product of her own imagination, a reflection of how she truly saw men as? Are men always so stupid, she asked herself. She has had those experiences with the more ravenous, rapacious ones of the opposite sex, and it had gifted her with a rather deep animosity towards them. The Konti are far more right in keeping watch over their daughters carefully in Mura than not, and the fact that there are several gods amongst their waters that guarded them comforted her. Yet there were none of them in her current location, and all she had to rely on was herself. The throbbing of her heart was no longer valiant, but teething in anger. There in the outer fringes of the circular fire she sat beside Conor, neither talking nor moving. The frown on her lips grew even more pronounced with every passing moment, and she refused to say anything to anyone for awhile, trying to concentrate more on the just and courteous ways that she had sworn to uphold. Taking a deep breath as she took the bottle of water and held it with both hands, she finally said something after Diem had said his piece. "I would like to buy some light armor, possibly a cuirass." she said in a rather blank tone before sipping at the water. She didn't really want to go out and have conversations with these fellows, but it would be a necessary thing for her to acquire at least some stronger pieces of protection for herself. "Would you happen to know who is the best man to talk to for that?"

[Diem]

Diem noticed the frown on Ms. Timadre's face at the same time he noticed the tension in the air, but it would have been rude to pester her about it so Diem refrained from doing so. He also noted that the guards, both on duty and off were looking at the two new comers with a bit of interest. In times like these it was unusual to run into travelers along the roads, even one's so well armed as these two. At the end of Ms. Timandre's question Diem gestured toward the large man in the middle. "The merchant wearing all of those colors in the center of that group deals in armor. It might be a trying task to talk to him but I have seen nothing to suggest his item's are as faulty as his thinking."

[Marishka Timandre]

"Hmm." Marishka's gaze followed Diem's gesture towards the boisterous and arrogant looking man in vivid colors, letting out a disapproving click of her tongue as she saw how he moved about and acted around his fellows. "Tch. I guess there is truth in the saying, no pain, no gain. Let us hope that he treats me and my respect... Kindly. For his sake." She abruptly got up from her seat and almost stormed towards the man, only slowing down when she had reached within a few feet from the merchant. Clearing her throat, she let out a small bow to the man and his friends in respect, then addressed him in a forced voice of courtesy. "Greetings good sir. Sir Diem over there had informed me that you sell fine quality pieces of armor and weapons. Perhaps you would be so kind as to show me your wares? I am interested in a purchase." She stopped talking then, her hands hanging stiffly to her sides as she awaited a response, already expecting some sort of brash comment or rebuttal from the men. For that, her right hand of alabaster white hung over her sword's hilt, ready for any instance.

[Diem]

The large, flamboyantly dressed, merchant looked away from those he was conversing to study the person before him. She wore a cloak over her head, so her face was hidden, but her voice and general shape suggested a women. The sword at her hip suggested a warrior. Contrary to what the other merchants, the guards, and those people who he sold items to frequently the large merchant was a business man first and a pompous jerk second. So with a bit of effort and some heavy breathing the merchant stood up and put on his best smile. It looked little better then a leer but no one ever bothered to mention that.

"I have several pieces of fine armor in my cart over there." The Merchant pointed to the cart that had a broken wheel. "My prices are fair and my goods are valuable. Please follow me." The merchant walked, or what amounted to walking but looked more like a waddle, to the cart and gestured to one of the guards trying to fix the wheel to pull the tarp off. Underneath was a small collection of light armors arranged in an orderly manner. All of it looked well made and taken care of.

"If you see anything you like, tell me so we can discuss a price." The last word had a little more insinuation to it then was appropriate, but his manner was to polite to really draw any conclusions unless one tried.

[Marishka Timandre]

Marishka's eyebrow perked up as the man turned around and made way for the cart. He didn't seem as bad as Diem had warned her, although his girth and pouring belly revolted her. He looked more like a dressed-up pig than anything else, and his walk seemed to be patterned after that of a duck. She had not caught his cleverly disguised hitting even though she had filtered everything through her wary mind. Furthermore, he at least seemed as fair in selling as he had expressed. When he uncovered the tarp, Marishka's eyes feasted on the sight of fine pieces of metal plates and sturdy gauntlets, with her scaled, white hands gingerly touching a heavy-looking iron plate that gleamed of solid craftsmanship. There were some items made of iron, others made of bronze. Only one caught her attention more, however: a very light and fine silver cuirass that seemed to speak to her of perfection. She has always had a taste for items of silver, and this one seemed just right. He turned to the man, her face a bit more revealed now as she was right under his nose. "How much would you charge for this? I have..." she asked, her fingers now rummaging through her pouch for money. It was only then that she realized she had little. "...I have ten gold Mizas here." her voice sounded a bit defeated and confused. Didn't she bring more with her? She secretly wished that the man would be a bit generous, although his gait and posture quickly reminded her to expect less than a positive response. Secret : Sorry for the late response, I was waiting for Conor to post something.

[Diem]

Secret :

I apologize for the wait as well. Life got busy

For a moment it seemed the merchant was actually surprised. Any warrior who used armor new the expenses in buying such items. The item she had picked out was one of the more valuable pieces as well. A normal cuirass was worth a great deal. The silver this particular one was forged of made it 6 times more valuable. It was a fine piece indeed. "10 gold you say? I do hope that you are joking. I am having trouble containing my laughter." Indeed the merchants gurth seemed to shudder with said contained laughter.

"I would be reluctant to give that piece away for 1,000 gold mizas. If you chose one of the simple iron pieces perhaps we could work out an arrangement." The tone was defintiely inappropriate for dealing with a customer, but now that he knew the women had so little in the way of currency he was not so worried about insulting her.

"I am always looking for more sword arms, among other things."