The lean woman gives Shard a hard look. She is not unfriendly per say, but she is far from trusting. The young warrior gives her a warm and even charming smile. He seems far more trusting. The bearded man is somewhere between the two extremes. While he is talking, his guard is not down. "Ah. Maybe I know if your tribe. I get around. Why did you come this way and why are with these folks?" He says, trying to keep focus more on Shard than on them or maybe he is really interested. "Not long at all. We will probably head back soon. We just came this way, well on the hunt."

Margot returns from her tent, pulling her cloak around her shoulders as she looks around for those who were brought in the night before. The tyde woman stops near the edge of the group, nodding to the maidens, not yet speaking up.

"Maybe," Shard says, but that's all she offers as regards her tribe, at least for the moment. "I'm told you were serving the Horned One. He's the reason I had to come south. Otherwise, I'd never have left. But coming south means dealing with the Compact, and usually swearing oaths to them." She spins a finger in the air, indicating their surroundings. "These people here are trying something different now, because of the Horned One. So I'm with them, to see if it can be done right."

It is a cold winter morning. Not so cold that people will suffer from frost bite if they are dressed warmly and being reasonable. However, most would prefer to be near the fires. A sprawling camp has been setup. Gathered around a fire place are three North Shavs and Shard. One man is about fifty, healthy and has a red beard. He is a big guy and his brown eyes are brightly alert. Another one is a lean woman in her late thirties. She has lots of scars. The third is a young male warrior of about twenty. He seems the warmest and most friendly of the three. About seven more are in the tent, likely avoiding conversation.

Calarian has left the a regal green tent with a gray gryphon.


     Harlan searches for better hot spiced wine than what he drew. "Way too much mir in that one." He mutters. His eyes to drift off to Shard and the Shav and he shakes his head. "I need to get out behind my desk and learn languages as well as train. They sound like chatting birds for as much as I can understand. In fact I could understand the birds better."

Khanne has left the a regal green tent with a gray gryphon.

Khanne has joined the a cozy campfire surrounded by boulders and wooden perches.

Calarian has joined the a cozy campfire surrounded by boulders and wooden perches.

Ailith peers at Preston from her seated position. "Raising your arms may work, but I doubt the stop murdering me inflection is understood as opposed to you surrendering. But honestly, there's tribes who are only trying to survive against the odds." Her conversation quiets, shared by those around the campfire.

Margot has a big heavy polar bear skin draped around her to ward off the cold. "Greetings," she states in northern shav, her voice soft, a mist following the words out of her mouth in the cold.

Calarian comes out of the tent with Khanne, his hand clasped behind his back and -- apparently -- he is heading towards the group Shard is speaking to. The fact that Shard is already speaking to them, though, draws him to a faint smile. He nears the group at his gracefully straightened pose, ticking his chin to Khanne as if encouraging her to come with him. For now, he merely watches, trying to assess the situation

The young warrior looks up toward Margot, having a warm smile for her. He might think she is pretty or something. The lean woman manages to smile, only barely. Her blue eyes are hard.

The bearded man looks back to Shard and makes this rumbling and thoughtful sound. He sounds like a man who is stalling. "I don't know about that.." He says vaguely, maybe being vague on purpose. One thing that seems likely is that he is not enslaved. "Just joining the hunt. I am a hunter. Look.." He says, drawing a flask form his belt. "Fine leather that is and good whiskey. Warms the bones. Do you want some? Plus my brother joined and he always needs looking after." He says, sounding troubled. His brown eyes are suddenly sorrowful. "I guess he don't need watching any longer."

The woman draws tense as more start to come closer, but the young warrior sits up more straight like. The smile he has for Khanne is positively charming. "You are back, sit please." He says toward Khanne. His cheeks are pink and everything. "Just like my fucking brother. May the spirits guard his soul." The bearded man says.

Khanne followed Calarian out of the tent, her hands holding the strap of a bag she wears. She adjusts it to be more comfortable and heads over to with the Prince of Bastion to the group of Shavs that speak with Shard. She takes a seat near to them, sharing a smile with the young warrior and the others before she overhears something said. She settles on the stump and softly, gently says in Northlands Shav, "I am very sorry that we could not save him, but we are grateful that we are able to help you, and the others." Having just come into conversation, she doesn't say much else.

Calarian's own tone of voice comes in practiced Northlands Shav, sounding almost as if he had spoken the language all his life, "We are sorry about what happened back then, but we hope you have found us to be good hosts here. We have food and wine and blankets and tents if you want to stay with us." The reception Khanne gets nets him to smile. "We came here for peace and we want to talk to you to see if there is anything we can do to help."

Calarian checked charm + diplomacy at difficulty 15, rolling 42 higher.

Reese is at the main firepit, with a bowl of hot gruel. She tries to keep warm. She doesn't draw near to the shavs, just peeks that way from a distance. "I have no idea what they are saying, better to stay here." She says to those nearby.

Margot checked charm + diplomacy at difficulty 15, rolling 42 higher.

Margot cracks an easy smile to the young warrior, and her posture relaxes some, welcoming and open. She doesn't repeat Calarian

Margot cracks an easy smile to the young warrior, and her posture relaxes some, welcoming and open. She doesn't repeat Calarian's words but her body language certainly reinforces them.

Khanne checked charm + empathy at difficulty 15, rolling 15 higher.

Shard glances toward Margot, but her attention is clearly for the three Abandoned. She leans forward a little more elbows bracing against knees. For a moment, she clearly studies the flask, but then her eyes go to the bearded man. "There's a man in this camp," she says, all seriousness. "He follows a god that was forgotten, newly remembered. A god named Skald. This man can tell you who the Horned One really is, and how he has been lying to you. I'm sorry for what's happened," and for all her bluntness, she actually does sound that way, "but I am a hunter too. I've known the Horned One's truth since I was a child. I can tell you what I know, but the man I speak of can tell it better. The Horned One stole from both of us. All of us here want to make sure he can't keep doing that to others."

Corban has left the a cozy campfire surrounded by boulders and wooden perches.

The breaded man looks over to Khanne, giving her a nod. "It is his fate. I kept him safe for as long as I could. I'm Finn and you are?" He says and then looks up to Calarian and over to Margot. He seems at least somewhat convinced by their words and the young warrior seems very convinced.

"Thank you. We have been so cold. It was a long and crazy hunt." The younger man says. He looks ready to openly gush about everything. The woman is the most reserved, but even she smiles a real smile.

Finn turns to Shard, seemingly thoughtful and not fully sure. "I never heard of Skald before. He followed a hunting a horned one. As you can see, that didn't get very well. I think me and Mina just want to go back north and try to drink away this memory." He says, gesturing over the woman. She nods.

Preston murmers something in Ailith's ear before he hrms and watches the small gathering over with the Shavs "I think we had better stay back. I suspect people wearing the three rings of the faith were there each time previous talks happened. And well. I don't want to inflame tensions."


     Harlan tries to make sense of the words from the body language of the diplomats. Other than no one is trying to kill one another, he gets nothing. He shakes his head and mutters under his breath as he sips his new cup of spiced wine. "Yes, better off understanding birds talking."

"This Horned Man enslaves people as you could probably see in your companions," Calarian comments to the Shavs with a thoughtful tone of voice, "he sent you to kill the gods of the woods, but I am glad we could all stop that together, even if we wish it could've been done in a more peaceful way. You must understand that those who were enslaved wouldn't stop." Which brings him to ask, "How did you end in that hunt? Perhaps you can tell us more of that."

"Finn," Shard says, rolling the name briefly over her tongue. "I'm Shard." She glances sidelong to Calarian, and then back to the Abandoned. It's clearly a question she's interested in as well, although she tacks on her own as well. "Were you all the same tribe?"

"Margot Tyde," the woman offers to Finn, not stepping closer to the man and woman, after they're already defensive enough. Given the many questions and statements about she doesn't add more to them.

Ailith curiously glances up at Preston. "Tensions are tense," she says for the lack of a better word. "I wouldn't interrupt their conversation as progress appears to have been made. Last time, one who spoke our language had overheard me mentioning healing and that helped open the negotiations further. This, however, judging purely on body language," she lifts a shoulder in shrugging a tad. Then she murmurs at Preston for a while.

"Khanne. Khanne Halfshav," she says to Finn. "I come originally from the Mountains near Whitehold." She nods to the words Calarian says, then adds, "I have some good northern whiskey with me too." She smiles then, those northerners and their love of whiskey. "But, drinking away the memory doesn't help keep it from happening to others. We could use your help... all of yours... to that end."

Finn looks over to Shard. "Naw, we come from about three tribes. Mina, my brother and myself are from the tribe of Three Boulders. And Holf over here is from the tribe of the Weeping Willow. I don't know why it is called that. Weak name." Finn and the young man frowns.

"Subtle strength in Weeping Wilows." Holf says defensively.

"I think all could use the whiskey." Mina says finally speaking up.

Margot gets Dragon's Flame - Wyrmguard Signature Scotch from an oiled sealskin satchel with a shark tooth enclosure.

Margot can be helpful, and helpfully reaches into her bag pulling out a flask. She pulls opened the bottle and takes a drink to show it's safe before she offers it to Mina with a smile. "It cuts the cold," she tells her quietly.

Khanne drops a heavy bottle of Stone Mountain white whiskey.

Finn looks over to Calarian. "I came chasing my brother who is always in trouble and Mina came here with me. We stand together, us two, always have. He joined up with that horned one and well I wasn't gonna let him come alone. Why did you come Holf?"

Holf sucks in a soft breath. "The hunt sounded exciting. They needed brave men and well I am very brave."

All three seem interested in the whiskey, especially with Margot having tasted some first. Mina takes it first and takes a sip and then another sip. She hands the bottle to Finn next. "Thank you." She says. She still sounds a little wary or maybe just exhausted.

Shard looks...torn on something. It's written across her face. The matter lasts for about a minute, and in that time she's clearly eyeing Calarian, Margot, and Khanne sidelong. Eventually, her expression steels itself, returning to a guarded sort of neutrality, and she looks back to Finn. "Have you heard of the Wolfkin tribe?"

Margot steps back after the woman takes the bottle. "Sit if you would, share the fire with us." She does not push for answers, instead concerns herself with their comfort around the others requests.

"Halfshav." Finn says musing. "We heard of your family. You should come back to full Shav." He says, but his tone is warm. He likely doesn't expect that. "We could certainly use some food and whiskey. Before we journey back north that would be great." He adds to Khanne. Finn then looks over to Shard and nods. "Of course, course." He says. He seems well travel, but he also seems like the type who thinks he knows everything. A socially out going guy. They pass around the bottle and sit near the fire.

Holf then speaks up. "I'm not going back north. I'm saying here. It is nice. I like it."

Shard eyes Finn a little harder. "Recently?" she presses.

Calarian gives a nod to Finn and Holf. "Who summoned you to the hunt, Holf?" he wonders of Holf now. "Did you even know what you were chasing? Did they tell you?" One brow lifts with concern, though evidently the tone of his conversation is cordial to the Shav'Arvani guests. "Tell me if I can do anything for you," he says aside to Finn and Mina, "the man who recruited your brother wants to destroy the Grey Forest." The words of Holf net a smile. "If any of you want to come with us, we are looking for men and women to aid us in this battle. I do not know if I have persuaded you that this man is bad, but you have seen what you were chasing and you have seen what he did to the others. I hope you agree, we must stop them."

Khanne looks to Holf and asks softly, "we need brave men to fight against the enslaver too." She leans foward, resting her elbow on a knee. "So you are welcome to help us fight." Her words practically echo Calarian's, and she nods to the Prince. She chuckles and says to Finn, "My calling is to help as many people as I can, as shaman of Whitehold. This is how I can help the most people, help the Spirits. It is because of our old Gods that I went to the city... they told me it was where I needed to be." After a pause, she says, "even if you decide not to help us, if you could tell us how we can keep other tribes from succumbing to the twisted manipulations of the Horned God... knowledge is powerful too."

Margot grins to Hoff as she settles back into her seat, "There's plenty to do down here if you wish to stay." She waves her hand at the camp around them before she leans back.

Aneka, 3 Iron Guardsmen, Meeka arrive, following Merek.

Holf looks over to Calarian. "Oh, some in my tribe are going and they needed some very brave warriors to come too and that is me. I didn't talked to the Horned one myself." "We were chasing forest creatures. It would be very dangerous, I was told." He then adds and frowns, maybe a bit ashamed of his actions. "I though we were doing the right thing." He adds.

Finn sighs, a deeply and manly sigh. "I should have known, Timlin, he was always trouble, always, always, I need another drink." He says, reaching to snag that bottle that Mina has again. She lets him have it."

Holf then looks to Calaian and Khanne with his wide brown eyes. "I want to stop that stuff. I don't want to go back either. I will fight for you Khanne Halfshav."

Finn looks over to Shard. "No, not recently. a Nomadic and wild tribe they are, like wolves."

Aneka, 3 Iron Guardsmen, Meeka leave, following Merek.

Shard's shoulders sink a little, but it seems to be from a sudden lack of tension, rather than disappointment. She gives Finn a curt nod, but there are no further questions from her at the moment.

Holf's words, Calarian gives a smile aside to Khanne, giving a pat on her back and apparently deeming his input on that conversation done. His hazel eyes briefly set on Shard, and should she look his way, he gives her a nod. His words go directly at her, "We will stop it."

Khanne nods to Holf. "Thank you, we really appreciate it." looking at Mina and Finn she adds, "and if you change your minds, and decide to stay... well, that would be good. We can use every person we can get. The more people that fight, or spread the word about what is truly happening, the better. They are not forest creatures, but our beloved ancient ones he hunts. And we cannot allow that." She nods at Finn's words to Shard. "Sometimes... there are even feral wolves that accompany them."

Shard turns her head to regard Calarian for a long moment. There's no nod from her, no actual acknowledgement. No words, certainly. After the moment passes, she stands up, and turns to walk away from the Abandoned camp's fire.

The conversation eventually reaches its natural end. The Shav shar the whiskey among themselves, make use of the tent and take the offered food. Finn and Mina still intent on traveling back north and most of the Shavs here do as well. Holf and two other young warriors from his tribe decide to stay here and they seem most interesting following Khanne.