Kargun produces his letter from inside his jerkin. It is slightly dog eared and must surely have a ripe odor, but intact and legible. At the bottom a series of Khazalid runes mark out what one can only assume to be his name or signature. There is little sign of finesse in the hand that wrote them.

As he takes the purse of gold, his moods noticeably brightens. He pulls a couple of gold marks from among the change and rubs them between his fingers. It seems that the rumors about Dwarfs and gold may have some truth to them given the bliss on his face. As the others talk, Kargun eventually replaces the coins in his purse and hides the whole thing inside his mail.

"Maps are a fine idea, lass. 'Tis easy to get lost above ground where every tree looks the same as the next. Not like a good mine or cave." Kargun grins, but it's unclear if he's joking or serious. "As fer bandits an' the like... well Helga here will handle them." His hand runs fondly over the axe tucked into his belt.

"Tae the coach then if this twig o' a man cannot produce mair paper."

"We ain't going to Norsca, trip will be taking us just 3 days out from Altdorf, there ain't going to be cut throats and monsters lurking behind every bush this close to the capital and if any appeared, the knightly orders would welcome the distraction."
Said a now recovered Jareik with a sigh, arms crossed. Just what the hell did they think the Empire was like that you ran the risk of being prey to famed bandit lords and fearsome monsters as soon as you left Altdorf?
"The only monster we are like to see if we are lucky is Deathclaw when the Emperor lets him stretch his wings a bit."

"I left my land 7 years ago and since then I've travelled this empire, have fought bandits, raiders, Norscans, Beastmen and Orcs in Nordland, Middenland, Talabecland and Reikland, besides zealots of Morr, Knights of Bretonnia and Dwarves in their mountains. Not all of us stay in our tiny corner of one empire and know our ways through them, stop questing my abilities just because you are so small minded in understanding of the world to think that only a man has any ability to do anything in life and women are only around for childbirth." She says after turning around and facing the snotty man at her full height, which for a woman is quite impressive at just a couple inches shorter "If you wish to remain so dim and condescending then leave this mission to those who are willing to work as a team."

Her face had begun taking on colour a hearty, fiery red to match her hair, her hand resting on the head of her axe more to keep herself from actually drawing it in her anger, her knuckles white and her pupils becoming pinpricks in her oddly hued eyes before turning back to face Müller where she waits for a response.

He had had his own matters to attend to whilst travelling with the group. There were certain signs for which he was ever at watch, with certain individuals and places requiring even more than the usual wary attentiveness. He had seen nothing to prick his suspicions in the darkest directions, though he had certainly found himself with a somewhat queer bunch.

Not that he could begrudge others their eccentricities, he had enough of his own. "You both make fine points. We would not have this commission, with the confidence and coin it entails, were there a significant threat to our lives. Yet we are not venturing far into the wilderness. Any sensible local can furnish us with a map that would suit our purposes, if only sketched." Though not, as a rule, accustomed to dealing with a group of comrades, he supposed it only reasonable enough to hope that making mention of the goal might avoid an argument. "Unless the good man's library might furnish a map or guidebook of the region."

Müller shrugged.
"The coachmen keep maps of the areas they venture too. As stated the area you arrive at is not the town but rather a crossroad, as you have to trek of the road into more rural territory to find the settlement. That is properly a good term for the place. Curious location, but hardly of risk. Why the high pay I have not inquired, but the employer is of status and wealth and the man you seek is a highly respected member of the college."

Milly grew increasingly uneasy as Etain began to name one place after another, thankfully, she was put at ease once the well traveled woman moved onto other matters, like her absolute disagreement with the man, the now closed list of places visited far less distressing. "Now now, there is no reason to make such a big issue over a small matter such as this. Maps are a reassuring thing to have and while I would argue no map will ever beat the expert knowledge of a local, it is actually the location of our destination and it's proximity to Altdorf what is bound to make most maps more reliable and maybe even detailed than your average piece."

Jareik eyed Etain quizzically as she approached, in his mind he didn’t say anything particular contentious and his comment was as much addressed to the dwarf as it was for her so the outburst certainly surprised him!
His eyes narrowed to slits as she accused him of disparaging her because of her gender, it almost made him want to say that in truth it was because of her norscan like appearance, but the others talking gave him time to reconsider saying that and adding fuel to the fire. Still as much as he hated to admit it, she might be right that he was letting his prejudices cloud his judgement. That said he also didnt fully believe her accounts, it sounded like the sort of tall tale recruits would gossip about around a campfire.

“I don’t take orders from you love so I’m in this whether you like it or not. “ He finally said  in an icy tone, hands remaining as they were but he kept an eye on that axe of hers.. “And fine, maybe I judged you hastily, it’s true. But that’s nothing to do with you being a woman, rest assured about that.”
This message was last edited by the player at 00:18, Tue 14 Jan 2020.

Etain looks to Müller and thanks him for this help before walking out of the building, speaking in her own language at the gods only knew what but after the confrontation she had with Jareik it hardly leaves much to the imagination.

Kargun slaps his belly with mirth. "Wan big happy family! Let's get goin'. I need tae eat. Ma stomach thinks ma throat's been cut."

As you depart, coin in hand, the sun stands firm on the sky above, only covered in part clouds. Fair weather for travelling.
According to directions, you have a few minutes on foot to the coach station mentioned and thus out of town.
The streets are bustling with life and activity and stands with various trinkets, items of food, and various vendors selling skins, and produce try to sell you what they have for cheap coin to make a living. The sound is rising as activity does as well, and for a moment, one can feel the urge to miss the silence of a the lands ahead of you. Such is Altdorf however, along with the social unrest, smell, noise, and religious and magical undertones.

Regardless of your venture, you notice a large stable with two coaches being prepared ahead of you. A middleaged man with a booming beard, in a red hue, making it appear like embers, stands near a horse, feeding it and preparing it. He appears to be aligned with the establishment.

As the group head towards the coaching station, Kargun whistles a breezy tune. It's certainly no Dwarf song, but instead seems to be a version of a popular bawdy popular in the least reputable parts of town. The Dwarf walks with a plodding gait, and despite the huge weight of pack, weapons and armour he is carry, Kargun shows no discomfort. He does a fine job of chewing on some black bread purloined from the kitchen of the inn and marching along at the same time.

"Ho' there manling!" Kargun hails the red bearded man. "We're for a coach tae Faltdorf, or as close as ye'll tak' us." Eyeing the horse suspiciously, Kargun pats his purse suggestively. The direct approach tends to work for these humans.

As she leaves Muller's she heads through the market, stopping at a few of the stalls to buy a few items, a few carrot and apples for the road, some dried and fresh meat for the animals and herself as well as some hard cheese and bread. She stows it in her back, except for the raw meat she gives to the dogs who tear into it gleefully before she catches up with Kargun and the others.

The man turned, scratching his beard and eyeing Kargun with some curiosity.
"Ah, ye looking to hire one? Or have you already booked one? We are somewhat busy and stocked up on orders so there may be some delay. I can write ye up? What is the name again?"
It came to mind that the papers of employment would properly be usuable right about now as per Müller and the Captain himself.

As the group left Muller's house minus Etain, Jareik shook his head at Kargun's comment and chuckled. "I dread to think what dwarven families are like then. I've seen foul creatures of the dark gods that weren't half as ill tempered or confusing." Then he turned to Gerhart and added with an amused smile. "Whoever heard of a savage in furs who can read and write better then most fancy pants nobles? Truly we live in the End times."

Sigmar willing, Etain will be the only oddity to deal with on this job, the dwarf at least was more what he would expect of his race. He wasn't sure what to make of Milly yet and why she was in on the job at all but then that's wizards for you, always doing their own thing.

As Kargun started singing, the hochlander thought that the tune sounded familiar enough.
Etain eventually caught up with the group again and Jareik wisely decided to avoid eye contact or say anything except to smile at one of the dogs.

"No need for bookings, that should already be taken care off." Jareik dug around for his employment paper and showed it. "Here you go. Though a single coach might be a bit tight for all of us." he said, glancing at Etain's dogs.

While Jareik eagerly took care of the papers, Milly tugged onto the edge of her hat looking to the side, as if that was going to help conceal what she was in the least. They weren't 'out there' yet, but she was well aware of how much more frowned upon her ilk were beyond Altdorf.

The wizard did not share Jareik's concerns though, with a dwarf in their company and not being of a particularly imposing physique herself, she guessed that the dogs would just make up for the vacant space. "Perhaps we should see about trying to fit in one first, before worrying too much in anticipation."

"They really don't take up that much room, Roan will likely just sit on my lap most of the trip and Éimear will sit by our feet, she also might want to sit on someones lap but I doubt she will be comfortable enough, she's a bit skittish." she says coming up beside Milly, a carrot in her hand, half-eaten with the dogs in tow, looking to her for a piece of the food.

Gerhart regarded the gathering and considered the matter of space. Not the most uncomfortable form of transport he had ever taken. A man who had spent half a day crouched in a barrel tended to look fondly on even the meanest of conventional conveyances. "Surely, Jareik, either you or I might ride with the driver and keep a watchful eye." They were both well experienced in such roles, keeping an eye out for threats both covert and overt. A faint hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "I would not dare to insult a Hochlander by claiming keener sight."

He was quite fond of dogs and viewed dwarves with respect, though the former tended to be more agreeable and less pungent. Besides the esteem with which any good Sigmarite viewed the stout folk, Gerhart appreciated the conservative nature of Dwarven culture, there was no fear of them falling to depraved cults and diabolical machinations. Finer allies for the Empire than many other Human nations. The company of either was no trouble to him.

Kargun seems content to let the humans manage the bureaucracy. He digs around in his pack searching for something and at length produces a fired clay jug with a cork. In a rather theatrical manner he pulls the cork with his teeth and spits it into the gutter before taking a deep swig from the bottle. Whatever he's drinking smells like you could polish armour with it. A smiles creeps onto his face and he busies himself by alternating drinking and trying to feed morsels of salt beef to the Eimear and Roan without anyone noticing. Unfortunately for him, subtlety seems to be the only weapon not in Kargun's arsenal.

"Fair enough." said Jareik on the topic of the dogs, if Etain said they could handle themselves on the trip he had no reason to doubt it despite their head butting.

That little concern addressed, he flashed a cocky smile at Gerhart.
"Heh as you should, Ol' Mirabelle here ain't just for show." He drew his handgun with a single fluid movement and stood to attention. "We can swap shifts when we stop at a way station, this way there'll always be someone fresh on watch."

The coachman eyed the papers presented and nodded.
"Ah you should have said. Please, take place in the farthest away coach, I will get the coachman that will take you. The trip is arranged. Jannick! Come, aid the men and women in loading!"
A young lad, not quite adult yet, but no kid, came and offered help to anyone needed it, smiling coyfully and innocently as only one that age could.
A man arrived a few minutes later, with a backpack, a blunderbuss over his shoulder and with a stern weatherbitten face. He was partially bald and tanned unevenly, suggesting a hat being used to some degree on his long trips.

He nodded and assuming you were ready, sat on top and prepared the trip ahead - with a loud roar almost, the coach set in motion out the gate, on a trip that was expected to take a while.

The trip ahead is simplistic on paper. Early day, meaning you can cover alot of road day one.
This is most farm land, and the plethora of farms around you and lumber mills, suggest some life but at a lower pace than the buzzing metropolis Altdorf is. You pass not one but two men on horseback, wearing armor and emblems of the city. Roadwardens, suggesting the safety of the roads.
Assuming light, you will stop at roadside inns, rest and leave at early sunset.
The first day goes by fairly quickly, and the inn is expected. Gated, with guards, stables, and a two-story building to rest in.
As you set out on the second day, you feel at ease. The sun is up, the sky is fairly clear if a little cloud and there is little wind. Ideal for making haste to the crossroads.
Around midday, a curious sight appear in the distances.
On horseback, you see a person, in full metal armor, head to toe on a breed of horse not seen often in the empire.
The stride is calm and attentive and while sticking out does not arouse concern.

Once the person has come in range Etain pops her head out the window with a grin plastered on her face like she's been reunited with long lost family and yells [Language unknown: "Hoecck Wilhouverich Ta hoint eau thewerpro ad!"] In a language none of the others probably know, her movements so sudden it may have caused some alarm.

Marie Arceneaux was enjoying a pleasant ride, and the beauty of the day. This was a perfect day for traveling. The sun was shining, but there was just enough of a breeze to keep the heat of the road from setting in. And for one who was clad from head to toe in fine castle-forged steel, that was a blessing. Plate armor may be protective, but it could certainly make a journey unpleasant at points. It was stifling in the heat of summer, freezing cold during the bite of winter, and often attracted highwaymen who saw it as a sign of wealth.

Which to be fair, it was.

Marie Arceneaux was a noblewoman of Bretonnia, in addition to being an unconventional Knight of the Realm. She was bound to attract some attention, wealth or no wealth. The powerful and graceful Bretonnian Charger beneath her was more than enough to turn heads in Imperial lands, let alone her armament and gender.

Which was why she was not put off or concerned when the drivers and riders of a coach traveling opposite her on the road began to regard her curiously. She had grown accustomed to such glances long ago. That was a small price to pay for traveling the cosmopolitan lands of the Empire. As she often did, she raised a welcoming hand and waved at the coach. She didn't want some misunderstanding with a suspicious coachman after all. More than once in her travels she had felt the sting of a blunderbuss against her armor. Whether through luck, or the protection of the Lady of the Lake, she had emerged unscathed. But she was not eager to repeat the experience.

"Bonjour! Well met fellow trav-" her greeting was cut off when she heard a familiar voice call out from the coach in her native tongue.

No...it couldn't be...

"Etain?!?!" Marie called back, pulling the heaume from her head so that she might see better.

Jareik was on shift next to the driver when they spotted a single armored rider.
Narrowing his eyes, he knew he was looking at a knight, that much was obvious by the armor, but he couldn't tell which order other then it was definitely not any of the main ones he was familiar with like the reiksguard or the knights panther.

The knight being alone didn't seem out of the ordinary, they were still close to Altdorf after all. He raised his hand in return to the knight's wave and went back to scanning the tree line.

Then he snapped back to attention as he heard a...female voice? And with an accent that definitely wasn't from the Empire. He looked behind the rider and around him, was the knight escorting some people he somehow wasn't seeing?

Etain's excited voice cut through those thoughts. He turned around, just what the hells was the savage doing? Was she about to pick a fight with the knight judging by the high tone? He sighed. Why couldn't everyone just speak riekspeil? The knight was too close now for the handgun so his hand went to his sword in case he needed to intervene.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:02, Tue 21 Jan 2020.

"[Language unknown: Se nt roil], [Language unknown: Ul acred wasni], Stop the cart, [Language unknown: Tian es eeol]" She says in all the languages she speaks, the dogs get agitated with the commotion she was making. Once the cart stops she hops out of the cart, the shepherds hot on her tail as she makes her way towards the knight.

The dogs approach, Eimear hanging back and Roan a little ahead, tail-nub down and ears back, clearly unsure of the situation when moments before he was fast asleep on his owner's lap. "How is your family" she asks as she stops by Josette, hoping that Marie would get off of her.

"Gah!" Jareik almost fell off due to the weight of his equipment carrying him forward when the cart stopped. He grumbled curses as he recovered.

When Marie opened her helmet to show unmistakably feminine features, an audible "What in Sigmar's name????" could be heard coming from the front of the coach. The knight was a woman! May Shallyah give him strength to deal with this new oddity, Etain was plenty weird enough for him as it was, no friggin surprise she happened to know this walking contradition aswell!
This message was last edited by the player at 15:16, Tue 21 Jan 2020.