#anywhere

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Sylvi has toured much of the area, but there are some sites she won't get used to. Such as the chimerical polar bear putting a coke can out for a chimerical seal to drink. The seal comes up, trusting, the polar bear smiles, and the polar bear smacks it hard! Don't believe commercials kids!

I guess you can't blame a bear for being hungry, but...wow... She makes a careful habit of recording what she's seen and done in a journal each night.

One thing she's learned, Baron Snowmantle works...hard! He patrols his own lands as much as the Chieftain does. He gets his hands dirty when it's required as in with actual dirt.

...which is a lot different from Count Hemlock. Maybe it's a rank thing? she writes. It would make sense that they do more ordering around the higher they go in title....

It might also be a population thing, fewer humans, fewer fae, and thus fewer followers. The Baron is not the only sidhe at the hold mind you.

She hears another of those sidhe, a young wilder she hasn't formerly met yet, talking to his lord "Baron? My lord, she's...young for this isn't she?" "She's about your age, sir knight. And we should offer. Now tell her she's not obligated, and no shame in declining,but make the offer... I need to see to this" THe baron chastises the fellow.

Sylvi carefully closes her journal and puts it away in a drawer...hopefully people respect privacy around here...and keeps listening.

There is a knock on her door. "Emissary? I bear news from the baron. Have you a moment?"

"A moment!" She checks her appearance in her mirror to make sure she's presentable, and then opens the door. She's not quite sure what to say, so she settles on, "Hello?" And cringes inwardly.

She's not met Gulbrand face to face. The young knight is indeed about her age, and she has never met an Aesin before. The interesting thing about Gulbrand is, he's...not very attractive. By sidhe standards. If he were mortal, he'd be homely, with a brow that was mangled in his youth and neverh ealed right, but instead he is sidhe, so it comes out to be a scar along his right eye that looks neat, but he's.. he's not the amazing gorgeous specimen sidhe are supposed to be (Ap 1/3) and a lock of blonde hair obscures his right eye as best it can. "Emmisary, nightmare chimera are endangering our allies. We go to fight them. We have arms and armor if you wish to join, but the Baron says there is no shame if you decline. Which I personally would advise."

Sylvi pauses only a moment. "I've fought nightmare chimera before. I'll need just a minute to put on the armor I was given. And I have a blade..." she indicates her Bowie knife. "Where should I meet the Baron?"

"I'll take you there," he says, and he looks doubtful at her boast of having faced nightmare chimera, but does not push further. He steps outside and closes the door

She puts her armor on as quickly as she can. "Flopsy? You can come with me in the backpack if you want? Or you can stay here. I'd kind of rather have you safe."

"Well, if you like I'll stay here and spy. Excitment for me, and you, but in different areas" Said low enough that someone at the door won't hear

"That sounds perfect. Okay...I'll be back as soon as I can." She gives him a quick hug, checks her blade, and opens the door. "Ready."

Gulbrand says "What we haveas Nightmare Chimera maybe... a bit more dangerous than whatever you're used to in the soft lands." And he leads her out of the hold, where two horses wait

(Pause Scene)

(unpause)

Sylvi opens her mouth to make a comment...then decides that a "trollish demeanor" might work better here, so she simply follows to the horses. When he claims one, she takes the other and mounts up (very grateful for having learned to ride well at the Farm). "Do the horses know battle commands?" she asks, all business.

"They do," Gulbrand says "If you have troube keeping up, say so." and he speeds his horse on

Not likely she thinks, and gives her horse a quick encouraging pat before urging it after Gulbrand's steed.

The horse is well trained and takes off. She still has a horse she'd rather be on, but that old warhorse is in the DeBuke farm. She's sure he'd eat either of these two for lunch..well, if horses ate other horses.Not that point. They travel on...and soon she finds herself appraoching ..oh snot.

"WEN-Di-GO!" The furry beast towers over trolls, the stink of carrion on it's fanged mouth. It's almost like some brainless redcap ...with white fur!

And the Baron is fighting it

(Is the Baron mounted or on foot?)

On foot, though he's rolling a lot. /She sees other kithain, but not like any she's ever seen before... Nunenhi! Some of their warriors are moving forward with spears, others are getting children to safety as this thing attacks their villiage

Sylvi makes a quick decision, rides as close as she dares without risking the horse, then dismounts and runs into the fight, blade drawn...but it's a kind of small blade compared to that...thing.

It is not her best endeavour, slashing for the moment it seems even with her supersharp blade she can't connect and...

Tthe creatures swats at her as if she were an annoyance ...fortunately her armor takes it..

and she falls back into the snow unwounded

Snow? It seemss this Wendigo spreads winter and hunger as it goes

Maybe it NEEDS the snow...? It might help...maybe... She jams her hands into the snow as deep as she can, trying to reach the soil, and chants, "Things unseen, things of green, far below, wake and grow! Winter's bane, come again!" She gathers the glamour and sends it deep into the soil.

Spring time magic, taught to her by the DeBukes bursts into the soil and rises up, into the Wendigo itself! A winter spirit already trying to defy the summer of this world, Spring proves to be too much for it! It reels, even as the Baron spears it with his sword holding it. and, on an odd whim, sylvi feels the urge to blow on it. When she does so, the fur and fangs and claws begin to drift away, like a dandelion strands and...it's gone, No, nnot gone, rather it has turned into a cascade of lovely flowers blooming like a ground bound rainbow.

She stares, astounded at what she just did.

Cheers break out from the Nunnehi...and the baron raises his sword to salute her, before turning to the tribesmen and women "People of the First Nation, Dreams of the Before who are strong still . This is Sylvi , Emissary of the Rivervale Lodge and my honored guest."//"And our honored guest as well," One man says

She realizes she's still on hands and knees. Quickly, she makes sure she still has her blade and stands, bowing her head respectfully as she's introduced. She's still stunned that that didn't just work, but WORKED.

"Sylvi, this is Nulpelpuk, Chief of his people."

The baron introduces them.

She steps forward, making sure her blade is sheathed before she does. Another respectful nod. "Chief Nulpelpuk, it is an honor to meet you."

"You come to fight for a people not your own, you are the second Westerner I know to have done that when no allegiance was owed," Chief Nulpelpuk nods approvingly. He's a strapping fellow himself, there's an ornate Amulet upon his chest, "Come,we shall eat seal blood soup and suck down whale blubber to celebrate, as is the way"

A blink, then a glance at the Baron, waiting to see if he will accept the invitation.

The chief follows up, "Ah! She blinked, but handled it well. I'm shitting you, young troll. While we do have some use for those meats we don't indulge too often, and we don't expect anyone else to. Salmon more up your alley? My beloved can cook Salmon so sweet the waters try to steal it back."

The baron winks at Syvli "Don't feel foolish now, I think when they first offered it to me, I was racing through excuses about Allergies before they let me off the hook"

She cracks the slightest of grins. "It is a very generous invitation, Chief, but it's the Baron's decision."

"Oh, you sholud never turn down a salmon dish from his wife if you want my view. Besides, they feel indebted to you. I am in some ways indebted to them, but the meal is a start to their showing you gratitude."

"Then...thank you, yes, I would be honored. And I love salmon."

And so it was to pass, that Sylvi would have dinner with the Nunnehi known as the Inua. While they do have some recipes she wasn't sure she was ready for, the Salmon was really delicious. The others great and talk, of hunts of the past, of new children born among the mortal Inuits and Alletiution (Sp) and those among their dreamers who struggle to respect their traditions and not violate taboos. Chief Nulpelpu admits "It is not easy. We do not manifest in just any human bloodline. I understand Trolls may prefer the folks of viking heritage, but might still find themselves born into the families of many people. We? We are bound to those tribes, too tightly to the blood some would say, but perhaps the world wants to remind us of our duties to them."

"I guess I can see how it would benefit mortals who live as a tribe, to have a whole regular group of fae to defend and help them, generation after generation. Where I live, the mortals live mostly as family units, and a lot don't have many connections to their neighbors. So there's not that...um...continuity?"