Subject: Re: At the Guardhouse

"Lysette is...Lysette. She's a wise woman, skilled in the ways of the wild, who lives near the edge of the Tall Grass. It is said that the grass and the animals speak to her."

Subject: Re: At the Guardhouse

Telwyn raises an eyebrow. That somewhat cryptic response is likely all he'll get from Buchek; the man doesn't seem overly talkative. Well, whoever or whatever she was, this Lysette sounded interesting. And at this point any information they could gather would be useful.

Subject: Snylledd's Arrival

Just as Buchek answers Telwyn about Lyssette, the door to the guardhouse opens suddenly inward and Snylledd walks briskly into the room.

"Good morning, good sirs and lady. It is good to see you talking with one another - good communication is the key to success, after all. While I have spoken with some of you, I have not had the pleasure of meeting everyone." He glances quickly from Buchek to Holn before continuing. "It is fortunate that two sturdy souls have come from the grasslands to aid our quest."

It is Buchek who responds, someone suspiciously. "What *is* your quest, and what is expected of me?"

Snylledd smiles a little condescendingly, as one might to an inquisitive child. "Ah, yes. You wouldn't know. Some time ago, a group of settlers set off into the Tall Grass, seeking their fortunes beyond the frontier."

Buchek shakes his head at the foolishness, but allows the man to continue. City men, walking into the territory of the gods? It was madness - but perhaps they were guided by the same force that led his mother, Sortani.

"When no word came back, we sent a scouting party to find them. They, too, disappeared. This expedition hopes to find some word from the lost settlement and scouts, bringing back proof of their survival or death so that their families can know their true fate."

"It is my hope that you would aid these adventurers in their quest." He adds in a slightly accented, but remarkably good approximation of Buchek's own Cushat tongue, "I may have saved your life today, warrior. If you wish to honor that debt to me, I would ask that you serve these travelers for a time."

The words startle Holn and Buchek and draw a raised eyebrow from Telwyn. It was not just any barbarian tongue he had spoken, but very close to the precise dialect Buchek himself spoke - close enough to be within only a small grouping of clans. Is that the only dialect he knows, or does he know several and chose the one most familiar to Buchek? The man is more than a mere merchant, Buchek is sure.

Before he can question Snylledd further on the point, Kayla pipes in.

"What sort of people we talkin' about, 'ere? These settlers, I mean. Any rough customers we'd need to look out for? They on the run, or legit?"

Snylledd's eyes linger on Buchek a moment longer before he turns to speak with the halfling.

"They were quite legitimate, my dear. The initial settlement totalled some forty people. There were thirty mules with them, at least, and several guards on horseback. They expected to start a new village - complete with craftsmen, farmers and temple. Galidan Stormshield, the great captain of the Kass wars, led the contingent of guards. I hear the fiddler from Caro who joined them was none other than Minnalin Laserek. And Bilfin's chief acolyte from the temple to Fharlanghan accompanied them, as well."

"The settlement carried the hopes and dreams of many, I'm afraid, and those hopes have now sank in the marshes of the Tall Grass. The scouts were perhaps too few to be effective, and were lost as well. Three grasslands rangers and one of our more sturdy fighting guardsmen left, also never to be seen again."

As Snylledd is about to continue, Bermid speaks up for the first time since he arrived at the guardhouse.

"What do you feel our chances are, Commissar? You've travelled in the grasslands and the Tall Grass... do you think the settlers are alive? Do you think we will find any trace of them?" There is worry in his voice, the worry of someone used to the comforts of home.

Snylledd pauses before answering, and there is silence as the group waits in expectation.

"Honestly, I don't know. There is something about the grass, something... strange. At times it seems like just another marshy grassland, filled with creatures and insects to watch out for and littered with trinkets left by unfortunate souls lost in the grasses. At others, you can feel a strange energy and tension in the air, like the world has been spun to a strange angle, and the wind doesn't feel right..."

He stops, as though lost for a moment in thought, then continues.

"If you keep your wits about you, I am confident in your survival - more confident knowing that these two men of the grassland clans are with you. The clans have a far greater knowledge than we do about the Tall Grass, and a rich mythology that holds many truths. I can only hope the settlers are alive and well, but I fear the worst. If I had no hope, I wouldn't send you at all."

Holn speaks matter of factly, asking the next obvious question.

"What do you think happened to them? Which theory do you believe?"

"Again," he responds, "I do not really know. I feel they have crossed into a place from which they cannot return, or from which they don't want to. They could be held prisoner, been stranded on the opposite bank of some great river, or even have found some paradise they don't wish spoiled by others. I feel they are alive, but somehow cannot, or will not, contact us."

"Hopefully you will find success where the rangers before you did not, but I do feel as though you should leave as quickly as possible. I fear for Buchek's safety locked away in this city - there are elements that would wish him dead, and use whatever means necessary to make that happen."

"I will provide provisions and two mules to carry it. I would suggest bringing a fair supply of food and water, though there is a decent amount of game and plenty of slowly moving water throughout the Tall Grass. It would be best if you set out not too long after noon and spend the night in Caro to the east - there would still be animosity, but Caro is more an outpost and trading center than an actual city. There would be fewer problems there."

"If you bring me a list of provisions you feel you will need, I will see what we have available to give you."

(Okay, let me know what you want to say, and talk *amongst yourselves* about what gear you'd like to bring. Remember, you only have so much room on the mules so be selective. Snylledd would probably be willing to give you a third mule if you felt it absolutely necessary - make a good pitch, if you do. Jake had some great ideas to share with the group regarding equipment, and you guys should all talk about it.

In a related note, I'm missing emails again. I didn't get Jake's response, only Mike's response to Jake's response. Not good. I hope I'm not missing anything... were there any other mails today besides Mike and Jake?

I apologize for the lateness of this, too. I didn't realize I had a faculty meeting today.)

Subject: Re: Snylledd's Arrival

OOC: So, are we supposed to do this IC or OOC? Well, OOC for now.

Telwyn can provide food for himself and a couple of others without too much trouble, but it restricts him to half speed. So we'll want food. In combat he's best as an archer, so he'll want extra arrows as well. He brought 40 with him, but I could easily see all of those getting used up over a long campaign. If anyone has any ranks in Armorsmithing or Weaponsmithing it would be good to have tools for repairing our equipment and/or crafting new items.

What else?

Oh, and Matt, Jake's email was only addressed to me, so that's why you didn't get it. The list is, as far as I know, operating correctly. I got no other emails today.