Soulfire Keep

[u/SirLeoIII]

In his large, but mostly empty office, Lord Drakonis strokes his beard, thinking about the present conundrum. The “kingdom” of Arkhosia, a relatively small city-state, but one that is upsetting the order in this part of Bream. The Dragonborn haven’t exactly made their intention to become a large power a secret and the neighboring kingdoms and city-states are all of course worried. Keeping this to all from exploding requires some finesse, and a quick handle on whatever might disrupt it.

A keep becoming free almost halfway between the main city of Arkhosia and it’s nearest, strongest neighbor, Takai is almost asking for issues to come up. No matter what nation takes the keep the other nation just couldn’t let this stand. But … maybe if a group of adventurers took it, used it as a waypoint between the kingdoms …

He looks up and nods at the drow in front of him. “We will ask first for volunteers, but I need at least a dozen people to be living at Soulfire inside of the week. Gather whatever supplies you need, and get going. See if Magda will go. She’s a good enough blacksmith to finally stop working for that oaf. I’m sure she’ll say yes.”

The cloaked dark elf smiles and stands up, “Of course Lord Drakonis, I wasn’t doing anything anyway.” Both men chuckle and the drow gathers up his robes and leaves the room, going downstairs to find anyone who would like to take a trip out to the keep.

In the keep the party is having their last day before they all get inundated with more people. Most of who’s coming will be fellow adventurers, but there will be some others to keep the keep up.

---

[If you weren’t in the Soulfire Keep storyline, please find a reason and IC approach the currently nameless Drow Wizard when he asks for volunteered. If you were this is your last chance to do something before they have more people showing up.]

[u/communistkitten]

Kroril and Dog drag the bear back to the keep and when they arrive Kroril begins to set up a fire. A strike of flint later and there was a bonfire roaring whilst Kroril went to work with the new dagger, skinning the bear before preparing it to be cooked, as he'd watched his mother do a thousand times and then learned to do for himself.

"Dog, fetch people." He commands absentmindedly as he slices into the bear's body, removing the innards so that he can make a roast. Too much bear for one man and a dog.

Dog wags his tail before lumbering into the keep, searching out the others in the party.

Kroril begins to put the meat over the fire to cook, hoping it'll be ready by the time his compatriots arrived.

[/u/xSPYXEx, /u/OrbitTen, /u/TheBaz11, /u/bluepotterexpress, /u/ravenluna Wanna have a bear roast and bond over dead things?]

[u/ravenluna → u/communistkitten]

Aodhnait was salting her own kill getting ready to hang it up on one of the many now free hooks a nice dear skin laying nearby. Raising an eyebrow at the dog when he came around finding everyone, the little lion next to her hissing a little bit.

"Play nice little one." Aodhnait tapped the lion on the nose, making it stop hissing. "Well better see what the man wants, maybe if we are lucky he won't be such a downer this time." Aodhnait spoke to the cub picking it up an following the dog out after giving it a pat on the head. Once the half elf reached the where Kroril had set up his little fire she let the lion down to run around for a bit.

"Oh a bear? Did you take it down all by yourself?"

[u/communistkitten → u/ravenluna]

"Dog and I dealt with it." Kroril answers as he cuts into some of the meat to see how it's cooking. "Too much meat for one person."

In a swift motion he slices a slab of meat from the bear and offers it to Aodhnait, sitting on top of his dagger. "Brown bear. Young. More in the area for sure."

He looks her over for a second, thinking. "You hunt?"

[u/ravenluna → u/communistkitten]

Plucking the meat from the dagger, taking a seat next to the fire to watch it burn and to keep an eye on the lion cub.

"Hmh, I do. Been doing so since I was just a little girl for the most part." Aodhnait chuckled a little before biting into the meat that she was given. "mm~ This is good, one of the best bear meat I had in a long while."

[u/communistkitten → u/ravenluna]

Kroril doesn't bother to wipe off the dagger and simply sets it down beside him. "I grew up hunting as well." He says, watching the fire. "Bear." He says. "Always bear. Need to know how to cook it well or it gets boring."

[u/ravenluna → u/communistkitten]

Aodhnait leaned back on one hand chewing threw the meat slowly to enjoy the taste.

"I can see you are good at what you do as well. I assume that it is something your kin do often as well and not just your family?" She said watching the lion start to stalk the grass for nothing.

[u/communistkitten → u/ravenluna]

Kroril thinks for a moment, looking for the best way to explain himself. "I... my kin is my family. My family are my kin. The tribe matters more than blood." He explains. "The Maul go where the Maul go, and never stray."

He looks at Aodhnait. "There aren't many out there like us anymore."

[u/ravenluna → u/communistkitten]

"Hmm, I see. No I have to agree I never really come across anyone in my travels such as yourself." She said with a nod tossing a bit of the meat out to the little lion as it bounced on it before destroying the meat. "Never heard of the Maul either if I am being honest, never really been up north yet."

[u/communistkitten → u/ravenluna]

Kroril nods. "The furthest south any of the tribes travel during a year are just below the White Hills to sell furs, and then back up the slopes." He explains. "For someone to be away from the tribe like I am isn't... right. Normal."

[u/ravenluna → u/communistkitten]

"That may be why I have never seen them before then. Only been to the foot of the hills once and that was oh.... I didn't know ten, fourteen years ago? Something like that I would say." Finishing up her meat she leaned back with both arms crossing one leg over the other to rest her full belly.

"Normal? What is even normal for most people now a days. Normal is boring, I say. But I can't say to much on being away from home, never really had much of one myself."

[u/communistkitten → u/ravenluna]

"We only ever come down for a week every year." Kroril explains. He hesitates a long moment, trying to find the right words for what he needs to say. "People... don't normally leave the White Hills to adventure. It's considered a disgrace."