Usurg snorts, “We’re dragon blood. We train for fighting from the time we’re small. Otherwise, we’d never have any hope of winning our mate.”
Emlyn smirks at him, “I’ve beaten most of my cohort and some of you dragon-blooded men already. I’ve come close to beating Argonath and Kethas, and I’m not even in proper fighting shape. I can’t go all out for more than a few minutes at a time. I started learning to fight when I was still in short skirts. I had my first set of plate armor when I was six. I started fighting in our national tournaments when I was eight. I was a lieutenant general in my king’s army at thirteen, and by the time I was fifteen, I was the second-highest ranking general with a third of his armies at my command. We’ll get in a ring, and if you can beat me, then you can train me.”
Usurg laughs and shakes his head, “I know that Atres said you were intense, but this… I didn’t mean to make you angry.”
Laughing, Emlyn pats his arm, “I’m not angry. I’m serious. One of my forge-fathers thinks he knows how to fix what’s wrong with me. If he’s right, I’ll be back in fighting trim soon. When that happens, we’ll get into a ring, and if you can best me, then I want you to train me. Otherwise, you should let me train you. You’ll curse me when we’re doing it, but if you’re in an actual fight, it’ll pay off. Ask Loket about the Kegians. I’ll let him tell you the story.”
Usurg nods and eyes Oso and Rilgi.
Rilgi laughs, “Atres picked a spicy one. I can’t wait for him to bring her to Dotara. Sothra’s going to love her.”
“Or hate her,” Oso grins.
Turning to Emlyn, Oso says, “Maybe it’s better if we tell you what we think we need. Once you visit Dotara for yourself, you might have some other ideas, but until then, I think we might have some ideas.”
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Emlyn nods and gestures for him to continue. “Weapons and armor, sure, but cold weather gear, blacksmithing gear, hunting equipment, and medical supplies are also big on our list.”
Rilgi nods, “Horse shoes, saddles, and pack frames are another thing. We don’t keep many horses because it’s challenging to keep them fed throughout the winter, but we do have a few. Nails, iron fittings, hinges, and locks would also be useful. If we can figure out how to transport it, window glass.”
Usurg adds, “Boundary devices – warnings when outsiders are approaching would be useful.”
Emlyn nods and thinks for a moment, “Some amulets or rings to block out the worst of the cold should be possible and likely more useful than furs or heavy clothing. You might not find those here, but my Temple can certainly supply them. As for weapons, hunting bows, war bows, crossbows, spears, daggers, and swords should cover most of what you need. If we can’t find those here, the Temple armory can supply them. For armor, you might consider chainmail over gambesons for your bandit problem. Boiled leather for most other things, and maybe a set or two of brigandine for the very worst. My temple doesn’t make boiled leather, but we can probably find someone in town who does and have them teach you the process. The Temple’s smiths can teach you how to make brigandine. It might be best for you to send a couple of people here to the Temple for that.
Emlyn stands, thumb and forefinger tapping briefly as she thinks, “Smithing usually means building a forge and a smelter or a kiln. I’m not sure if you know how to refine ores or metals. That’s at least two wagon loads of hefty supplies for a kiln, much less a smelter. I’d hate for you to drag all that up a mountain unless you know what to do with all of it. If we can come to Dotara, I can show you, but until then, that might be a waste of effort.”
“We have a forge,” Oso shrugs, “but we need tools and metals.”
Emlyn shrugs, “I’d have to see your forge and how it functions before I’d want to advise you about keeping it or building a new one. Repairing armor and weapons isn’t like making barrel rims or garden hoes. The temperatures it needs to function at are much higher. Working steel and other metals isn’t quite like working iron.”
“Govos, our smith, would know more about that than any of us,” Rilgi shrugs.
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The Resume of the Storm Crow: Emlyn drops her credentials to shut down Usurg’s boasting. Lieutenant General at thirteen, second-highest ranking general at fifteen. She offers a wager: if they can beat her in the ring once she’s back in shape, they can train her. Otherwise, they’re her students.
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The Kegian Tease: Emlyn tells Usurg to ask Loket about the "Kegians." Note to self: find Loket and get that story. Anything that makes a dwarf look that serious is worth a ballad.
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The Dotara Wishlist: The Valkis cousins lay out what their village actually needs:
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The Basics: Blacksmithing gear, medical supplies, and "Speaking Stones" (as discussed before).
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The Heavy Lifting: Window glass, horseshoeing supplies, and iron fittings.
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Boundary Devices: They want early warning systems for outsiders.
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The Smithing Lecture: Emlyn points out that working steel for weapons is a far cry from making "barrel rims or garden hoes." She’s worried about them dragging a smelter up a mountain if they don’t have the heat to run it.
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The Tall Obstacle Rating: 4/5 Tankards.
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Review: He’s remarkably quiet while his wife-to-be dismantles his cousins' pride. He knows better than to get in the middle of a "Storm Crow" lecture. He’s probably just glad she’s on his side.
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Oso, Usurg, and Rilgi: They are starting to realize that "Nia" is a bit more than just a "spicy one." Rilgi is already predicting that Sothra (their shaman) will either love her or want to hex her. My money is on a bit of both.
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Review: He's currently standing back and letting the professional handle the logistics. Smart man. A wise warrior knows when to let the General lead the meeting.
Emlyn is planning to rebuild a mountain forge and an entire village's defense strategy over breakfast. Shall we see if the "Tall Obstacle" can handle the training she's got planned, or should I go start practicing my 'shuffling with intent' for when my turn comes?
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