Brynjefors Harbor [Accesspoint from sea]

Kirian sat quietly on a wooden crate on the deck of a trading ship, his dark hair falling to his shoulders and his eyes watching a small insect navigate the planks. Around him, sailors worked and scrubbed, but Kirian was a paying guest on their vessel. It wasn't the most trustworthy of trading ships, but it was discreet and fast, and they asked no questions about the spear he carried with him.

Since the end of the war, Kirian had not been a man devoid of wealth or possessions. He owned an estate now, with servants, guards and expectations. Yet despite his earned peace, Kirian's heart longed too much for danger and adventure to live in it forever. Yet there was also the question of duty and honour, and with all those things considered he could not just sit back and ignore the fact that the Princess was missing and wanted.

He stood up as the ship approached the dock, holding his spear in hand like a staff with blue tassel swaying in the breeze under the leather-bound tip. As the traders began unloading, he stepped down the ship's gangplank and sought out the one who could give him permission to enter - and information.

Alfonso de Rondón

A large galleon approached, the sorts that came into Brynjefors harbor occasionally - the biggest of them dwarfing even the largest of the Taingaardian ships. Brunn couldn't help but be a bit impressed by the sheer size and craftsmanship by those things as he waited for it to dock. And speaking of 'dwarfing', it was the more than eight feet tall half giant's job to approach them - but in businesses of trading he had people here to talk with the traders on the ship and to do the formal work. Instead Brunn eyed one who looked slightly out of place with the other traders and stepped in front if him his size casting a shade on the Rondí traveler.

"Name and business..?" Brunn's deep voice growling his eyes drop to the foreigner's level.

Nemeas Sarka

A little later it seemed like Brynjefors would have the pleasure of another grand ship - smaller than the galleon from before but seemingly more war prepared than trading oriented, but a single war vessel was not at all enough for Brunn to signal to the Taingaardian fleet to set out. Instead he removed the hand that was shielding from the sun, placed it back on his belly with a sigh and leaned back closing his eyes again waiting for them to dock.

A bit later he opened his eyes again seeing a rowboat approaching the harbor and mumbling he got to his feet the thick logged bench creaking in relief as his big strides took him down to where the three people landed.
"It's over 'ere!" he waved his voice booming to the people in the boat awaiting them to approach. "So why are you gentlemen visiting our small place?" Brunn asked with a wry smile only barely visibly behind the large brown beard. "And that ship, how many armed men is out there?" his sentence ending with a low pitched disgruntled hum.

Kirian Krysin

Quite a lot of foreign trading ships with odd adventurers had come this way recently and he was scratching his beard trying to make out if there was a pattern in them doing so as this next one approached. From the landing Brunn saw the guy in the front of the ship and chuckled slightly, rustling his beard.
"He seems eager..." Brunn's eyes narrowing as he crossed his arms seeing the ship dock and he awaited the guy getting closer as he approached him observing him thoroughly.

"You don't look like the type to travel with this kind of 'trade ship'?" Brunn's colleagues already into the trade ship open the crates and peering into barrels trying to figure out with these guys smuggled this time. "Who are you and where are you going?" he asked waiting for this guy to change his opinion of him.

Kirian approached the large man, looking up into his beard with half-amazement at the half-giant's size. Even Kirian's spear, which he had leaning against his shoulder as he casually walked across the harbour, only came to a similar height as Brunn did.

"Good day, sir," the warrior greeted politely. "I'm here on family matters. My younger sister isn't a big fan of her future husband so she took flight, and I've got trusted information that she's somewhere in Taingaard. I'm just here to make sure she doesn't get herself hurt and to take her home. Speaking of which, you've not seen a young woman travelling alone who very clearly stuck out as someone trying to hide, have you?"

He thought it best not to mention her true status. A missing princess was potentially a powerful political tool, but a young woman running away from an arranged marriage was probably about as common as a stray dog.

Nemeas listened to Brunn's words and caught their subtle undertones. The half-giant was sceptical of his true intentions, yet that fact also amused him. Brunn was of a sharper mind than most, but Nemeas read from him that that while he might suspect something was amiss, he either didn't care enough to pursue it or lacked the authority to do so. Nemeas considered that it was more likely the former, as Brunn never-the-less seemed quite ardent in his duties.

Nemeas and his men had no ill intentions towards Taingaard or it's people, but even so he decided to reply with a little more caution. "We come from Sarkana, a land a world away to the east. I wouldn't have expected you to have heard of it, but we seek to fill in the blank edges of our maps and perhaps find partners in trade. We produce many things - exotic spices, armaments, potteries, religious and magical artefacts, fruits and grains, livestock, silks and more. As leader of my particular mission, I have the sole authority to decide whether to pursue potential trade deals - and I like to get a feel for a country and its people before doing that."

Again the blonde-haired figure coated his lies in truths. Fifteen years ago everything he had spoken would have been true, but Nemeas failed to mention that Sarkana no longer existed as a landed nation; that its people had been uprooted by a cataclysmic event and that now they roamed the overworld as a single migratory people constantly struggling for survival.

"What wares do your own people offer?"

Nemeas Sarka

"Sarkana?" Brunn hummed and stroke his beard contemplatively. "I remember that, but it's a nation I haven't heard of in a long, long time. Perhaps you might tell me how it's faring?" he said curiously. The large half-giant then laughed out loud his large hand clasping Nemeas' shoulder as he did. "Alright, alright..!" he said chuckling his laugh to an end. "It's fine, I believe you!" he said and smiled broadly. "If you're looking for our best wares, you'll want to visit Skulhøy, Leifheim and Vikhafen - they have more wares than I care to repeat here, but have this for you journey!" he said and pulled out a map for Nemeas deciding that he liked the guy.

Kirian Krysin

"Oooh... Isra!" Brunn said and started thinking of the Isran woman who had no luck in getting his dog Sniffer back. But she was neither brown haired nor spoke to him about oranges, though he could for the life of him not remember her name.

"You seem not like the type to hurt a young woman - so I trust you. But just know, that there are no Taingaardian man with any honor left in his heart who is not going to stand between you and her, if you attempt to force her." Brunn said, his warning not quite a threat, but then again when his rumbling voice spoke with such purpose it was easy to think so.

"I haven't seen anyone passing through here... but I'll let you know, that my colleague Anders in Toldboden landing wrote me a letter i received not long ago about a young lady who seemed flustered and spooked, but who did not wish his help. I remember him saying she asked for a horse, but he did not describe her well enough that I would say for certain it was her. Her name was... 'Anne Louise' I think..." Brunn trying his best to remember her name, something that wasn't his strongest suit.

"There would be no need to force her anyway," Kirian replied to Brunn with half a smile. "I imagine once she sees me, she'll only want to return home. I also doubt she'd permit harm to befall me, just as I wouldn't permit harm to befall her. You might argue with your family sometimes, but you can't choose them."

"Toldboden, you say? It would mean more than my fair share of luck if it was her, but any lead is better than no lead," he explained, resting slightly against his spear. He was beginning to feel slightly fatigued and wondered if it was because of all the sea travel he had done recently. Kirian was a person who preferred hard, steady ground under his feet, not a swaying boat.

"Where can I purchase a map?" He asked, "and a horse too? If it is her, she might have gotten herself into some trouble. That's the only reason I can think that she would be nervous and asking for a horse. She might have made the crossing with some less than savoury types, or perhaps even pirates? In which case, she would be taking the road away from Toldboden towards a place she could easily hide, that offered relative safety. I imagine a city?"

He sighed and shook his head. "I apologise for rambling, I am quite concerned."

Kirian looked over the map that Brunn pulled out, examining where the finger pointed. He scanned it, getting a quick overview of the country that he could see, but when Brunn mentioned Kirian keeping the map he began to protest. "I couldn't do that, sir. I very much appreciate the offer, but I would feel unjust if I was to take your map from you without earning it, and I'm afraid to say I have very little gold on me. I brought just enough to ensure I wouldn't go hungry or thirsty and possibly rent a steed, but even then I wouldn't be surprised if I had to earn some of the restful nights I have here through other means," he explained.

"Horses are that rare and expensive? I see," he said, sounding slightly concerned. "Perhaps I should simply travel by foot then? I can march well enough but waiting for several days to be able to buy a horse is not something I think I can do, knowing that Gabriela is out there alone."