As
the group move closer to the military style camp, a welcoming committee
made up of three figures moves in their direction. The first is a
tall well built man wearing plate mail. He has long blond hair and
a thick beard, though neither mask the stern expression on his face.
Giving Gundling a curt nod, he introduces himself. "I am Barthan" he says, his voice deep and rich with culture. "I am in charge here at the moment. I'm told you have the High Priest's symbol on your skin" he says, stepping forward to see for himself.
Vaslin happens to be closest, and takes a step forward, pulling back her sleeve to reveal the red tattoos, squirming across the back of her hand and the skin of her exposed forearm like distorted engorged rot-grubs.
Dispite himself, Barthan takes an involentary step backwards, a look of revulsion on his face. "Gundling is right" he intones. "Istahvar should see these."
Looking up and around at the party members, he nods respectfully towards the Painbearer before focusing in on the two dwarves. Spotting Larz's holy symbol, he also nods to the dwarven priest of Clangeddin. "The Debt of Persecution is weaker here than in the lands of the inner seas Alaghor" he says gravely. "We Knights of the Tantran Lion have always treated those of other faiths well, so one could say we feel the guilt less" he says, a faint wry smile crossing his lips, "though our higher duty here is to make sure that the High Priest Istahvar can work undisturbed..."
His eyes slip to the back of Larz's hands and he hesitates a moment, before continuing. "...but in this case, I think he would probably want to be disturbed."
"Shall I will arrange an area for them to camp sir" says Gundling. "I said we would escort them see the High Priest on the morrow."
Barthan nods in agreement. "I will leave you in Gundling's hands for I have some work I need to attend to myself before the night is done. You may rest easy as you are safe here" he adds before turning on his heel and returning towards a slightly larger hut in the middle of the clearing.
Gundling leads the group towards an open area slightly away from the other camp's inhabitants, and gestures for them to make themselves comfortable on the ground. "The night is late now, and my patrol will not be going out again, so I'll sit with you if I may" he says. At a command, a couple of his squad jog off, their horses having already been led away to a corral at the rear of the camp, and fetch several bundles of firewood, which they efficiently use to create a large fire for the make-shift camp site. Once done, they pause for further commands, but are dismissed by Gundling, and disappear off into the rest of the camp."Tell me lad, what called you to the Loyal Fury's ranks? How were you converted? I imagine he's been good to ya..." says Larz.
Gundling shrugs, declining the offer of the dwarven spirits. "Barthan was my sponsor into the Knights" he says. "He showed me how important duty can be." Despite having volenteered to sit with the group, Gundling is not exactly the most vocal of conversationalists, and although he answers questions when asked, he doesn't tend to say a huge amount.
