<div class="floatright">(http://i741.photobucket.com/albums/xx51/Calliedelnoire/ThiefQueen_full.jpg)</div><hr/><strong><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: verdana;">Rose Ironshield</span></span></strong>,<em>Female Half-Elf Fighter 7</em><br/>Character Sheet (http://plothook.net/RPG/profiler/view.php?id=10117)<br/>HP:80 (Current: 80)  AC: 26,<span class="bbc_u"><em>touch</em></span>: 13,<span class="bbc_u"><em>flatfooted</em></span>: 24<br/><strong>Fort</strong>:+10<strong>Ref</strong>:+5<strong>Will</strong>:+4<br/><hr/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Cheat Sheet</div><div class="spoiler_body"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;"><br/><strong>Perception</strong>: +10 <strong>Init</strong>:+4<br/><strong>Combat</strong>: CMB: +11 (+15 Bull Rush/+13 Trip), CMD: 27 (29 vs Bull Rush/Trip), Move: 30 ft<br/><span class="bbc_u">Melee</span>: +1 Sword, Bastard +13/+8 (1d10+8/19-20/x2) <br/>  Heavy Shield Bash +11/+6 (1d4+4/20/x2)<br/>  Masterwork Morningstar +12/+7 (1d8+4/20/x2)<br/><span class="bbc_u">Ranged</span>: Masterwork Longbow, Composite (Str +4) +10/+4 (1d8+4/20/x3)<br/><strong>Buffs</strong>:<br/><strong>-Innate</strong>: Elven blood (+2 vs Enchantments), Bravery (+2 Will vs Fear)<br/><strong>-Spells</strong>:  <br/><strong>-Potions</strong></span></div></div><hr/><br/><br/>Rose sighed as she sat back sipped a mug of hot tea she'd made up with a pot sitting by the fire. She was sore, bone sore, and gifted with more than a few new blisters from drilling the militia. After getting the new men and women trained up, she figured they would have to work on switching out a fewer bundle of tradesmen and other workers in the coming months. She had screened the men and pointed out the ones that she wanted the guards to work with. Sooner or later she'd need militia sergeants and they would have to be trained further on their rotation. She looked over the letter she was writing as she fiddled with the small token that had come with Lilly's letter. A small silver charm with a hidden portrait inside. She hadn't left it off since. Mulling over things as she sprinkled sand on another sheet to keep it from running as she moved to the last page.<br/><br/><em>I again apologize that you and the little can't come down yet, but it's safer for you both with your mother's people than down here. Once we get the roads and walls up, then we'll readdress the issue again. I miss you and my little sprout, the charm necklace has lifted my spirits greatly. <br/><br/>The militia unit is up to 25 men and women, and show some promise in regards to future leaders. A few sergeants, no tactical thinkers, but I'd rather have solid steady sergeants at this point. The mine should be up soon, and my sibs keep busy. Between us we've got a shrine up to Saranrae and my sister's enchanting shop is up. Though in truth I wish you were here to do my armor, she's a bit.. flighty from time to time. <br/><br/>You were right about the issue with the guild in Vaardenfel, Gilbert got a letter stating how backlogged they were and we'll have to send a delegation to talk with them rather than a having a trade negotiator coming down to us. A shame, I'm sure that Crassus would have enjoyed rolling out the good cutlery and setting out a fine feast before we slip him into the mines to see what we have for them to sell. We need skilled tradesmen if we're going to thrive; smiths, miners, engineers, builders and planners. The estate has to grow. Right now Garrous is a village but we need to grow and expand. <br/><br/>Hopefully the road expansion will help with that. Projections are still months away but at least when its' done the damn thing won't be a goat path anymore. Leaving aside brigands and bandits as our only road issue, and expanded roads will make barricades a bit harder to set up when they are broad enough for a full patrol to ride down comfortably.<br/><br/>The secret, about you and my little wee one is out, and Gilbert for one is burning with curiosity. He wants to know her name, what she looks like and so on. Melody and Marisssa seem interested too. Narumi, it's hard to tell. She's.. something else.<br/><br/>More to tell another day beloved, I dream of you and my girl always. <br/><br/>Rose. </em><br/><br/>Finished, Rose adds the sheet to the pile and sprinkled some sand on it and sat back to let it leech the excess ink away so it wouldn't run. She was a fair writer, not given to the florish or smooth letters of her sheildmate but readable. She sipped at her tea, though like the ruins of the meal beside her, she didn't need it thanks to the restorative magics of her signet. She could get by for days at a time without eating and only a handful of hours of sleep. Made for studying hours after everyone else turned in for bed, she was reading through her father's books and journals as fast as she could or working in the smithy to keep her hand in. She'd done a dozen blades and cast enough arrows heads to keep her hands busy running them over whetstone while she read the journals.<br/><br/>Even with Gilbert and her sisters helping her, she felt a bit useless. They were taught to do more than swing a hammer or sword, while that was all she'd done for a decade. Hence the study in the night time hours and putting what she knew to work with others. Training the militia for the hope that IF it came down to it the men and women of her village knew which end of a sword to hold. She could do that, even if the sword sword and drill dusty militia swore at her over their night time ales. If it kept them alive, she'd take a few hateful words.<br/><br/>Taking the sheets from the table, she rolled them up and tapped them on the stand to get the fine sand out of the sheets before rolling it more tightly, tying it with a ribbon and sealing it before setting it on the stand to go out with the morning traffic. In a week or so, the message would pass from human hands into elven ones, the messenger for Lilly's elven kin, and from there to Lilly and her daughter.<br/><br/>She sighed as she leaned back and considered things. They needed to see the merchants in Vaardenfel, and she doubted that a delegate short of a blood member of the House Talonius would make the impression they needed. They needed trade contacts, merchants, artisans and to show that they could make it a profitable enterprise. She held up a small nugget of mithril from the mine and smiled. They had a hook, the trick was to find the right fish to dangle it in front of. She could screen potential smiths and knew what she needed in that area, her own armor and shield could show her skill, she'd have to rely on Gilbert and her sisters to spot the merchants taking advantage of them.<br/><br/>That left how to approach House Somervale. She could always write some of her old sergeants to see if they had an 'in' she could use. She'd done well enough as a sword for hire and who knew, perhaps a few of them were in the mood to retire and moved out into the country to work a farm and be a part time militiaman.