"Hmm," Kelvan says. "Derianis ridge seems an odd spot for a wedding. I believe you, though. Nobody would invent a story like that. Ah, but it's getting late. The sun will set within the hour. Join me for dinner. Resta, go tell the cook we have additional guests."
Resta nods, and walks swiftly around the house. Kelvan leads the way in to a hall of no great size, but big enough for Mallaby and his company. The hall is at first lit through the door and a large window at either end, but as night falls, the windows are shuttered from both inside and out, and lanterns are lit by a pair of servants who seem to be the entire domestic staff.
Resta re-appears, having discarded her armor in favor of a simple green dress. She still looks somewhat suspicious of the travelers, but takes her place at Kelvan's left hand, across the table from Lord Mallaby.
After a good portion of a roast sheep is disposed of, Kelvan has a look at Mallaby's map.
"You'll need to be careful if you're going up across the ridge," Kelvan says. "This map doesn't show everything. There's been some rockfalls, so you can't take the trail shown here. You'll need to take the next gap to the east, which looks like a deer track, or at least did the last time any of us rode out that way. There's also the bramble scar, but you'd have to cross that no matter which way you go."
"The bramble scar?" Mallaby asks. "What's that?"
"It's a great crack in the earth, running straight across for miles. Comes all the way from the wasteland. I don't know what formed it, but it's been there for at least fifty years. It's fairly narrow in places, but you don't want to fall in. The brambles won't let you out. I don't think it's entirely natural. But, as I said, it's fairly narrow in places--it's just something you need to watch out for. That's not the most dangerous thing out there. The vermin you slew today is but a sample of the local threats. There's also the Hzakan raiding parties. We haven't had one try to hit here in over a month, but they do get this far. And then there's Ismene."
"Ismene?" says Mallaby. "A woman's name?"
"Oh yes," says Kelvan. "She's our local bandit queen."
"She sounds fascinating."
"She's dangerous, is what she is," Kelvan says. "Some folks around here see her as a sort of hero, keeping off the Hzakans, and I suppose there's some truth to that, but she'll just as soon raid us here and carry off livestock if she catches us with her guard down. I don't know where she's from originally, but she's been roaming the hills around here for five years. She's got a gang of sorts with her, including her sister and several other women. They've got a base somewhere up in the mountains, but nobody around here has found it and lived to tell the tale."
As the night goes on, Kelvan tells of life on the Allarian frontier, and of his hopes for the community, and soon it is time to retire. The servants show Mallaby and his cohorts to some spare rooms, where pallets have already been made up for sleeping, and Kelvan bids them good night.
The night passes without incident. Lord Mallaby awakens at first light, and hearing sounds from the kitchen, goes to look.
Breakfast is soon after dawn on what promises to be a long warm summer day. The table is more crowded than before, as in addition to Kelvan, the servants are also gathered at the table. Conversation is boisterous as the bowls of hearty porridge are served out and a pot of honey is placed in the middle of the table for sweetening.
Mallaby re-enters the hall from the kitchen with Resta. He has her hands in his, and is looking directly into her eyes, to which she seems not at all disappointed.
"Hrm," Kelvan mutters to some of Mallaby's companions. "You might tell your Lord Mallaby to be more careful. My daughter is a grown woman, and she'll be flattered by whomever she likes, but that girl he's going to marry might not be pleased."
After breakfast, Lord Mallaby is pulled away from his latest flirtation, and ready for travel again.
"Good luck to you," Kelvan says, escorting the group to the town gates. "And watch out for those bandits."
[sblock=ooc]Sorry about the delay in this. I was trying to figure out how to do it that wasn't so infodumpish, but I couldn't quite get it. Thanks for your patience.[/sblock]
Basic Melee Attack: +8 vs AC - Fullblade 1d12+8
Ranged Basic Attack: +8 vs AC - Dagger 1d4+8 
