"Well, there may be other options," you point out. "As far as I know you haven't committed any crimes against the Crown or the Church, just some country baron. Right?"
She crosses her arms under her breasts, and wow that's distracting. You've got to get this woman naked - wait, no, bad idea. Too many complications there. Keep it professional, Dominic.
"I still can't believe defending my virtue is supposed to be a crime," she grumbles. "Stupid country nobles hunting me through the woods like a peasant. I'm a Seeker, and a wizard, and both my parents were noble-born. But I guess that doesn't matter if you don't have a retinue of soldiers and a purse full of gold."
"Well, anyway. No, I've been trying very hard to avoid the witch hunters instead of fighting them. Seekers aren't supposed to kill humans, and my spirit guide is in enough of a huff over the thing in Timis. I've had a few encounters with bandits and bounty hunters, but nothing the Church or the King's men would care about. Why?"
"I'm considering the idea of hiring you," you tell her. "What exactly can you do?"
A flash of excitement crosses her face, before she gets her expression back under control. "Hiring me? I, yes, um, I can do all sorts of things. I made this hideout, and it wasn't even a big deal. I can do pretty much anything I want with earth and stone, I just have to be careful about contamination."
"I was wondering about that," Dita puts in. "How do you work earth magic without the world's corruption leaking into you?"
Kat gestures at her tattoos. "That's what a lot of this is for. Dad set up my wards when I was a child, and I've been fine-tuning them ever since. There's an outer layer that sheds most of the corruption, and an inner layer that catches whatever leaks through and traps it until I can dispose of it safely. It also means I couldn't do dark magic if I wanted to, which makes all these accusations of witchcraft really aggravating."
"Anyway, I'm also a fully ordained Seeker." She sees your blank looks and sighs. "A priestess of Thoth. You know, god of knowledge, opener of ways? Oh good, you have heard of him. We're supposed to be allies and advisors for you Khersians, but I'm amazed how many of your priests don't seem to have gotten the message on that."
"We don't get a lot of foreigners traveling through Borjeria," you point out.
"I suppose. Anyway, dad was teaching me wizardry too. Most of the really good wizards in Egypt are Seekers, you see. But I'm still kind of a novice there, especially without my grimoire. I can do some simple things like invocations and wards, but I have to admit there's a lot I still don't know."
"Hmm. Well, we might be able to work something out. You'll need to dress more appropriately."
"Well, of course! Do you think I'm freezing my butt off here because I want to? I can't go near any of the villages around here without everyone coming after me to collect on that bounty, and I haven't quite sunk to the level of stealing clothes from peasant women yet. Most of my clothes didn't survive the winter, so all I've got left is my dancing outfit."
"You dance?" Dita asks, clearing intrigued at the image of Kat doing so in such a revealing outfit.
Kat grins. "Oh, yeah, dance magic is fun. There's this gypsy tribe we used to meet up with every now and then, and some of the women really took a liking to me. Well, at first they just wanted to trade for conception wards, but that's fair enough. Anyway, I learned a lot of the stuff they use to enthrall gullible townies, and even some of the moves they don't show outsiders. I can't quite pull off Husband Seducing Dance yet, but my Maiden's Innocent Longing can make a river pop a boner."
Dita giggles. "A river?"
Kat nods. "Oh, yeah. The spirit of the Rhine offered to induct me into his court if I'd let him bone me. But I'm fire-natured, so I had to say no. Besides, I'm still holding on to my virginity. That's one of the most valuable things a wizardess has to bargain with at my age, so if I can't find a husband I at least want to make a good deal for it."
Dita is blushing brightly by this point, not being used to such frank talk about that kind of topic.
"I think I'm starting to understand how you got in such trouble," you comment. "Did you dance for that guy in Timis?"
Kat scowls. "No! I'm not stupid, Dominic. He just… it was summer, and I was working outside all day putting up the new wall for his father's castle, and I guess I wasn't covered up as much as you prudes think a girl should be. But I wasn't trying to lead him on! When he started flirting with me I thought it might actually go somewhere, you know? I would have been ok with giving him a nice blowjob or something if he'd bothered to ask."
"But no, he thought he could treat me like one of the maids. Didn't listen when I told him no, that I was saving that for marriage. Didn't believe me when I warned him I had defenses, even if he was stronger than me. Dumbass. Turns out swords aren't much use against an enraged earth elemental."
Ouch. Yeah, you can see that. If Baron Timis is one of those lords who makes a habit of abusing his peasants, and his son decided that Kat's relatively destitute state meant he could treat her the same way, that would get ugly fast.
Still, it leaves you a little wary. Kat could be a valuable asset, but a woman that beautiful could also stir up a lot of trouble if she's not careful how she acts. You're not sure if the culture gap will be a major problem or not, so maybe a trial period is in order?
"Alright, how does this sound?" You say. "Come and work for me through the end of the summer. I've got a keep that needs repairs and some haunts I need to put down, and other things will probably come up. You'll get the same pay and accommodations as a knight, and as my personal retainer Timis' men won't be able to arrest you. If I like your performance we'll talk about a more long-term arrangement in August."
She slips into bargaining mode like an old pro. "A knight's pay? Can a knight repair a breach in your walls overnight? I'm a unique commodity, my lord. Perhaps you should consider…"
Desperate or not, she's a lot better at bargaining than you are. Maybe that's a benefit of growing up in relative poverty? But her points are quite reasonable, and… well, you don't like the thought of leaving someone like her hiding half-naked in a cave in the hills. An extra silver or two isn't going to break the bank.
Retainer Acquired:
Katiana Nevyana - age 17 - Cost: 7 SP/month
Body 0, Mind 2, Soul 4, Charm 3
Merchant 2, Woodscraft 1
Earth Sorcery 3, Fire Sorcery 1
Wizardry 2 (dance magic, invocation, protection & wards) [-2 penalty: no grimoire]
You make it back to Corzu without any significant encounters, and by then you've seen enough minor demonstrations of Kat's powers to be confident that if anything she's downplaying what she can do. If she really think's she's only an 'apprentice' wizard, she must be comparing herself to some damn scary people.
But now you have to decide what to do about Atalaya:
[ ] Arrest her for witchcraft, and execute her.
[ ] Pay her something for her trouble (write in amount) so she doesn't get suspicious, and plan to investigate her when you have time. You suspect she may be evil, but aren't going to act without solid evidence.
[ ] Pay her something for her trouble (write in an amount) and leave her alone. She could be useful.
[ ] Try to hire her too. If one mage is good two must be better, right?
[ ] Write-In
