Toggle Background Color
A New Friend and an Old Enemy
So after considering my options a bit I started poking through the game's infopedia. The entry on the Reemilaiset seems quite promising. I have a large surplus of fish, so I set out to their territory. I leave my punt and my nets behind at a camp on the coast of the great lake. In hindsight I should've left some other gear behind at my camp on dumbell island, as the extra weight is gonna slow me down. Along the way I encounter a stag, but attempts at hunting it prove unsuccessful as it just runs away from me easily. To make things worse at one point I shoot one of my two rough arrows at it and end up completely being unable to find the arrow after it flies past the creature.
Eventually however after about 2-3 days travel I enter the Reemi.
The Reemi lands seem a bit dense, it feels like every time I approach one settlement I see another in the distance. The settlements aren't quite as developed or prosperous as the Driik walled towns, but they're much better stocked than the Riesselaiset or the Kaumolaiset. I trade one of my two reindeer furs for a Fine Carving Axe in one town and in the next town I find some dogs! It costs me quite a bit, but I happily trade my second reindeer fur and some other assorted things to purchase a dog. Dogs are very useful companions. I also encounter villages selling pigs, sheep, and cattle, so if I ever need livestock, I know I can get it from the Reemilaiset.
Eager to put my new companion to work, I head back north towards where I encounter that stag previously. Luck and the spirits are with me and I encounter another stag in the wilderness. Sneaking close, the stag spooks and begin fleeing. In response I take off my dog's leash, I order her to attack! The two run off and I follow the tracks. Unfortunately I soon get stuck in a strange loop where the tracks seem to go in a small circle and I can't find any others nearby. I've lost the stag and I've lost my new dog.
But not for too long, as I wander around trying to find tracks I soon hear barking from the south. Following the noise I eventually find my dog returning to me, very nearby I find the stag. Looking at it reveals that it is completely exhausted from trying to flee from my dog. It i s so breathless I'm able to simply walk up and. after toppling it with a few blunt spear shaft strikes to the legs, I kill it with a thrust to the skull. Processing the stag rewards me with a fine stag skin and a surprising 176 lbs of meat! And this was a SMALL stag! I sacrifice a cut to the Guardian Spirits using the Sacrifice for a Kill ritual and then throw some of the now-stale fish meat in my pack to the dog as a reward. This dog is an investment that has already paid for herself.
Setting up camp by a lake shore I begin tanning the hide and roast up a good 30 pounds of the meat. After a good night's sleep I head down to the Remmilais settlements and attempt to trade the remaining meat for a splitting axe and some arrows. Unfortunately the stag meat isn't worth nearly as much as I was hoping. Still, the Stag fur should fetch a handsome price once it is done. However, I don't want to risk my meat going stale (or even spoiled) in that time, so I trade almost all of it away for as many arrows as I can get. Arrows have a modest amount of value and they're rather lightweight at ten to a pound. This makes them as good a lightweight "Currency" as I'm gonna get out here. Furs are the real movers and shakers of the barter world though, naturally.
Speaking of which, I return to my camp north of the Reemi and finish processing that Fine Stag hide into a Fine Stag Fur. Travelling back among the Reemilaiset, I trade the fur and most of the arrows I bought for a Splitting Axe and a Fine Handaxe. For a little bit I consider trading my original Handaxe for more arrows, but then I decide it might be useful to have a backup axe just in case I get beat up by robbers or something and hold onto it. Returning to my Reemi camp I spend the next morning hunting. Since I started in the early morning, I get a chance to use the Hunting Incantation, which buffs my tracking skill an impressive 30%! Unfortunately this buff wears off by late morning and the day's hunt is unsuccessful. I encountered no larger prey. I did make one spiteful bowshot at a badger, but failed to hit such a small target.
I'm debating heading back to the Great Lakes area, but I kinda wanted to pick up metal shovel while I was down here. I decide I'll give it another day or two.
After sleeping half of the day I go out hunting again in the evening. Unfortunately between reduced sight lines and bad luck I encounter no game. I'm about to turn back towards camp when I spot a figure wearing red in the distance. No one wears red, no one, that is, except the Njerpezit! My first instinct is to withdraw, but curiosity, a watching audience, and a long-standing blood feud between the Kaumolaiset and the Njerpezit goad me into investigating further.
As I close in the figure doesn't move on the overworld map. Odd. Stopping at a neighboring square, I zoom into the detailed map and go into hiding mode. Creeping north across the relatively open mire, I hope to spot the Njerpez before I'm spotted myself. If it is just an individual I might attack, if it is a group, I'll flee. The spirits are with me however and I spot a single Njerpez, not only that, but he is asleep! I creep closer and closer, but eventually he wakes up and realizes what is going on. Unleashing my dog I order her to attack as I notch an arrow and draw back my bow.
I loose my first arrow and miss the warrior. The Njerpez apparently decides he wants nothing to do with me and attempts to flee. I quickly fire my second arrow and score a hit on his elbow. This seems to goad the enemy into action and he wields his scimitar and roundshield and turns to charge at me. However his charge is interrupted as my canine companion leaps at him. She bites into his arm and he howls in pain, dropping his roundshield. Good, I wasn't sure I'd be able to get my last arrow past that. As my dog and the Njerpez start fighting I move in. Unfortunately I forgot to turn off hiding mode and this means I advance slowly. My dog puts up a brilliant fight, scoring several more bites (thought his clothes mostly seem to protect him) and dodging most of his attacks.
However the Njerpez swings his scimitar and my dog can't quit get out of the way in time and the blade catches her in the face with the very tip. Hearing my dog yelp in pain I angrily draw my final arrow and let it fly. The shot is true and the arrow buries itself in the enemy's stomach and he collapses. My dog seizes this opportunity and TEARS HIS THROAT OUT! 
The warrior is dead, and the spoils of victory are mine. His clothing has been damaged a bit in the fighting, but the scimitar and roundshield are fine prizes, and a spare knife is always handy. I'm half tempted to keep the scimitar as a trophy, but with these I should be able to trade for what I want now. Checking my dog she isn't as badly hurt as I worried, the cut on her face is shallow and she shows no other serious injuries. I'm proud of her, being a "Small" dog (I assume this just means small for her breed) I was worried ordering her to attack would mean she'd be horribly maimed or killed. Good girl.
I leave the Njerpez, dead and naked, for the mire scavengers.
Back down to the Reemilaiset the roundshield and a few odds & ends are traded for a metal shovel. Meanwhile the Scimitar fetches a surprising amount of useful goods, including a higher quality replacement for my original longbow (which I immediately turn around and trade to get more arrows back). Killing Njerpez: good for society, good for your barter power!
I've got more than I wanted out of this trip down to the Reemilaiset. It is time to head back up to the Great Lakes area. As an added bonus my dog's wound has already healed after only a day or so. Speaking of which, I just can't keep calling her "My Dog" or "The Dog" or what not.
Now what to name her...