To Cure a Cabbit (Closed PS RP)

[Uncle Pervy]

Gravity? I've heard of that kind of aether! I don't think there's any nearby, though.

I'm sorry to hear you can't do it. So I'll have help myself to that aether over there, and be on my way. It was very interesting to talk with you!

With that, the astrally sensative who are paying attention feel the creature start to move toward the kitchen again lazily.

[Jak Snide]

"It's moving towards the kitchen again. Why is it moving towards the kitchen again?"

While Jak waited for a reply he tried to remember if it was possible to project spells onto the astral plane.

[pd Rydia]

'If you would please not eat that, it would be appreciated. If you recall, we need that particular enchantment to keep us in safety and not die.'

Dia sighed with not the least bit of disgruntlement. "Presumedly to eat the fire-proofing enchantment around the stoves. I'm not sure he understands what it does for us; I'm trying to explain, and ask him to refrain from doing so."

[Uncle Pervy]

Oh. Okay. I don't really get why, but I suppose that your world is weird like that. The others are never going to believe me, you know.

With that, the parasite takes a left and makes its way out.

[pd Rydia]

'Thank you; take care!'

[Kelne]

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Kelne said, absently keeping the mental link up for a little while to be sure their visitor was in fact leaving.

[Uncle Pervy]

Kelne's suspicions turn out to be unrequired; the astral parasite carries on its merry way with some speed. Valentia goes on to have a lovely game, and actually wins a few gil. Whether she just got lucky, or the others felt sorry for her, she'll never know.

And thus, the routine falls into place once more. The astral plane remains thin, but slowly, the magically inclined adapt to it, getting used to not being able to sense magic when they try to. Their spells still work, to some degree. The most powerful of thier spells, if they try them, take tremendous effort, and just don't seem to pack the same punch. Lesser spells are also difficult, but not quite as draining. Eventually, they grow somewhat used to simply not thinking about it. It is like a cold snap, insomuch as it seems freezing at first, but then one adapts.

A cold snap would be welcome aboard the Royal Fortune. The heat of the season is advancing quite nicely as the ship moves into Argovian latitudes. During the day, below decks become incredibly stuffy, while the sun shows no mercy to those above decks. At least, however, above decks offers a refreshing breeze when the ship is in motion.

When night falls, however, the heat lessens a bit. The lower decks remain stuffy, prompting many sailors to eat abover decks; and a couple to sleep there as well.

However, despite obstacles, life and the routine carries on. Those who watch the coal supply note that it is dwindling steadily. It becomes easy to measure out the days' load, and each day takes more and more from the hold. some of the sailors start to get nervous. They've not seen any signs of any islands or ships since leaving Baron. Others, however, look to the stars and use them to tell that they are exactly on course. Still, they wonder if maybe they aren't just off of their goal a bit.

Then, after almost thirty days of flight, the watchman, one Elsworth Truit, calls out: "Land ho!"

Excitement spreads through the ship, as people excitedly peer ahead. A coastline can definately be seen. Not only that, it seems there is a town not too far to the north! Ole Hawkin's alters course, and the ship angles toward it.

****

The town's piers were never meant for anything like the Royal Fortune. A few small fishing boats can be seen here and there, but nothing the airship's size. The buildings all seem to be made of mud brick, covered with stucco of some sort. Curiously, they all seem to be identical in shape, and are arranged in ordering patterns. From above, the dirt streets can be seen to form a pattern, not quite a grid, but like a number of overlayed squares and rectangles.

No one comes to help the ship moor, but the help is hardly needed for the seasoned crew. A few people, tanned sorts in white garments, watch from a distance, and a crowd starts to grow. A few crewmen point out what seems to be some sort of humanoid golem, made of metal, which seems to be occupied with doing something that involves sifting through the street.

As the gangplank is extended, and Valentia officially relieved, some may notice a set of people have begun to apporach the peir, and should be arriving shortly.

[Shinigori V2]

When land was first spotted, Paige made her way up to check it out, and remained there while the ship headed into port. She took a quick glance around the town, allowing her eyes to fall on that metal golem, wondering what it was, before shaking off the curiousity and seeing if there was anything she needed to help with.

[Kelne]

Kelne, knowing that he'd likely be needed in any case, walked across the gangplank and awaited the reception committee on the docks. He expected the others would follow his lead.

It was good to have arrived. If nothing else, they were getting some new scenery. He did find the layout interesting. Very orderly for a place built out of mud-brick. Certainly he couldn't think of anywhere in Doma that conformed to such a pattern, though there had been some move towards greater order in the reconstruction of the capital.

Whether this reflected some pattern determined during the earliest days of the town, or was the result of a deliberate effort in its later days, he had no idea. Another point of interest was the golem. Didn't see too many of them back home. Not on a day-to-day basis, anyway. He made a note to see what this one was doing if the opportunity arose.

[Jak Snide]

Jak had grown tired of ship life, especially after the astral had begun to thin. It'd left him feeling isolated from both the world at large as well as the energies that, until now, had been an ever present companion to him. He was desperate to break the monotony, having almost wished some aerial monster had tried to blast them out of the sky. Just to liven things up.

He was off the gangplank right after Kelne, basking in this poor excuse for civilisation. It was new, different and a welcomed change from the sound of wood creaking. He'd taken to wearing a lighter set of robes about a week ago to accommodate for the heat. His hat remained perched upon his head, shielding his face from burning rays of the sun.

[pd Rydia]

Fluffy bounded off the gangplank ahead of the others, dashing a few meters ahead of the group and then back toward them again with great enthusiasm. After a few energetic repetitions of this, Paige found the lapdragon prancing in circles around her feet, uttering a range of short, choppy sounds.


As for herself, Dia paused at the top of the gangplank, looking out at what she could see of the town. The stand-offishness of the inhabitants made her feel slightly...self-conscious. Realizing the conspicuousness of her position, she moved onward after the others.

[JasonAB17]

Jeridan had never quite accustomed himself to the change in the Astral environment, not in the same fashion as the others. He could empathize with Jak, in a sense. He had managed to get some of his energy back, but he still didn't seem entirely awake a lot of the time.

In response to the heat, he'd begun leaving his long coat in the party's quarters when he went about his daily business. In this heat, it simply didn't make sense for a furred being to wear any more than was necessary to remain decent.

And so, for these reasons, Jeridan lagged just noticeably behind Dia as she descended the gangplank, wearing only a pair of baggy red pants, belted at the waist, and a distracted look. Perhaps daydreaming, as he didn't seem to be looking at any one thing in particular.

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=jasonab17>JasonAB17</A]&nbsp; at: 4/23/05 16:30

[Uncle Pervy]

Ushyu, in her animal shape, trots out and sniffs at the air, then sidles close to Jeridan and nuzzles him a bit. Jeridan may or may not have noticed he's become her favorite of late.

Kelne notes that the golem seems to be combing through the dirt and debris with his right hand, and fixing the damage with his left hand.

As the collection of people come up the pier, the party can get a better look at them. They seem to be a olive-skinned people, with the majority having hair in the darker ranges. They seem human, but one has somewhat pointed ears, while another seems to have whiskers.

What most striking is their uniformity. The one that leads them stands out because he is bald and without eyebrows, and does not seem to be carrying a weapon. He seems to be in his forties, and wears a curious expression on his face. The rest have uniformly close-cut hair, and have crossbows and short swords at their side. Said weapons do not seem to be of high quality.

They stop a few yards from the gangplank, as the bald man speaks. His voice is...curiously dull and official without malice or friendliness. Some may think it like the voice of one of Doma's beaurucrats who had been crushed under the monotony of his job. "You have come to Settlement Seven. What is your business here?"

[JasonAB17]

Jeridan, brought suddenly out of his reverie, looks down to see what was rubbing his leg. Seeing Ushyu there, he smiled faintly and picked her up. He held her with one arm, petting just behind her ears lightly with his spare hand. It wouldn't do to have her get lost among all these feet, anyway. Or worse, trampled, come to think of it.

Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=jasonab17>JasonAB17</A]&nbsp; at: 4/23/05 17:50

[Kelne]

Interesting. Very interesting. Pervy had said that it had taken him quite a while to track down a telepath so that he could communicate. And yet here, the first words out of the peoples' mouths had been in common.

Settlement seven, was it? An imaginative name indeed. Presumably some relative of #32's had been on the naming committee. Whereas before, Kelne had been merely curious about the strange orderliness of the place, he was now beginning to suspect that it was rather more pervasive than he'd initially thought. Perhaps ominously so.

Certainly a golem engaged in such a mundane activity as obsessive street-cleaning pointed towards a certain crazed frame of mind. His subconscious was also trying to bring some kind of association to mind. Though what the association might be presently eluded him.

"We're here on a trading expedition, in the main," he said in a friendly tone, "Opening up new markets and the like." One thing was for sure - if they painted Ushyu's plight as the main reason for the expedition, they'd wind up paying through the nose for a cure.

[Uncle Pervy]

"Unusual," says the speaker, his voice still emotionless, though his face showed a brief hint of surprise. "We did not expect that trade with others was possible. Your method of transit is unknown to us. What have you to trade?"

The ten guards with him are quiet, but they are watching the ship and the people on it, as well as the party, with varying degrees of surprise and suspicion.However, they try to remain as motionless as possible.

[Jak Snide]

Jak was as surprised as Kelne was at hearing common from the first person that greeted them. He also wondered what sort of place this was that villages were given numbers instead of names. He put it down to cultural differences, and turned his eye to those armed men. He had a sneaking suspicion that they'd jump them as soon as they had the chance, especially if they believed the Fortune had a hold full of valuables. He tried to gauge how able they looked, as well as trying to try and get a feel for their auras. He doubted magic could develop in such a horrible place, but knowing was always better than suspecting.

Of course, they might be good, honest folks, but until they'd proved themselves as such he'd regard them with suspicion.

[Uncle Pervy]

Jak does not detect any sort of magic from guards. He does, however, find that the speaker has some potential. It does not seem that he has tapped into it.

[Jak Snide]

Making a mental note of this, Jak turned his attention to the golem, puzzling over how it had came about. Such things took a powerful enchantment to create, and he doubted any but the most powerful of magi could have performed such a feat in these conditions.

[Kelne]

"Artwork, for the most part," Kelne said, though he suddenly wasn't so sure that it would get a particularly good reception here. Art didn't seem terribly evident. "Why would trade with others be difficult?"

Though he maintained a friendly, polite tone, his own suspicions were roused. Granted, that wasn't hard to do, and he'd learnt to take them with a grain of salt over the years. Still, this place didn't ring right with him. Perhaps it was just the spokesman. And perhaps not.

[Uncle Pervy]

"Trade is difficult," the speaker says. "The only people we know, besides those outsiders that we see, are the Belu in the desert. Their hatred for our ways, and their own chaotic methods, make it difficult to maintain cordial relations of any sort."

With annoyance that is not carefully concealed enough, the speaker brushes some sort of insect from his arm moments after it lands.

[Shinigori V2]

Paige shook her head, watching Fluffy for a minute, before looking to the leader. "Well, uh...Why not make an attempt to get along better with them? Help them out a bit? If they live in a desert, they probably need a better source of agriculture, I bet. You could probably get them to be more friendly if you tried to help them."

Edited by: Shinigori V2&nbsp; at: 4/24/05 1:34

[Kelne]

Kelne refrained from voicing his exasperation to Paige. Attempting to promote good relations with what seemed to be these peoples' age-old enemies wasn't on their list of priorities. Besides, he suspected that if and when he had all the facts at his disposal, his sympathies would lie with the Belu. It seemed to him that these people could do with a bit of chaos in their lives.

He let the spokesman go ahead and answer the question.

[Uncle Pervy]

Paige notes that one of the guards glares at her for a moment, before seeming to catch himself and resuming his prior impassive expression.

The speaker shakes his head. "That would do little. It would not reconcile our differences. It is best to ignore them, we have found, and to be prepared should they attack.

"You carry art. This is intriguing. We have little such, it is not functional for basic existance, yet our failings require it. I am interested in seeing what you have brought, perhaps there is use in it."



Edited by: Uncle Pervy&nbsp; at: 4/24/05 1:40

[Kelne]

"Perhaps so. I can certainly show you some of what we have, and I'm sure we'll be able to find something of commensurate value." As with Ushyu, Kelne intended to downplay the importance of the coal for the moment. Maps were his next priority, of course. Get an idea of the lay of the land and so forth.

[FlamingDeth]

Having been spending much of her free time keeping watch over the ocean, Valentia found herself somewhat disappointed. No sign whatsoever of Flatbeard's ship -- not too disappointed, though, as she hadn't expected such. It was a very large ocean, after all, and in all likelyhood, he had been heading towards this same destination. Perhaps she would find him here?

For the moment, she merely leaned over the railing and watched the precedings. Aside from the fact that Paige didn't seem to have any diplomatic tact whatsoever, the group they met with seemed to have come to the conclusion that Kelne was the speaker for them. Given their completely organized and regimented appearance, they probably frowned upon her speaking out of turn.

Either way, this place reminded her of a military camp, in a bad way. Peasant villages were not supposed to resemble military camps.

[pd Rydia]

Judging Kelne to be so far the most able of the assembled as far as diplomacy goes--to her surprise, even--Dia stayed quiet, keeping her expression open and curious. She looked around for citizenry other than the group facing the Igalans, as well as anything that might give extra insight into their culture.

Beyond what was already being said, that was.

Our failings require it? she wondered to herself. Functional to basic existance? Is it a dirty pleasure to enjoy anything beyond what's needed for survival now?

[Uncle Pervy]

"What will you want in turn?" asks the speaker. "We may be able to spare something that is of value to you. And, let us see your works."

Dia notes that the crowd is very quiet, and rather stoic. They seems to be little talk among them. They are watching what is happening. It's hard for her to tell at this distance, but it seems they are trying to maintain the same demeanor of unaffection that the speaker and his guards are. One case sticks out in her mind. One of the people does...something, she isn't sure what, that attracts the attention of the person next to him, who places a hand on his shoulder and begins to speak with them.

The whole feeling she gets from the crowd is that they are trying to supress obvious curiosity and unease.

Jak, studying that golem, is able to detect some very curious sorts of enchantment about it. They aren't very strong, but they are very complex. The best metaphor he can come up with is using addition to solve a problem that multiplication could do in a single step. He isn't close enough to divine more details about the enchantments.

[Jak Snide]

Beggers can't be choosers, I guess.

Despite the fact that the mages here clearly used a weaker form of magic than their Igalan counterparts, Jak couldn't help but admire the golem. They'd taken limited resources and created a powerful construct with them. But why was it sifting through the dirt?

He turned his attention to how the populace were reacting to the golem, if at all. He also tried to detect anyone else who possessed an aptitude for magic among the crowd, although such an act would push his abilities to read the astral under normal circumstances.

[Kelne]

"We'll want to start by getting the basics - maps, fresh foodstuffs, perhaps some coal. Beyond that, we'll have to see what's on offer." As he spoke, Kelne waved the spokesman towards the gangplank, clearly extending an invitation to board. He wasn't going to put up with ten armed guards traipsing around the ship, though. If the man insisted, then two should be more than sufficient for him.

[Uncle Pervy]

The speaker appears hesitant for a moment. Then he steps forward. The guards move to follow, but he raises a hand to stop them. They seem to heed this gesture with no argument. "You may go ashore," says the Speaker, "But take care to maintain proper serenity"

Jak finds that trying to feel so many auras at once is fairly tricky, but not impossible. It is hard to individually read them with any detail, but he gets a sense that most of the crowd is magic dead. He senses one or two who have talent, but he can't tell if it's latent or tapped.

(OOC: I'll allow Kelne to dream up the artworks that the ship carried over, I imagine he can have fun with it.)

Edited by: Uncle Pervy&nbsp; at: 4/25/05 19:20

[Kelne]

Kelne nodded, "Naturally." He also took time for a quick mental conference with Hawkins, Jak and Dia, Well, that sounds like an invitation of sorts. I'd say no less than three people in a group when going out, and they're to be on their best behaviour. I get the impression there's a great deal of potential for trouble here. The conference ought to be over by the time he reached the hold and had to focus his attention on the spokesman again.

[Uncle Pervy]

G'dammit, lad, comes the mental reply of the captain. You gotta warn folks before you do that. Anyways, I'll be sure to tell the lads and lasses.

Kelne decends into the hold, with the speaker looking around impassively. Without much coal, and with the food stores running low, the hold has mostly empty containers. In a portion of the hold cut off by blankets on a line, the artworks lay.

****

"Alright folks," Hawkins says to the party and the crew, "If you're goin' ashore, I want you to stay in groups of three or so. And be on your chapel-day best behavior, aye? These folks look like they got a lot of different ways, and it wouldn't be fun to trip over them."

[Jak Snide]

"I'll be heading ashore."

There was no way in the many layers of hell that he'd stay on that boat any longer than he had to. A month of flight was more than enough for his liking.

Edited by: Jak Snide&nbsp; at: 4/26/05 9:07

[pd Rydia]

"Same," Dia agreed, before swooping down and snagging Fluffy around his stomach. He squirmed while she quietly lectured him in stilted Draconic, and perhaps with guarded telepathy, until he wriggled around and claimed a perch upon her shoulder.

[JasonAB17]

Jeridan takes an extra minute to reply, as he continues to scritch behind the Coffee colored Cabbit's ears.

"Eh? ... A walk would be good."

He looks down at the bundle of cat/rabbit/child in his arms.

"You want to come along?"

[FlamingDeth]

It was interesting, Valentia mused, that the Admiral had not mentioned the cultural differences before they left. It seemed to be something that most would consider important information. She was beginning to suspect, in fact, that if the Admiral had indeed been over here somewhere, that he may have been with the enemies of their current hosts.

She briefly considered staying on the ship. After all, not everyone could go ashore at once. However, she was getting no closer to Pedro by just sitting there.

Valentia removed the dagger from her belt. No need to appear more heavily armed than necessary, but in unfamiliar surroundings, she didn't want to be completely defenseless. She briefly entertained the possibility of bringing her cloak along in lieu of the dagger, but the outside temperature clearly prevented it.

The cycloptic sailor looked out over the mass of buildings. Where to start? She didn't want to talk to the spokesman, as she didn't want to inadvertantly weaken their bargaining position on a wild goose chase. For the moment, she just tried to pick out an area of the town that looked different in some way.

[Uncle Pervy]

Valentia's scan of the town reveals that a lot of it is extraordinarily uniform. Many of the buildings are designed to look exactly alike, weathering aside. They are simple rectangles, with a window to the sides and front, and two to the back. A couple do seem unique. One is a two story building not far from the heart of town, while another is an elongated building that is also near the center of town. It seems to have a couple of wood and cloth stands along its side, as well.

A few of the crewmen arrange themselves in groups, and begin the leave the ship, fanning out to see different things.

****

Ushyu looks up at Jeridian and makes a vey nod-like gesture. "Myau!"

Edited by: Uncle Pervy&nbsp; at: 4/26/05 21:31

[Kelne]

Making his way over to the blankets, Kelne drew them aside. Behind was revealed quite the assemblage of artworks. Most were secured against the ship's motion, either tied down or packed with straw padding in crates. Still, time had been taken to set out some items on display.

There was a wide variety visible, from nekonian silks to carpets and tapestries, to a variety of intricately carved statuettes, to paintings, jewellry, and several small items of furniture.

In short, a wide variety of high-quality goods, designed to be displayed to good effect. Whether or not this would catch on among a people who didn't seem to display anything in particular was an open question.

[JasonAB17]

Jeridan smiled. From somewhere in his mind, an idea shot across his conciousness... Just breifly, he wondered if a child of his would look or sound like this. It was ridiculous of course, but it was there. He looked up at the city, pushing the thought away.

"Alright then, here we go."

And with that, he headed into the city. He had no plans in particular while he was here, just to wander a bit and streach his legs. It never fully occured to him to look for landmarks, so he might find his way back later...