Age of Ice and Blood: A Pathfinder System Heroic Fantasy Quest
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
-
- Tags
- pathfinder open voting
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
I'm hoping we are mistaken and that he isn't Eriran at all, but his more successful twin brother, Erirun.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Run Eri, run!
Ok, priest it is.
Arc 10 Post 29: Tale of Earth and Water
Tale of Earth and Water
Thirty-Sixth Day of Ikomi-eza (Ikomi Ascendant) 1348 A. L. (After Landfall)
Curious though you may be about the doings of a man you had left living in a shack and found visiting a palace there is another call upon your time, one that cannot wait as readily. Swift Pebble had grown more accustomed with the crowds of the city over the past few days, though she still does not venture far from those whose face and name she knows. For her this is the first grand introduction to the city of Orinilu, to those who know the nature of the river-folk yet who are strangers to her. So then it is little wonder that she calls on your aid to help when it is clear that one of the guests here has more than a passing interest in her.
The lanterns shrink into their beds of clay and bronze and the crowds too grow slower and more deliberate in their manner, as the lateness of the hour and the panoply of fine food and drink begins to tell against their vigor. For all the strangeness of this land, in dress and in manner unlike any you have ever walked in, some things are just the same... and one of the things is That One Fellow, usually but not always large, mostly smiling, it seems more like than not at your expense, upon which the specter of too much drink and tiredness does not lie at all.
That is who calls you on this day, a bear of a man, wearing a cylindrical hat fringed with the same geometric patterns that are so common on the pottery and tableware of the city. Indeed, from a distance one might mistake the hat for a particularly ornate pot, though up close it seems to have been woven of reeds and painted burnt red. The priest's vestments are not that different from those of the lesser nobility save that they are fringed with some manner of lustrous brown fur that brings to mind deer or perhaps one of the strange goats of this land, though something pulls at your mind, the talisman you had taken from the Inaurna warriors heavy on your neck.
In your mind's eye you see some manner of thin legged small horned grazing beast such as you had only seen in dreams flying far. You wonder why the spirit within had meant to show you that of all things as you bow your head and introduce yourself to the man, to the priest Serik who gives no other name, you assume as a part of his calling.
Tis by that calling also that he questions Swift Pebble about her kin and whence they had sprung, for he says all living things had been sowed into being by the will of Ashinu, but of those beings few were given also the fire of reason. "I thought at first that you had been Awoken by the magic of the Moon-bound or mayhap some tricksome spirit, but then I heard that there were as many of you as fingers upon a man's hands and knew that it could be no single spell but a sign of Ashinu that we should pay more heed to the waters..."
"More heed to the waters?" the young otter-kin looks up curiously, unsure what to make of this strange, though genial man who watched her so keenly.
"There were droughts in the land the summer past, and blight and crop failings, few lands survived that were not fair watered so now the temple and many men of means and sense call for an expansion of the irrigation canals, the dikes and earthworks," the priest explains.
"And you think we are a sign?" Swift Pebble asks. "No big spirit said to me and mine to go south on the wind-catcher Marcella."
"The messengers of the Lord of the Harvest are many and each comes in their time, knowing or unknowing," the priest proclaims. "Come, tell me of your journey please in as much detail as you may for there may have been signs in it others would have missed."
Is it piety that drives him you wonder... or politics. If he had been looking for a sign to divert resources to irrigation and other infrastructure of the sort when the fires of war still burn then perhaps he is not above making signs where there are none. Then again, what do you lose if it is so?
What do you do?
[] Mention the owl that had followed you for many leagues and still lingers on the ship
[] Speak of the curse on your men, perhaps the priest knows of a cure
[] Write in
OOC: And this should be the last update before the arc end. I hope this part did not drag, but I wanted to build up the city some more before the large scale planning that follows here.
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@DragonParadox, is there anything preventing us recounting the whole tale from the first time we happend upon otter-kin? Is there some time constraint?
Not really no, though you should mention if you want to keep something back.
[X] Tell the whole story from when we first happened upon otter-kin, except for some things.
-[X] Exclude anything related to Esha's dhampirness.
-[X] Exclude anything related to Esha's necromancy and her research goals.
-[X] Exclude anything related to Roland and Esha using Soulrider, including training for +2 profane Will save bonus with slight side effects.
-[X] Exclude anything related to how Marcella is active and is actually an aberration.
-[X] Exclude info on what the fire spirit godling gifted to Roland's companions, it's their business.
-[X] Exclude info on inner workings of the Fellowship and other private matters.
-[X] Exclude anything related to Iranea's takeover by skinchangers.
-[X] Exclude anything related to Esha's dhampirness.
-[X] Exclude anything related to Esha's necromancy and her research goals.
-[X] Exclude anything related to Roland and Esha using Soulrider, including training for +2 profane Will save bonus with slight side effects.
-[X] Exclude anything related to how Marcella is active and is actually an aberration.
-[X] Exclude info on what the fire spirit godling gifted to Roland's companions, it's their business.
-[X] Exclude info on inner workings of the Fellowship and other private matters.
-[X] Exclude anything related to Iranea's takeover by skinchangers.
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[X] Tell the whole story from when we sailed north with the Pride from Apuku, except for some things.
-[X] Exclude anything related to Esha's dhampirness.
-[X] Exclude anything related to how Marcella is active and is actually an aberration.
-[X] Exclude info on what the fire spirit godling gifted to Roland's companions, it's their business.
-[X] Exclude anything related to Iranea's takeover by skinchangers.
-[X] Exclude anything related to Esha's dhampirness.
-[X] Exclude anything related to how Marcella is active and is actually an aberration.
-[X] Exclude info on what the fire spirit godling gifted to Roland's companions, it's their business.
-[X] Exclude anything related to Iranea's takeover by skinchangers.
@Zalkon, I slightly changed my vote by adding another exception. If you would like to vote for it, you can edit it in or vote by proxy through my vote by voting
[] myrix
(with added X in the brackets, of course).
We voted to seek a cure, not to do it above else:
And then we discovered that it's perhaps not a curse, but a blessing. So we have some flexibility, especially as there is a temple to Olweje with his priests, I think it's better to go there for info on the curse/blessing and any possible cures.
Well, he explicitly requests in as much detail as you may, so why not oblige?
Edit: @DragonParadox, the priest is asking for the story of all of us, not just the otter-kin, right? Or did I read that wrong?
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He is asking for the journey since you met them since he is looking for omens in it.
@DragonParadox, editing for the previous update:
Thirty-Sixth Day of Ikomi-eza (Ikomi Ascendant) 1348 A. L. (After Landfall)
"I see no obstacle barring the deal you wish to make to the betterment of us all," you say extending a hand, or starting to at least before recalling it is not the custom of this land. Horse foals born next summer are not going to be driving off the Yayar for many years hence. Even if this should match the hopes of Hengo it will be many years before there can be any talk of hosts, with armored men atop them armed with lance and shield. Yet on the other side of things if you do not set foot on a path then you shall never see its end.
"Then in the spring or summer we shall see if any of the beasts are fit to breed," the lord offers with a wide smile on his face. "Perhaps when your current stock grows old you will pay us another visit. I vow the cost will not be heavy for the asking..."
At that you can but do your best to keep the doubt off your face. You had heard of trying to sell the feathers of the bird still flying free, but not of the horse unborn.
"We get paid in advance," Antonio says, reading your expression aright.
"Still, tis odd that he would wager so much on being able to get his horses," you reply, looking at Hengo's retreating back through the crowd, colorful as his crimson cape.
"Mayhap he went to one of their soothsayers and has some pledge from them. It wouldn't surprise me as much as half the things I've seen up north," your friend replies.
"Aren't they still silent? They were when last we made port here in the summer," you ask, having had little reason to keep an ear for gossip these last few days.
"Mayhap the Iki-uma have their own soothsayers that they do not speak of in the city. I have heard of the one they served called King of the Sky. A king may command fate as a wise counsel foresees it, surely."
"I think..." you take a long drink of wine, tasting of pine resin and spices you cannot lightly name. "That we should not make any assumptions about their gods, especially where we might be heard."
"I am speaking Sicilian, yes?" Antonio asks with a smile. "Might as well be talking dragon's tongue." He takes a long and apprising look around the chamber then adds: "Speaking of strangers, you might want to have a chat with that fellow over there, the one with a crest of hair on his head..." It is hard to miss who he means, fellow of middling height wearing what looks to be a leather kilt made out of many strips of colored leather and a tunic adorned with many brightly colored beads, yet all that pales beside his hair, black it is with the first shoots of grey and shaved everywhere but at a crest that spans it from ear to ear like some strange crown. "That is one of the Silver Bows of Agber, some of the finest archers in this part of the world. If any man would know where to find better bows for the Fellowship than the ones we claimed back on the Spear Islands it's him, but the only bow I know is a crossbow so I'd like as not embarrass myself."
You nod, about to step out to speak to the man from the south when you spy out of the corner of your eye a familiar face, Eriran the Seer. And then your mind catches up with your eye, there is no way the man who had been scrambling to pay his debts last summer would be at the fete of a noble house in the High City, even an impoverished one. Yet when you turn to look, covertly as you may, there is no mistaking the man, his robes are finer far and there are rings of gold about his fingers and he had even grown a beard in the time since last you saw him, but it is undeniably the same man who claimed he did not wish to be bothered with trifles.
Who do you speak with next?
Final Social Round
[] A broad shouldered bear of a man wearing the tall cylindrical hats of the Priesthood of Ashinu, he had been the one to bless the opening of the feast thought you had not seen him since, yet now he seems interested in speaking to Swift Pebble, though she is hesitant to approach alone as she does not understand the gods of this realm all that well
[] A man wearing not robes but red fringed pants, one of the first such garments you have ever seen would like to speak of your journeys. According to Esha he is one of an order sworn to carry messages to far off places while keeping them secret and safe from all eyes, likely he wants to hear of the less fantastical parts of your journeys, perhaps more
[] Zaia managed to find a book seller of all things among the guests, but unsurprisingly rare books are quite expensive, too much so for him to make any promises of the company finances on his own account
[] The Agberi Silver Bow, talk of the craft and where a fine bowyer can be found in the city
[] Eriran the Seer, find out what the man is doing here of all places
OOC: Sorry this took so long, I got distracted midway through.
Of Strangers and Seers
Thirty-Sixth Day of Ikomi-eza (Ikomi Ascendant) 1348 A. L. (After Landfall)
"I see no obstacle barring the deal you wish to make to the betterment of us all," you say extending a hand, or starting to at least before recalling it is not the custom of this land. Horse foals born next summer are not going to be driving off the Yayar for many years hence. Even if this should match the hopes of Hengo it will be many years before there can be any talk of hosts, with armored men atop them armed with lance and shield. Yet on the other side of things if you do not set foot on a path then you shall never see its end.
"Then in the spring or summer we shall see if any of the beasts are fit to breed," the lord offers with a wide smile on his face. "Perhaps when your current stock grows old you will pay us another visit. I vow the cost will not be heavy for the asking..."
At that you can but do your best to keep the doubt off your face. You had heard of trying to sell the feathers of the bird still flying free, but not of the horse unborn.
"We get paid in advance," Antonio says, reading your expression aright.
"Still, tis odd that he would wager so much on being able to get his horses," you reply, looking at Hengo's retreating back through the crowd, colorful as his crimson cape.
"Mayhap he went to one of their soothsayers and has some pledge from them. It wouldn't surprise me as much as half the things I've seen up north," your friend replies.
"Aren't they still silent? They were when last we made port here in the summer," you ask, having had little reason to keep an ear for gossip these last few days.
"Mayhap the Iki-uma have their own soothsayers that they do not speak of in the city. I have heard of the one they served called King of the Sky. A king may command fate as a wise counsel foresees it, surely."
"I think..." you take a long drink of wine, tasting of pine resin and spices you cannot lightly name. "That we should not make any assumptions about their gods, especially where we might be heard."
"I am speaking Sicilian, yes?" Antonio asks with a smile. "Might as well be talking dragon's tongue." He takes a long and apprising look around the chamber then adds: "Speaking of strangers, you might want to have a chat with that fellow over there, the one with a crest of hair on his head..." It is hard to miss who he means, fellow of middling height wearing what looks to be a leather kilt made out of many strips of colored leather and a tunic adorned with many brightly colored beads, yet all that pales beside his hair, black it is with the first shoots of grey and shaved everywhere but at a crest that spans it from ear to ear like some strange crown. "That is one of the Silver Bows of Agber, some of the finest archers in this part of the world. If any man would know where to find better bows for the Fellowship than the ones we claimed back on the Spear Islands it's him, but the only bow I know is a crossbow so I'd like as not embarrass myself."
You nod, about to step out to speak to the man from the south when you spy out of the corner of your eye a familiar face, Eriran the Seer. And then your mind catches up with your eye, there is no way the man who had been scrambling to pay his debts last summer would be at the fete of a noble house in the High City, even an impoverished one. Yet when you turn to look, covertly as you may, there is no mistaking the man, his robes are finer far and there are rings of gold about his fingers and he had even grown a beard in the time since last you saw him, but it is undeniably the same man who claimed he did not wish to be bothered with trifles.
Who do you speak with next?
Final Social Round
[] A broad shouldered bear of a man wearing the tall cylindrical hats of the Priesthood of Ashinu, he had been the one to bless the opening of the feast thought you had not seen him since, yet now he seems interested in speaking to Swift Pebble, though she is hesitant to approach alone as she does not understand the gods of this realm all that well
[] A man wearing not robes but red fringed pants, one of the first such garments you have ever seen would like to speak of your journeys. According to Esha he is one of an order sworn to carry messages to far off places while keeping them secret and safe from all eyes, likely he wants to hear of the less fantastical parts of your journeys, perhaps more
[] Zaia managed to find a book seller of all things among the guests, but unsurprisingly rare books are quite expensive, too much so for him to make any promises of the company finances on his own account
[] The Agberi Silver Bow, talk of the craft and where a fine bowyer can be found in the city
[] Eriran the Seer, find out what the man is doing here of all places
OOC: Sorry this took so long, I got distracted midway through.
@DragonParadox, I'm really sorry I caused this two times in a row now, you edited the previous update over the last update. I will no longer post editing in such a manner, the previous update without the current one.
Unedited last update if you need it to fix it:
Thirty-Sixth Day of Ikomi-eza (Ikomi Ascendant) 1348 A. L. (After Landfall)
Curious tough you may be about the doings of a man you had left living in a shack and found visiting a palace there is another call upon your time, one that cannot wait as readily. Swift Pebble had grown more accustomed with the crowds of the city over the past few days, though she still does not venture far from those whose face and name she knows. For her this is the first grand introduction to the city of Orinilu, to those who know the nature of the river-folk yet who are strangers to her. So then it is little wonder that she calls on your aid to help when it is clear that one of the guests here has more than a passing interest in her.
The lanterns shrink into their beds of clay and bronze and the crowds too grow slower and more deliberate in their manner, as the lateness of the hour and the panoply of fine food and drink begins to tell against their vigor. For all the strangeness of this land, in dress and in manner unlike any you have ever walked in, some things are just the same... and one of the thing is That One Fellow, usually but not always large, mostly smiling, it seems more like then not at your expense, upon which the specter of too much drink and tiredness does not lie at all.
That is who calls you on this day, a bear of a man, wearing a cylindrical had fringed with the same geometric patterns that are so common on the pottery and table ware of the city, indeed from a distance one might mistake the hat for a particularly ornate pot, though up close it seems to have been woven of reeds and painted burnt red. The priest's vestments are not that different from those of the lesser nobility save that they are fringed with some manner of lustrous brown fur that brings to mind deer or perhaps one of the strange goats of this land, though something pulls at your mind, the talisman you had taken from the Inaurna warriors heavy on your neck.
In your mind's eye you see some manner of thin legged small horned grazing beast such as you had only seen in dreams flying far. You wonder what the spirit within had meant to show you that of all things as you bow your head and introduce yourself to the man, to the priest Serik who gives no other name, you assume as a part of his calling.
Tis by that calling also that he questions Swift Pebble about her kin and whence they had sprung, for he says all living things had been sowed into being by the will of Ashinu, but of those beings few were given also the fire of reason. "I thought had first that you had been Awoken by the magic of the Moon-bound or mayhap some tricksome spirit, but then I heard that there were as many of you as fingers upon a man's hand and knew that it could be no single spell but a sign of Ashinu that we should pay more heed to the waters..."
"More heed to the waters?" he young otter-kin looks up curiously, unsure what to make of this strange, though genial man who watched her so keenly.
"There were droughts in the land the summer past and blight and crop failings, few lands survived that were not fair watered so now the temple and many men of means and sense call for an expansion of the irrigation canals, the dikes and earthworks," the priest explains.
"And you think we are a sign?" Swift Pebble asks. "No big spirit said to me and mine to go south on the wind-catcher Marcella."
"The messengers of the Lord of the Harvest are many and each comes in their time, knowing or unknowing," the priest proclaims. "Come tell me of your journey please in as much detail as you may for there may have been signs in it others would have missed."
Is it piety that drives him you wonder... or politics. If he had been looking for a sign to divert resources to irrigation and other ifrastructure of the sort when the fires of war still burn then perhaps he is not above making signs where there are none. Then again what do you lose if it is so?
What do you do?
[] Mention the owl that had followed you for many leagues and still lingers on the ship
[] Speak of the curse on your men, perhaps the priest knows of a cure
[] Write in
OOC: And this should be the last update before the arc end, I hope this part did not drag, but I wanted to build up the city some more before the large scale planning that follows here. Not yet edited.
Unedited last update if you need it to fix it:
Tale of Earth and Water
Thirty-Sixth Day of Ikomi-eza (Ikomi Ascendant) 1348 A. L. (After Landfall)
Curious tough you may be about the doings of a man you had left living in a shack and found visiting a palace there is another call upon your time, one that cannot wait as readily. Swift Pebble had grown more accustomed with the crowds of the city over the past few days, though she still does not venture far from those whose face and name she knows. For her this is the first grand introduction to the city of Orinilu, to those who know the nature of the river-folk yet who are strangers to her. So then it is little wonder that she calls on your aid to help when it is clear that one of the guests here has more than a passing interest in her.
The lanterns shrink into their beds of clay and bronze and the crowds too grow slower and more deliberate in their manner, as the lateness of the hour and the panoply of fine food and drink begins to tell against their vigor. For all the strangeness of this land, in dress and in manner unlike any you have ever walked in, some things are just the same... and one of the thing is That One Fellow, usually but not always large, mostly smiling, it seems more like then not at your expense, upon which the specter of too much drink and tiredness does not lie at all.
That is who calls you on this day, a bear of a man, wearing a cylindrical had fringed with the same geometric patterns that are so common on the pottery and table ware of the city, indeed from a distance one might mistake the hat for a particularly ornate pot, though up close it seems to have been woven of reeds and painted burnt red. The priest's vestments are not that different from those of the lesser nobility save that they are fringed with some manner of lustrous brown fur that brings to mind deer or perhaps one of the strange goats of this land, though something pulls at your mind, the talisman you had taken from the Inaurna warriors heavy on your neck.
In your mind's eye you see some manner of thin legged small horned grazing beast such as you had only seen in dreams flying far. You wonder what the spirit within had meant to show you that of all things as you bow your head and introduce yourself to the man, to the priest Serik who gives no other name, you assume as a part of his calling.
Tis by that calling also that he questions Swift Pebble about her kin and whence they had sprung, for he says all living things had been sowed into being by the will of Ashinu, but of those beings few were given also the fire of reason. "I thought had first that you had been Awoken by the magic of the Moon-bound or mayhap some tricksome spirit, but then I heard that there were as many of you as fingers upon a man's hand and knew that it could be no single spell but a sign of Ashinu that we should pay more heed to the waters..."
"More heed to the waters?" he young otter-kin looks up curiously, unsure what to make of this strange, though genial man who watched her so keenly.
"There were droughts in the land the summer past and blight and crop failings, few lands survived that were not fair watered so now the temple and many men of means and sense call for an expansion of the irrigation canals, the dikes and earthworks," the priest explains.
"And you think we are a sign?" Swift Pebble asks. "No big spirit said to me and mine to go south on the wind-catcher Marcella."
"The messengers of the Lord of the Harvest are many and each comes in their time, knowing or unknowing," the priest proclaims. "Come tell me of your journey please in as much detail as you may for there may have been signs in it others would have missed."
Is it piety that drives him you wonder... or politics. If he had been looking for a sign to divert resources to irrigation and other ifrastructure of the sort when the fires of war still burn then perhaps he is not above making signs where there are none. Then again what do you lose if it is so?
What do you do?
[] Mention the owl that had followed you for many leagues and still lingers on the ship
[] Speak of the curse on your men, perhaps the priest knows of a cure
[] Write in
OOC: And this should be the last update before the arc end, I hope this part did not drag, but I wanted to build up the city some more before the large scale planning that follows here. Not yet edited.
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
FFS, finally out of an all afternoon meeting. Even had to go into the office for this one. I've really been spoiled working from home for almost two years now. I don't think I can go back to working in the office. 😵
[X] myrix
[X] myrix
Good night guys, see you tomorrow as we move on to the end of the arc and the level ups before we get to proper planning
Hopefully also with me being less busy IRL
Hopefully also with me being less busy IRL
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Now that I think about it, I wish we had asked Esha to try to surreptitiously use Detect Magic to get an idea of who here might be using spells or magic items. It's not necessarily actionable information, but it could have helped to paint a more complete picture of these people, of the resources they have available and what they use them for, and how common enchanted items are among the wealthy.
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@DragonParadox, did Esha by chance used Detect Magic, if she could get away with it, because it was reasonable thing to do? If she did, did it show anything?
Esha did use magic and did not come up with any active spells at a glance though she has seen several minor talismans like you wear among the nobility and what look like magic gloves for Bragi (illusion) and the priest's hat is also magic (transmutation so it can be nearely anything)
@DragonParadox, editing for the last update:
Thirty-Sixth Day of Ikomi-eza (Ikomi Ascendant) 1348 A. L. (After Landfall)
Curious though you may be about the doings of a man you had left living in a shack and found visiting a palace there is another call upon your time, one that cannot wait as readily. Swift Pebble had grown more accustomed with the crowds of the city over the past few days, though she still does not venture far from those whose face and name she knows. For her this is the first grand introduction to the city of Orinilu, to those who know the nature of the river-folk yet who are strangers to her. So then it is little wonder that she calls on your aid to help when it is clear that one of the guests here has more than a passing interest in her.
The lanterns shrink into their beds of clay and bronze and the crowds too grow slower and more deliberate in their manner, as the lateness of the hour and the panoply of fine food and drink begins to tell against their vigor. For all the strangeness of this land, in dress and in manner unlike any you have ever walked in, some things are just the same... and one of the things is That One Fellow, usually but not always large, mostly smiling, it seems more like than not at your expense, upon which the specter of too much drink and tiredness does not lie at all.
That is who calls you on this day, a bear of a man, wearing a cylindrical hat fringed with the same geometric patterns that are so common on the pottery and tableware of the city. Indeed, from a distance one might mistake the hat for a particularly ornate pot, though up close it seems to have been woven of reeds and painted burnt red. The priest's vestments are not that different from those of the lesser nobility save that they are fringed with some manner of lustrous brown fur that brings to mind deer or perhaps one of the strange goats of this land, though something pulls at your mind, the talisman you had taken from the Inaurna warriors heavy on your neck.
In your mind's eye you see some manner of thin legged small horned grazing beast such as you had only seen in dreams flying far. You wonder why the spirit within had meant to show you that of all things as you bow your head and introduce yourself to the man, to the priest Serik who gives no other name, you assume as a part of his calling.
Tis by that calling also that he questions Swift Pebble about her kin and whence they had sprung, for he says all living things had been sowed into being by the will of Ashinu, but of those beings few were given also the fire of reason. "I thought at first that you had been Awoken by the magic of the Moon-bound or mayhap some tricksome spirit, but then I heard that there were as many of you as fingers upon a man's hands and knew that it could be no single spell but a sign of Ashinu that we should pay more heed to the waters..."
"More heed to the waters?" the young otter-kin looks up curiously, unsure what to make of this strange, though genial man who watched her so keenly.
"There were droughts in the land the summer past, and blight and crop failings, few lands survived that were not fair watered so now the temple and many men of means and sense call for an expansion of the irrigation canals, the dikes and earthworks," the priest explains.
"And you think we are a sign?" Swift Pebble asks. "No big spirit said to me and mine to go south on the wind-catcher Marcella."
"The messengers of the Lord of the Harvest are many and each comes in their time, knowing or unknowing," the priest proclaims. "Come, tell me of your journey please in as much detail as you may for there may have been signs in it others would have missed."
Is it piety that drives him you wonder... or politics. If he had been looking for a sign to divert resources to irrigation and other infrastructure of the sort when the fires of war still burn then perhaps he is not above making signs where there are none. Then again, what do you lose if it is so?
What do you do?
[] Mention the owl that had followed you for many leagues and still lingers on the ship
[] Speak of the curse on your men, perhaps the priest knows of a cure
[] Write in
OOC: And this should be the last update before the arc end. I hope this part did not drag, but I wanted to build up the city some more before the large scale planning that follows here.
Tale of Earth and Water
Thirty-Sixth Day of Ikomi-eza (Ikomi Ascendant) 1348 A. L. (After Landfall)
Curious though you may be about the doings of a man you had left living in a shack and found visiting a palace there is another call upon your time, one that cannot wait as readily. Swift Pebble had grown more accustomed with the crowds of the city over the past few days, though she still does not venture far from those whose face and name she knows. For her this is the first grand introduction to the city of Orinilu, to those who know the nature of the river-folk yet who are strangers to her. So then it is little wonder that she calls on your aid to help when it is clear that one of the guests here has more than a passing interest in her.
The lanterns shrink into their beds of clay and bronze and the crowds too grow slower and more deliberate in their manner, as the lateness of the hour and the panoply of fine food and drink begins to tell against their vigor. For all the strangeness of this land, in dress and in manner unlike any you have ever walked in, some things are just the same... and one of the things is That One Fellow, usually but not always large, mostly smiling, it seems more like than not at your expense, upon which the specter of too much drink and tiredness does not lie at all.
That is who calls you on this day, a bear of a man, wearing a cylindrical hat fringed with the same geometric patterns that are so common on the pottery and tableware of the city. Indeed, from a distance one might mistake the hat for a particularly ornate pot, though up close it seems to have been woven of reeds and painted burnt red. The priest's vestments are not that different from those of the lesser nobility save that they are fringed with some manner of lustrous brown fur that brings to mind deer or perhaps one of the strange goats of this land, though something pulls at your mind, the talisman you had taken from the Inaurna warriors heavy on your neck.
In your mind's eye you see some manner of thin legged small horned grazing beast such as you had only seen in dreams flying far. You wonder why the spirit within had meant to show you that of all things as you bow your head and introduce yourself to the man, to the priest Serik who gives no other name, you assume as a part of his calling.
Tis by that calling also that he questions Swift Pebble about her kin and whence they had sprung, for he says all living things had been sowed into being by the will of Ashinu, but of those beings few were given also the fire of reason. "I thought at first that you had been Awoken by the magic of the Moon-bound or mayhap some tricksome spirit, but then I heard that there were as many of you as fingers upon a man's hands and knew that it could be no single spell but a sign of Ashinu that we should pay more heed to the waters..."
"More heed to the waters?" the young otter-kin looks up curiously, unsure what to make of this strange, though genial man who watched her so keenly.
"There were droughts in the land the summer past, and blight and crop failings, few lands survived that were not fair watered so now the temple and many men of means and sense call for an expansion of the irrigation canals, the dikes and earthworks," the priest explains.
"And you think we are a sign?" Swift Pebble asks. "No big spirit said to me and mine to go south on the wind-catcher Marcella."
"The messengers of the Lord of the Harvest are many and each comes in their time, knowing or unknowing," the priest proclaims. "Come, tell me of your journey please in as much detail as you may for there may have been signs in it others would have missed."
Is it piety that drives him you wonder... or politics. If he had been looking for a sign to divert resources to irrigation and other infrastructure of the sort when the fires of war still burn then perhaps he is not above making signs where there are none. Then again, what do you lose if it is so?
What do you do?
[] Mention the owl that had followed you for many leagues and still lingers on the ship
[] Speak of the curse on your men, perhaps the priest knows of a cure
[] Write in
OOC: And this should be the last update before the arc end. I hope this part did not drag, but I wanted to build up the city some more before the large scale planning that follows here.
