Age of Ice and Blood: A Pathfinder System Heroic Fantasy Quest

The Sixteenth Day of Elnu-eza (Elnu Ascendant), 1349 A. L. (After Landfall)

"Hold, let us parley," you say after as much of a moment as you can afford to think. When blades are drawn it is hard to think of sheathing them, this you know to be true, yet still yours is but one ship and one small company. The last thing you aught to be seeking is more foes, by arrow or by flame from above. Words may yet serve, though as you watch the two ships sail forth of proud and warlike mien you know just as surely that meekness will not serve. "Keep close and keep a wary eye," you say with a nod, especially for those among your company who see with more than mortal eyes.

As the ships draw near you look for signs of battle. Had they fought here before against Anwari longships or galleys out of Orinilu or Isangu and Luaru? All would have reason to keep the Mouth of the World open and merely two galleys would struggle to hold it long. Are thee only two of them, or is it just these two that had come to the call this night? You wonder with a unwelcome twist of your stomach, another reason to talk perhaps but also one reason less for them to be reasonable if they can count upon more of their countrymen to seep upon them.

There is no mark of battle in sight and neither can the otter-kin spot them with sharper eyes than yours.

"Why do you come with blade drawn in the night?" you call to ships, in Engur tongue, now as close as bowshot even from one of the smaller local bows, never mind form your own longbow ."Why did you seek to keep the straights closed against a ship that has no quarrel with you and yours?" For once you are thankful that your speech is still rough for it is trade tongue and many in these waters speak it poorly. Indeed, Ibanora itself is Engur though theirs had been an earlier founding of which they are greatly proud you had heard.

"You are bold, son of Murkwater, for a man who has just tried to sneak past like a thief in the night!" the captain on the lead ship shouts back, trying to draw a response with the insult sometimes dealt for those of Orinilu in these waters.

Alas though you are silent and do not rise to be bait one of the sailors, though a man out of Apuku shouts back in his own tongue. "Think those whore's sons would dare the True Sea? They pay us enough silver to..." The words cut off with a huff, as though someone had elbowed the speaker in the ribs. Pity they didn't use a bloody axe, you think viciously as you can only hope and pray to God that no one on those ships both heard and understood the words.

"We have had quarrels with the tribes in these land, they came upon us in boats and with fel curses also!" These words you do not say in any tongue, but pass on to Swift Pebble, hoping that the strangeness of hearing another voice in their minds might be distracting.

From the shiver of disquiet that passes like a wind through their ranks you guess it must have worked at least a little, though the seeming master of the ship still stands tall. "Be ye man or some manner of scaley thing crawling from the depths?" he shouts, the sudden venom of it sending poor Swift Pebble huddling against your neck.

"We are as you see us, men. Our craft is war and it is to war in the Sunset Islands we go," you strive to keep your calm. Kindling once set aflame cannot be mended and so it oft is with battle once it starts. "We keep the company of those who are our allies true and we have among us those skilled in..." What had Esha called it? "Weaving the arts of the soul."

A risk to reveal that you have magicians among your number, but all it truly looses is the first moment of surprise in exchange for perhaps making the Ibanorans all the weary of attack.

"You say you are no friends of the tribes in these hills, you say that you are fighting men?" the man says after a moment's pause. "Then prove it, help us against those who have used guile and trickery against us as we try to hold and civilize these lands and we will let you through. We more than that I, Powil of the Dirus, will pledge that you may come into the port of the City of Smiths as you please for we have need of skilled warriors and no fear of those who walk under the moon."

If anything the whispers among his own men only grow thicker. It seems you are not the only one trying to make a gamble.

What do you reply?

[] Agree to help against the local Lnikut
-[]... honestly
-[] ... and sail past as soon as you have the chance
-[]... and betray them, there is profit to be found here between that talisman and favor to be had back in Orinilu

[] Refuse, your path is elsewhere
-[] Insist upon it
-[]... but you might offer some small toll for passage

[] Write in

OOC: Well those otters did get to scare someone eventually.

Isangu

Found on the Eastern Sealkin Islands the city was founded by Agberi mystics, the Brotherhood of Nu, seeking shelter from persecution more than two centuries ago. What gods they hold to and what their prayers might bring is not clear in mu mind save that they do not seem to hold with the Pantheon of the Great Gods for a time maintained strict separation from the outside world in search of inner peace, earning a reputation for fasting, meditation and a dearth of mirth. It is said they preserve their dead in sea salt, keeping them in hidden caves where those most blessed among them go on dark nights to hear the whispers of the dead. Most hateful of all to those I have spoken to, sailors and soldiers for the most part, of all the Brotherhood of Nu deny themselves alcohol, be it mead or wine or beer, drinking only the fermented milk of long haired goats which are much prized and that on High Holy days.

Still for all that the mystics are far in the city's past, with the discovery of silver in the lands held by the city a bevy of Engur adventurers and colonists arrived from the mainland, quickly taking the city over in a mostly bloodless coup. While the Brotherhood still technically hold the highest power in the land it is only ever exercised at the at the will, some say the whim of the Despot of Isaru, who is like a king uncrowned over the island, being as he is the master of the Osiogun Trained Bands armed with weapons silver bought. Yet still it is thought of in Isangu that it would be ill luck and black curses upon the head of the man who would dare fully usurp the Brotherhood.

I am not certain what to make of the tale of one such Despot found drowned and pickled in his own wine barrel after falling in following a night of debauchery, but I shall here mark it for 'tis hardly the strangest thing I have ever witnessed since the Passage

Luaru

Founded roughly at the same time as Orinilu the city in the Western Sealkin Islands was nowhere near as fortunate. Atun Pirates from the south ravaged its shores for many years wearing away at the hearts of its people though the long years and leaving them it is said as stone. The Luara are said to be as hard to dig out of a fortification as a tick from flesh and they will leave you just as bloody. As it has no great store of wealth beyond fishing and such herding as the soil of the island can bear the Luaru's primary export is... trained soldiers willing to fight for coin, be they a single warrior trying his luck with crook and sling or whole hands scores and even hundreds strong. At a time of war the Despot of Luaru, which oddly enough for such a warlike city is chosen on the base of age and perceived wisdom, serving for life, can call all these sellsowrds home and thus holds far more men 'under arms' than the small population of the island would account for normally

OOC: Rather short, I thought about putting in more places, but these are surprisingly hard to write IC when Zaia has not been there and I have to pass it though both his filter and then multiple sources depending on where he heard about them. For instance the stuff with the Brotherhood of Nu has a lot of baggage for those few sentences which I cannot wholly reveal right now since Zaia does not know more than he has heard. For the record Agber is the site of Tunis, Atum is further west in what would be Moroco and remember the migrations so south to north so generally speaking the further south you go the older and more established a state is in this part of the world.

The Sixteenth Day of Elnu-eza (Elnu Ascendant), 1349 A. L. (After Landfall)

It is not that you are above temptation, the people of this land have now thrice given you cause for enmity, but then again one of their numbers has dwelt among your company without doing them harm for months and only fled when she was revealed, and you did but a dozen days past part from another company of them in peace. So the question hangs in the balance, is there cause for battle?

By itself, no, but as Antonio reminds you, that is not all that hangs in the balance here. "I've known lords who would try to press a ship into battle against their enemies if they could and if the captain said no they tried to change captain and crew and keep the ship. From fight to fight we might yet stumble and now that they're this close..."

"So let us then give this Powil fellow something to chew on that isn't our bones," Zaia replies, speaking quickly so that the man in question does not lose patience with all of you. "Tell him what we learned of the alliance with the Formless and their shape-changing servants and then we shall be off and he shall be better guarded."

Thus if falls to you to... insist upon swift passage and so you do, this time without Swift Pebble translating again: "In another time, were our current mission not so pressing, we might have added our strength to your own, for the Knikut who claim these straits have gone out of their way to antagonize us. Unfortunately, we are already pledged to assist allies who have been bedeviled by dark spirits. We have been making haste to reach them as quickly as possible since the storms of winter receded with the return of spring."

The Ibanoran's expression darkens and his eyes flash like hot coals at the defiance, but then you bid the little otter-kin to add soft words of warning as Zaia has suggested. "Look to those who do not act as they should and you might find that they are not man, but merely wearing his skin."

Though he does not take a step nor make a move you can practically hear him mentally stuttering and coming up short. He looks behind him at the men arrayed in gleaming bronze, up at sails billowing in the night wind, then to the dark shore, still and quiet, and perhaps to him filled with foes strange terrors. Dare he attack you when he cannot now even trust his own countrymen not to be foes and spies? Dare he trust your judgement?

"Pass in peace this day and go to your urgent war, but if you wish to come back this way remember that Ibanora holds the key and the lock to the waters beyond and no rogue or raider shall pass us by to carry wealth to our foes of old!"

Posturing for his men, you realize and breathe an inward sigh of relief. He means it.

You waste no time sailing out through the Mouth of the World swift as you can manage... and Antonio wastes no time upbraiding the fool of a sailor who had almost gotten you in a fight with his boasting. No doubt in your return you would be asked again to give aid against the Knikut and then you would have less reason to avoid it.

What do you want to do next?
Social Stage 3/4

[] Antonio has some to the conclusion that he would feel safer wearing armor, teach him how to move and fight in it (2/2 Progress for Antonio gaining Light Armor proficiency)

[] Train the sailors to fight in a more organized manner (1/5 progress towards unlocking warrior levels for the sailors)

[] Try to teach the brighter of your men how to read and write (1/4 Progress towards basic literacy for your men at arms; ability to send basic messages)

[] Work with Esha to see if you can train the ship to act in a coordinated manner in case of boarders (+circumstantial bonuses to combat related rolls and saves on the ship)

[] Write in

OOC: Well you made the roll, narrowly and only because you scared the Ibanoran captain which talk of shape-changers.