-[X] [Market] Water Flask (5 available)
--[X] 1
Despite the whole trade caravan from Thunder-Bell situation, your exploration of the markets ended up being rather uneventful. Everything was either too expensive or not really useful in your current situation. You were almost about to leave empty-handed before you decided to purchase an extra water flask at the last minute. After all, they're pretty cheap, and even if you don't need it right now, it will definitely come in handy eventually, right? Right?
(Spent one aum. Gained one empty water flask.)
-[x] [Azentu] "Share your thoughts with me, water-friend."
--[x] What are your opinions on fungi?
-[x] [Azentu] "Let us drink together, water-friend."
Overall, you think your first real water-ritual went quite well. You kept it small and simple, just asking for the Azentu's official position on fungi rather than any sort of big favor. It wasn't anything special, just some diplomatic fluff about valuing their contributions to the agricultural industry, but you could definitely notice Elder Vision's personal distaste for them; an unfortunately common belief in the Zigent. Something about mind control, maybe? You're not exactly well-versed in racism.
You also tried your hand at what some might think of as bribery, so long as some don't actually know anything about how water-rituals work. It's a universal diplomatic custom where the two parties symbolically drink together in order to represent the shared truth that binds all living beings together, something that anyone who actually ever researched history would know.
Elder Vision seemed very receptive, but how much of it was genuine approval of your interpersonal skills and how much was just her humoring you is something that you're still unsure of. Still, a success is a success.
(Spent one aum, gained 9 Relationship with the Azentu.)
-[x] [Librarians] "Share your thoughts with me, water-friend."
--[x] How do libraries feel about being given books?
--[x] Are there any books that librarians particularly desire that I should keep an eye out for?
-[x] [Librarians] "Let us drink together, water-friend."
As is fitting for a house of knowledge, you had a lot of questions for the Librarian's Union, which Nothr did xyr best to answer impartially, although you could feel a bit of pride leaking past the mask when you angled towards the topic of working with the library. As you suspected, the answer was that the Monument Valley library, the same as any library in the Zigent, would be more than happy to purchase any artifact or secret of the Tenju at a reasonable price.
Unfortunately, you also learned that more mundane historical discoveries should be at least a hundred cycles old and have several strong primary sources to be considered worthy of addition to the sum of all knowledge, as general recordkeeping was an internal matter that the Librarians already had under control with their teams of archivists. On the plus side, Nothr offered you an apprentice position as one of those archivists, but that's something to consider after you finish your pilgrimage.
Afterwards, your definitely-not-bribery went even better than it had with Elder Vision, unfortunately adding another data point to the theory of xem going easy on you because they've known you for pretty much your entire life. You can understand why xe would do it; you're practically still a child even now, but it doesn't make it sting any less.
(Spent one aum. Gained 10 relationship with the Librarian's Union.)
The meteorologists predict that the next rain cycle will come in
20 days and that it will last for
10 days before stopping. You are currently in region 8: Monument Valley.
-[ ] Explore the settlement
You've already spent some time looking around, but there's always the chance that you missed something. You'll double check to make sure that you've found everything of interest.
Encounter something useful.
(3 days, DC 9)
-[ ] Search for an expedition site
Passed around in bars, tucked inside ancient tomes, there are a lot of places where secrets might be hiding.
Find an expedition site in a current or adjacent region. Can be performed once per rain cycle. (3 days, DC 5)
-[ ] Look through the markets
While theoretically not that difficult, the markets are a tangled maze of merchants and deal-seekers on the best of days.
See what's for sale this cycle. (1 day, DC 1)
-[ ] Sell some of your possessions
Good haggling takes time. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar or a fool.
--[ ] Water flask with two aums Cannot sell non-empty water flasks
--[ ] Empty water flask
(1 day per item sold, DC 0)
-[ ] Stash something in the wilderness
You honestly just don't feel like carrying it around anymore.
--[ ] Mysterious black ring
--[ ] Water flask with two aums
--[ ] Empty water flask
(Items stored in the wilderness have a chance to be lost each rain cycle. 2 days per item stored, DC 0)
-[ ] Engage in diplomacy
Dialogue is the foundation of society, and you're proud to take part in it.
--[ ] Elder Vision, on behalf of the Azentu
(1 day, DC 0)
--[ ] Nothr, on behalf of the Librarians' Union
(1 day, DC 0)
--[ ] Brasa, child of Olea, on behalf of the Monument Farmer's Consortium
(1 day, DC 0)
--[ ] Ambassador Sweet-Fur, on behalf of Sky-Deed
(1 day, DC 0)
-[ ] Establish diplomatic relations
It's never a bad day to make new friends, or at least new acquaintances.
--[ ] Fungal Enclave
You've managed to find a rare fungal enclave hidden underneath Monument Valley, but they don't seem particularly interested in further contact, based on the way you got kicked out.
(2 days, DC 12)
-[ ] Ask Nothr about the ring
It's been a little while since Nothr secretly gave you a strange ring, and you're getting quite curious about what it is and why it needs to be a secret in the first place. Talk to xem about it.
Learn a secret. (1 day, DC 6)
-[ ] Consolidate water
Something about the weight distribution is a bit off. (Write in the new organization of your water between your flasks. You currently have 2 aums of water and 2 flasks.)
--[ ] Write in
(Free action)
-[ ] Survey the region (Write in number of days to devote to this expedition)
The rains always change the landscape, and people will always need updated maps. It's a very reliable source of funds.
--[ ] Write in
Length 10, difficulty 2. Reward: 2 aums of water. Can be performed once per rain cycle, but progress does not carry over between cycles.
-[ ] Explore the Forgotten Tower (Write in number of days to devote to this expedition)
--[ ] Write in
This section of uninhabited ruins was marked as a very promising site several years ago, but the notice never arrived to whoever it was supposed to get to, and it has languished unexplored since then.
Length 25, difficulty 4. Reward: unknown.
-[ ] Travel somewhere else (Write which route to travel and the route taken.)
--[ ] Write in
It's time to move on. (Ends the current turn, but not the current cycle.)
First of all, sorry for the long chapter delay, I spent all of my scheduled writing time distracted with theming and the overarching narrative instead of working on what really matters; numbers. Also, speaking of numbers, you folks are getting some insane rolls. Whoever you have messing with the air currents when I roll the dice to make them always land well, they're doing a great job
. As usual, point out any typos, and I hope you're all doing well.
