The shadows in the trees hunker down, and Blendin is suddenly aware they are surrounded. It’s hard to tell how many. A few tense moments pass until a single wildling, with long floppy ears and a nervous tic, steps into view. He has a small wooden ax in one hand, held low but ready. His eyes focus on Blendin, but he shoots occasional wary glances at Xisco. “These woods are not safe these days, wildling and your human friend makes a lot of noise. Why have you come? Do you wish to bring the Shepherds to us?!”
Medicus grunts with pleasure at his findings, but says they are pretty basic goods – bandages, flameroot, greentine, paintberry, and names a bunch of other herbs you don’t pay much attention too. He says that even at Timber prices, these aren’t worth much and suggests you sell one of the bags of salt, seeing as you have, in his words, “Enough to desiccate my aunt Clarice’s corpse.” He adds, in an attempt to be helpful, “She was a large woman.” Renault seems happy with this arrangement.
Gardner and Tooly meet back at the Fogshark for dinner while the rest of the crew has ship detail. A fresh behemoth roast is cooking on the central fire, and Gael tends the meat, giving out fresh slices to those don’t have one already. A group of loggers are singing along to lute playing from the glowborn musician. Gertie brings your evening ale, a higher grade than yesterday’s swill courtesy of the crew of the Majestic Vale, a hide trading vessel that was having trouble with its cargo hold doors until Tooly got them unstuck. Some of the familiar faces from your last visit are present; Mickey and Arnst are among the ‘singers’, and Magistrate Hooper is making his first appearance at the Fogshark since your arrival. He seems intent on some papers and is in a discussion with the Leafwarden.
“Finished clearing the Muddy Flats today.” Hanover’s voice comes as a surprise and he seats himself at your table. “Long time coming, the trees up there were dense but the wood poor. Gotta clear it out so the next set of growth’ll be better.” He leans forward, conspiratorially, “So, hear you boys are in the arms trading business now, eh? Thought you were scavengers? Oh well, I guess we all become something else now and again.”
ooc: I’ve put in the order for 3 gun carriages then. With that, the remaining trade goods will be (at the end of 2 weeks when you’re ready to move out):
¼ load ancient pottery - est. value ??
5 months of salt –est. value 30-50 cogs
3 metal bands est. value 200-300 cogs
8 metal-banded cannon – est. value 750-1000
1 stone sconce - est. value ??
small armful of painted/carved tiles - est. value ??
Ethereal Sword - est. value ??
Ethereal Crossbow - est. value ??
2 suits, rusty chainmail - est. value 300-400 cogs
5 short swords, rusty – est. value 100-200 cogs
945 cogs
Note, the lower cogs include monthly pay to the crew to cover them through 2 weeks of voyage time.
You estimated the value of the goods prior to beginning the trade, and the crew get their share based on that, same as everyone else. Thus, their cut is 500 cogs, as per the initial arrangement, just like Magnus/Jay’s share. I’d suggest paying them before you leave the island, or they may want to upgrade their pay based on their ‘investment’ in future trades, as opposed to just accepting base salary.
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ooc: Note, a number of items have been removed from trade to ship stores (e.g. the 4 metal banded cannon on carriages). Those are as follows:
ReplyDelete3 sets ropes
3 sets spars
3 sets sheets
2 sets pulleys
1 set planks
3 sets pins
6 quarts oil
6 pints grease
4 (1/3) weeks meat (fresh/salted)
3 weeks sky fungi
2 of 3 barrels water
4 weeks sky fruit
6 bottles alcohol
2 casks ale
4 metal banded cannon with carriages
6 stone balls
6 lead balls
22 shots of grape
Ship’s crossbow
4x exploding bolts
27x standard bolts
extended medical supplies
basic tools
cargo crane
2x makeshift winches
basic furnishings
3x storage lockers
1x lantern
brazier
3x glowing crystals
whew. Basically, each week of travel I roll for forage, and I roll for ship damage due to unseen effects, and then I punish this table as needed. The last leg was pretty long and kinda rough, plus a bunch of stuff was left in Sinky Island, so you were pretty low on stores when you arrived.
Blendin looke at the wildling in surprise. "The shepherds are here? And why in Alpha's name would you think I was leading them?" With that, Blendin pulled out one of his flowers and offered it to the wildling. "I'm here because I was told you lot were my best chance at obtaining medicine on this Island. In addition, I heard you all were having trouble and I should have some swords and armor I could trade for the medicine. I'd also like to offer my assistance against whatever seems to be plaguing you."
ReplyDeleteThe wildling seems to relax slightly at your words. “Come.” He leads you for some time, winding through the trees. You are surrounded by wildlings, but they do not come into full view, watching from a distance instead and darting in and out of sight. You arrive at a thicket of briars, and the rabbitling lifts a small trap door hidden among the branches, and ushers you inside. You are seated in near darkness, and it is cramped and moist. The smell of earth envelops you as he lights a single tallow candle, revealing the room. There are a few cots, hunting and gathering tools, as if this is a storage space or small home. It certainly isn’t large enough for the mass of wildlings you saw above ground. There are also stains of blood suggesting that someone injured was here recently. “I am Mitpic. The shepherds are always here because we are here. We think the humans’ wealth has brought more of them than used to come. They send their traders into town, and their hunters into the woods. We cannot stay in our towns as we once did, and are forced to live in these.” He gestures to the cave about you, “And there are the human ships as well. They land on the far side of the island with their striped sails. They are not interested in bringing us to Heartland alive.”
ReplyDeleteHe examines the flower with a careful eye. “It is still orange? Ours… changed, right before the attacks increased. Like this,” He produces a blossom, purple with black leaves. “Some say it is a sign that Alpha has abandoned us. And they do not work as they once did. Tell me, where did you find this?”
Blendin tells of his goods, “You may have what medicine you require, of course, but I will not take metal weapons and armor, even against the shepherds. We fight them best by surviving, and I fear the noise would lead us to ruin. We have weapons enough.” He gestures to a small pile of hunting implements. “As for assistance, if the humans continue to trade with the elves, I fear they will end us. There was a man, Milton, who spoke for us on the human council, but he was poisoned and died. I fear that without his voice to steady the minds of the council, they will agree to too much, and the shepherds will claim us all.”
Gardner looks chagrined at Hanover's comment. "What can I say, when we scavenge Tooly seems to only find things that explode or shoot, or things that can be made into things that explode or shoot. And Fang only brings me bones ... sometimes with rusty swords attached. So what happened to old Milton? Nice to see Magistrate Hooper, though the Leafwarden makes me wary. Seems like the elves are walking a little taller around here since last time we were here." (Persuasion 7 or Streetwise 13 if either are needed)
ReplyDeleteThe engineer grins at Gardner's comment on his "scavenging" technique and mutters "That's the best kind of salvage, though..." He waits to see that Hanover has to say about Milton. He believes Gertie's version completely, but wants to know what the rest of the town thinks.
ReplyDelete------------
OOC: So we have a full load of cannon (or will, when they're done)? That is, 4 ready for use and 8 in the hold? I thought we needed 3 more, but I may have misread the deal Tooly got from Rybeck.
Sounds like the wildlings need a lesson in guerilla warfare, or better organization. Small hunting parties should be easy targets, even if they are as woods-savvy as elves.
“I guess that’s just as good a reason as any to take up being a weapon merchant. ‘Mother knows we’ll need them sooner or later.” Hanover takes a long pull on his bottle after you ask about Milton. “Well, Gertie says he got a fever real sudden like. Fact is, he’s old enough that something like that could hit him hard and he’d been acting odd for days, so perhaps that’s it. But then again, no one else has taken ill lately. And her husband shows up the same day and takes over his bar… a bit odd, isn’t it? Now, no offense to the ‘lady’ there, but fact is that Gertie’s spread for just about half the town at one point or another. Time was there were only 6 women in town, but things have gotten better in the last few years. I hear she and Milton had an ongoing arrangement, though. Jealous husbands have been known to do worse. Or maybe the old man didn’t much care for her carrying his whelp, so she done him in.” Hanover’s ‘conspiratorial’ tone is a tad overloud by your taste, but you imagine that’s partly the alcohol.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as you bring up the elves, Hanover spits. “Those cocky bastards show up, tossing their seeds around like we don’t have enough trees. No offense to your old shipmate, o’course. And they anger the wildlings something fierce. First ship that came in they set fire to, but it put itself out without too much trouble. Surprised the elves came back after that, but we see, oh, one or two boats a month. We’ve been talking about a more permanent arrangement with them. The Magistrate is using your deal from last time as a template, I hear. The elves can bring grain, wine, rope and cloth, all in short supply up here. We used to trust the glowborn for that, but now all they provide reliably is music and barrels. We trade the elves pelts and syrup for their goods, can you believe that? I hear they feel like they are getting the better bargain by doing alittle hunting on the side in the woods. Not sure I’m a fan of this arrangement, but I think the council will probably go for it. The loggers and the wildlings got into it a few months back, and grain is just a few weeks from booze, which’ll win over most everyone else. Fact is, Milton was opposed to the deal, but well, he’s not opposed to much aside worms these days.”
ooc: You are correct, you have 9 cannon in total. My error.
The dwarf furrows his brow. "Cloth and rope are hard to get, here? Well, I think we might be able to help you with that. I mean, Bridgeways is barely a jump away from here, and I hear they're the place to get your cloth. And rope, well, that's just twisted cloth, eh? We have some connections on Bridgeways, you see. I'm sure we could find someone to beat the elves' prices on those two things, at least. We'll talk with the Magistrate, maybe, eh, skipper?"
ReplyDeleteLater, when Gardner and Tooly are alone, the dwarf will bring the idea up again. "I hate to see the elves getting a sweet deal like that, and Greenbottom's just the sort of guy to set up a trade, eh? If we can get the Council to delay a deal with the elves, we could let Magnus know about the opportunity first place we find one of his contacts. Whaddaya think?"
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OOC: If Timber needs cloth and rope, but no one's providing it, I'm sure Greenbottom would be happy to set up a short-haul trade route from Canopy to Bridgeways. One or two skiffs of sloops running cloth and rope out and timber back for storage and periodic transshipment elsewhere would turn a tidy profit, provided you had a frigate to haul the lumber away every couple months, maybe bringing in grain from Plenty. Tooly would let Greenbottom know about the opportunity out of loyalty and dislike of the elves alone, but wouldn't be opposed to a finder's fee, either.
Realistically, the run between Bridgeways and Timber is the sort of thing that a sloop like the Ollie would be perfect for, but in-character, we've got a higher-profit route in mind for now. OOC, bouncing from Bridgeways to Canopy would be boring--unless we were also waging a clandestine war against the elves, or something.
"Well, rope that doesn't freeze up and shatter in this cold. The elvish vine rope stays supple longer, even when the wind is howling through the trees here. We used to rely on Bridgeways for rope; lost about a man a month because of it, with 3 times that in injuries. It's dangerous work, of course, but it's unlikely the men will forgo their safety just for the sake of some wildlings. No offense to your friend there. But, if you can come up with a better deal, why, I think we'd all like to see the backs of them elves."
ReplyDeleteHanover sits back in his chair before adding, "But I have to ask, what's in it for you? You've already got our iceseal and wood for your bronze, and we get some elven rope out of that trade. You saying your master can provide enough to meet our needs at a lower price than the elves?"
Tooly shrugs and glances at Gardner. "Never know, with him. If there's a deal like the one with the bronze in it, I'd wager he can provide anything. Maybe he'd want the exclusive rights to trade iceseal on Heartland--and wouldn't THAT piss off the elves! At least give us the time to let him know what you need. It never hurts to get a counterbid. Remember how those other dwarves were fleecing you before we came? You don't want the elves doing the same thing with a contract."
ReplyDelete-------------
OOC: Okay, so they want elven rope. Picky bastards, wanting to save lives! Psh! SO ignore the second part of my previous post.
Also, the "get a counterbid" argument would be good to present to Hooper, too.
Hanover stands, "Well Captain, Engineer, if you have an offer, I imagine the magistrate would be happy to entertain it. I'm for bed. brought out that cargo tug this morning and she damn near got blown back into the island." Hanover heads toward the door.
ReplyDeleteMitpic places a small herb bundle wrapped in thick dried leaves before Blendin and Xisco. He seems somewhat disappointed at your reticence to discuss the origin of your flowers, "May Alpha protect you on your way back. Stay clear of the paths, the scouts reported elves in the woods windward not 3 hours ago, and they won't hesitate to take you same as one of us." Mitpic clasps your hands, "Thank you for whatever support you can provide, brother. Human, fair winds."
ooc: obviously, if you wanna talk to these guys, go for it. This is a reminder bump in case the flurry of thursday posts got things lost in the shuffle.
Apparently I forgot to subscribe to the new post, so I wasn't getting the updates... sorry. Reading it now.
ReplyDeleteRETCON:
ReplyDelete"I was able to save this flower from an island that recently suffered landfall. The flowers of the isle turned to that purple color just before it happened. Where do your flowers grow? Please take this one, if you would like, I can bring you a few more to replant. It should be known that Alpha has not forsaken us." Blendin looks about the small hole before commenting, "Do you wish to remain on this island if the hunts continue? If I could get you passage to a safe island, would you accept? Otherwise, what can I do to assist you now? I hate to see our brothers in fear and despair. What can you tell me of these human hunters? They must not be taking you for the Shepard's bounty if they are taking us dead."
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ooc: Blendin is all in for a clandestine war with the elves. Hell, he's in for an all out war; but we'll need a war galley and a bigger crew to fire all 9 of those cannons. >:|
OOC: I think Blendin would have to pitch it to the rest of the crew. No one else is going to suggest it. Also, full-on war is forbidden by the Trade Council, and the elves are the other superpower in the Skies, so it'd have to be clandestine to have any chance.
ReplyDeleteThe rabbitling nods graciously as he accepts the single flower, still clinging to roots and ready to be replanted. "Our flowers grew deep in the trees, far from here. Only a few knew of its location, but the elves found it not long ago. They took our leaders who were there worshiping, Farn, Bitzel and Prume, leaving only myself and Hilga to lead our people. The flowers had changed when we arrived; we should have been faster, but we were scouting the human camp." These words seem to upset him with the recent pain of their heavy losses.
ReplyDeleteHe straightens, "I think this should go in a new place, to show Alpha's renewed protection." Mitpic is somewhat defensive regarding his hole, "This island is my home, lizardling. How few of us are afforded homes? Your human friend can find a place anywhere, but we are not afforded that luxury. Our people will take the risks they have to so that they may retain their homes, but we will not leave. If we must, we will bring the fight to the elves and their human allies with fire and these." He opens a wooden case from the shelf to his left, revealing small fletched darts. The tips of the darts appear coated with a viscous black fluid that shines with menace. "I do not wish the people of Timber harm, but if they care nothing for us, we will be left no choice." When Blendin presses about the human hunters he adds, "We overheard them speak of trading our bodies as we watched their camps from a safe distance, but we do not know who would want such a thing."
Gardner whispers to Tooly, "seems like there are plenty of ways Milton could have died, but if he was opposed to the deal maybe the elves were involved. I didn't see anything in his house when the doctor and I were there but I wasn't really looking. Might try to get back in there for a look around."
ReplyDeleteIf the elf breaks away from the magistrate, Garnder will approach him with an extra ale. "Sorry my man offended you earlier. Just wanted to make sure there was no trouble between us while we're both here. Shame about Milton dying and leaving them without a healer. I imagine you all could provide them some medical expertise though. I've heard elves know much about healing plants ... and toxins." (persuasion 8, notice 10)
--------------------------
OOC: If the doctor and I can get back in (we "forgot" something in there) then I'd like to take a look around for anything (Notice 5).
Magistrate Hooper rolls up a piece of parchment with a somewhat sour expression, nods a few times in response to the elf’s hushed words. The Leafwarden then rises from his seat, and makes a move towards the door.
ReplyDeleteGardner intercepts him to make his ‘apology’ and dig for information. Britas looks him up and down, but takes his offered mug (Persuasion vs. 2). “I thank you for the beverage, human. Captain, perhaps?” He takes a swallow, his face contorting at the ‘unique’ flavor. “I see no need for trouble between our vessels, particularly if you intend to return our property. I know you think that they can be trusted, but believe me, they cannot. That thing you keep aboard your vessel is best chained, away from society, so that he may not menace decent folk. Surely you have heard? Not 2 months ago the free savages here tried to burn one of our vessels unprovoked.” He tics his jaw towards the magistrate. “The people of this village too have had troubles of late; the loggers found a dead man in the woods, stripped and beaten beyond recognition by the beasts. They showed no remorse when questioned, of course, and made more than a few threats towards the loggers themselves. Said the sailor had come to ‘hunt’ them for sport. Probably just a fool wandering in these dangerous woods, slain for what? Stepping in their gardens?” When Gardner presses about the medicines, he cocks his head in surprise, shoots a quick glance at the loggers table, but quickly returns to his stoic look (Notice vs. 9, nice!), “And what ails you, old man? I find that as you human’s age, life just becomes a series of indignities. I hardly knew this Milton, but he seemed a decent if misguided sort. But now, he is back in the earth, fulfilling his most important duty. Perhaps you too will find solace in knowing that sooner or later we all return to the Wild.” He smiles, “Pass that along to your pet lizard, as well.”
ooc: I’ll give you guys an opportunity to respond to Mr. Pompous here, if you want, but will go ahead and let you know that you find nothing of particular note in Milton’s house the next morning.
"The lizardling is my shipmate, the dog Fang is my pet. I believe he is fulfilling his most important duty now out back by urinating and defecating on the Wild. May his waste forever enrich your god." (Taunt 5)
ReplyDeleteAssuming a fight doesn't break out, Gardner will move over to the loggers' table and buy a round and start drinking with them. He'll pretend to get more inebriated but try to actually keep his wits about him. "How're those chains working out? It's a shame about Milton, seemed like a good guy. Guess each of us has an appointed time, though. (acting more drunk now) What's the deal with these Wildings? Heard they've been causing trouble. Can't say the one on my crew hasn't caused his fair share, doesn't know his way around the rigging. If I was a less kindly sort I might turn him in, one less mouth to feed and get something out of the deal. Ha ha. Course I wouldn't know how to even start with something like that." (Persuasion 11, Streetwise 7, Notice 8)
The Leafwarden smiles icily at Drawlight ( taunt vs. 12. Failure.) “I fear I have more important business to attend, Captain. Fair winds.” The bite to his words quiets those in the immediate area as he turns on his heel and exits through the covered entrance.
ReplyDeleteGardner pulls up a stool near the lutist, who is busily tuning her instrument. He had not noticed a dominant key choice in her prior ballad, and thus appreciates this effort to find one. Gertie brings a round of drinks at his bidding and Arnst and Mickey clink pottery with the captain. “To the crew of the Olic! And their Bronze axes! ” It appears they are already somewhat far into their cups, and it doesn’t take much effort for Gardner to pace behind them (vigor check 4). When he begins to complain about the wildlings, he gets an odd mix of reactions. Arnst starts by saying, “I’d cause trouble too, given thems lot.”
But Mickey shouts him down. “They are always sneakin’ about, watching us up in the trees. Foul little beasts. But the elves’ll clean ‘em up right fast, I imagine.”
Arnst seems none too pleased with this prospect. “Milton liked um. He was a good man; a priest even! It ain’t right he’s gone now, who will look after um?”
Mickey shoots him a look. “Milton’s gone now and that’s that. He knew the risks of the forest for someone of his age, and he shouldn’t have moved that stone. They told him not to. But it killed their damn flowers and then it killed him. I still say they tricked him into it.”
Arnst doesn’t seem solaced. “Not sure, Mickey. The elves -”
“Shut up, you lug! Don’t forget, we made a bargain.” The other loggers shift uncomfortably and there is a long silence. Then the lutist plucks her strings, and begins a lively song. Within a moment, it is as if the somber pause had never occurred as they all begin to sing along.
Tooly, for his part, is close enough to overhear the bulk of the loud banter from the table.
"What are those? Any chance you'd be willing to trade for them? I wouldn't mind getting a silent shot or two at that leafwarden, Britas."
ReplyDeleteWhen Mitpic mentioned the humans trading the wildling carcasses, Blendin eyes flared in rage. "It appears that the rumors are correct and I have a new target. There is a wizard on Dragonspine that I hear has been dabbling in the black arts under the guise of gifting our kind with reproduction. It has been rumored that he is purchasing the bodies of our dead and transporting them in blocks of ice. I will seek revenge to put an end to this senseless killing!"
Blendin has begun to shout toward the end of his rant as he loses his cool at the thought of wildling being sliced before his very eyes.
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ooc: If they are willing, Blendin would love to purchase a couple of blowguns and a number of darts.
Xisco is initially entranced by the Wildling "architecture", but gets gradually more uncomfortable with all the talk of war and assassination. Rather than make a fuss, he attempts to excuse himself.
ReplyDelete"I see you lot have a bit more catching up to do, so I'll just slip out..."
Tooly suppresses a groan as things get tense, but relaxes when the elf leaves. He listens to the loggers' argument as he watches the lutist, wondering how to approach her when the cooper has finished his gift. It's obvious the elves are up to their arrogant ways, here, but figures that ruining their little trade agreement is the best way to throw a wrench in the works. He moves over to the magistrate's table and gives him a friendly grin.
ReplyDelete"Hey, there, magistrate. I hear you guys need elven rope and cloth, maybe grain, too. I know trading with the source seems like a good idea, but it's always good to get a counterbid. Remember how those other dwarves were fleecing you before we came along? They were the source, too, y'know. I'd bet my left nut my ol' patron can beat their price on everything you need, if you give us time to let him know you need it. Think you guys can hold out on voting until he makes you an offer?"
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OOC: I don't know if persuasion is appropriate, here, since I may not be trying to convince him of something he doesn't want to do, but if it is: Persuasion 2, benny 9.
"So Milton got crushed by some kind of boulder out in the woods?" Gardner asks, acting as dumb and uninformed as possible. (Persuasion 13, Notice 5)
ReplyDeleteMitpic closes the case, sliding it toward Blendin with a warning. “I give you these with one condition: wait. The humans have not turned on us yet, brother. Burning a ship in the human port is one thing, but killing a priest, even one of the elves’ foul god, may force a response from the men. Without our leaders, and with Milton gone, I do not know that I could convince the humans of Timber what we do is just. And without their protection, even as minimal as it is, and the elves will be upon us. The loggers know our camps and paths and their love of us is already faltering. I dare not give them a reason to help the elves. If it comes to it, and the men choose to become yoked to the elves, our people will sing your name for having struck the first blow. But we have long coexisted with the humans in peace and I do not wish to be the one that breaks it to slay a single elf.”
ReplyDeleteAfter showing Blendin how to safely load and use the blowpipe, they begin discussing the happenings of Dragon’s Spine. Mitpic’s nose twitches with anger, but he does not say anything, just nodding in understanding. Xisco seems to get nervous, and decides to exit. “Then I wish you luck. It seems your friend has little taste for blood. I wish I was afforded that luxury again. You should not stay longer, and we must move again soon.” Xisco exits into the cold, but is relatively shielded from the Glow by the thick layer of ice. A few pairs of eyes watch him from the trees nearby, but seem unwilling to come closer. Blendin joins him a few moments later with Mitpic. The rabbitling points in the direction of Timber, bows to both of them, and hops off into the woods to join his people. And with that, Xisco and Blendin are standing alone in the cold woods.
ooc: I’ll need a successful smarts roll from one of you to find your way back to Timber. If you both fail, you’ll spend the ‘night’ in the woods – vigor rolls will be made, etc. If you make it, you’ll arrive back in Timber after dark at the same time as the next post, and can feel free to join your comrades at the bar (or follow up other activities as you see fit.
The lutist is singing in her goblin tongue, which is not very pleasant to the ear, but the loggers don’t see to care much. She doesn’t appear to pay much attention to the world outside of her playing, in an almost trance-like state.
ReplyDeleteHooper looks Tooly up and down. “Dwarf. I wondered if one of your crew would have the guts to see me after that cheat of a bronze bargain you had us make.” Tooly feels his stomach go cold as the cast iron belly of his god, but then he warms slightly when he sees the Magistrate is smiling. “Still, it was our fault for trusting those short lil’ fuc- excuse me – trusting them. We found out about the fair trade of bronze a few weeks ago when we saw another ship, carrying bronze with the same seal as the stuff you sold us. Seemed unlikely they scavenged it from the same hole, and the we put two and two together. I was ready to hang you up in the trees if you came back here, but then your boss’ vessel Emerald Field landed. I found Captain Mortimer was a shrewd but honest bargainer – he agreed to our renegotiated price and eventually we came to fair terms. We were fools to not get a second opinion then, but your master is subject to the laws of Council in a way I fear the elves are not.
“Unfortunately, as I say, Captain Mortimer was here and brought a fair amount of elven rope with him as per our bargain. But our needs are growing. I requested more on his next delivery, but he seemed unsure your master could provide it.
“If we can get around the elves’ ugly bargain, I think it so much the better for my people and our friends in the woods. In the end, I am only one vote on the council. I will mention this option to them, but I fear it will not be enough to hold off a decision.”
Mickey gets up in a clear mixture of avoidance and irritation at Gardners’ comment, “I’m going to bed. Best if you boys join me.” Most the logging crew stands and makes to leave, regardless of the food on their plates and ale in their cups. The lutist comes out of her trance with a start at the sudden withdrawal before coin is paid for her services, and then glares at the captain in an attempt to assign blame not on her playing but his interference.
Arnst remains at the table a moment longer. “Cap’n Drawlight. It weren’t no boulder. It was a rock the size of my head, black as sin and carved with symbols, with iron chains dangling from it. It showed up in the lil’ ones field of flowers one day a couple months ago. Killed da plants it did ‘n got them all in a huff. They wanted we should help them move it wid tools and rope, but we was afeared and said it were their rock, not our business.” He pushes back his plate, finished with what food remains. “We seen Milton talking with ‘em from our ropes ina trees da next day. Later he stopped by our camp for water. Said he moved da rock for ‘em. Tossed it off the edge of the island. But he ‘ad burns on ‘is arms and looked pale as mornin’ gruel.” He takes a long pull on his mug, emptying it. “And then, the elves came the next day. Six of them. They grabbed the wildlings in the field: Farn, Prume and that udder one, da one that looked all squirrely. We goes to help ‘em with our axes, but the elves offered coin. Some of the men took it, udders like me just kept quiet. The lil’ ones leave men’s bodies in the woods at times, brained by ‘eir clubs. Some of da boys worry they are da menace the elves say they is. Udders are just greedy. I dunno, I’m just too drunk and tired to think.” The mountain of a man rises. “G’nite Cap’n. Thanks for the ale.”
Smarts: 6+1(aced)=7
ReplyDeletegood deal, you guys are in town as Arnst is leaving the bar. If there is more you want to do there 'tonight', go for it. Otherwise, feel free to accelerate things forward.
ReplyDeleteooc: I’m taking silence as ‘move it up, boss.’ So we shall.
ReplyDeleteThe next few days pass without much incident. Xisco spends most of his free time at the bar and finds himself the center of attention, whether its from the men playing at dice and cards or the comely women freshly arrived aboard a female-crewed trading skiff Broken Promises. While coin is in short supply, he collects a few knick knacks and trinkets, notably a pair of bone octahedral dice, a quartz engraving tool, a set of new workboots three sizes too big and a flint sparker with a small oil reservoir with a wick which its previous owner refers to as ‘a lighter.’ There were some other items as well, but the ladies seemed to like them and he saw no need to hang onto them.
Gardner has overseen the loading of the vessel as Tooly brings him fresh cannon, and the other traders bring their wares arrive as well. The ship is fully loaded now, and should be able to depart within an hour if need be. The weather has turned bitter cold, though, and the winds unpredictable, and thus it might be best to stay a few more days. His brief chat with the Cartographer suggests that the ride to Bridgeways should be smooth once the storm passes.
Tooly and the cooper have finished their cannon and he’s also finished the lute after much minor repair and general fussing. All that remains is to slather them with his fire-retardant mixture, but he says that can be done as easily aboard ship as in his shop, and he’d rather not have to deal with the smell. He gives Tooly his elegantly carved lute carefully wrapped in its heart-shaped box, where it rests on his knee in the Fogshark. The glowborn player is present in the fogshark but taking a break from her playing, instead slurping a thin soup from a wooden bowl by the fire.
Blendin has not seen or heard from the wildlings in the woods since they departed a few days ago. He has been keeping a careful eye on the comings and goings of the elves. They spend most of their time either at the inn or aboard their vessel. He notes that each evening prior to returning to their ship, a group of 10 or so walk to the treeline. After a few moments of waiting, a second group appears out of the woods, and a ‘changing of the guard’ occurs. Fresh elves from the first group venture into the trees, while others return to their vessel. The leafwarden prays a blessing over those that are sent out, and is always present. He hasn’t seen any sign of them trafficking wildlings directly, but he fears the worst.
Taz, Wung and Medicus seem pleased to have a few days to explore the island, as the ice-covered foliage is unlike that found most anywhere else. They don’t venture far into the woods, returning each evening for shift change. They seem to be tiring of this island’s relative isolation, but have not said anything yet.
The crew has gathered at their customary table, with only Taz absent to tend to some final arrangements aboard the ship. The tavern is already beginning to clear for the coming council meeting. The crew of the Olic have discussed the situation on the island, and shared what information they have about the death of Milton, the various threats to the wildlings, and the odd occurrences in the woods. The trade deal with the elves will be discussed before the council later this evening. Taz and Medicus have both voiced their opinions: they have no interest in getting into a battle with the elves or the men of Timber over wildlings – all due respect to their shipmate. It’s not their fight, and the world is dangerous enough without making new enemies. Wung seems to thirst for blood from the elves, but he’s been somewhat more violent since his injuries; perhaps he is compensating.
"You don't think that rock had anything to do with the Dragonborn island did it? Would the timing have been similar? I hope I'm not responsible for all this... What were those flowers the wildlings talked about like Blendin? Like the ones we saw on the island? You say Gertie said the wildlings killed Milton? What did they say about it, Blendin?"
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Gardner thinks that maybe whatever they did on the island caused the appearance of the black rock and he now feels responsible for this situation and like they should do something about it. If he's not dissuaded from that belief, he's going to propose a plan: They use Mickey to entrap the elves. Gardner tells Mickey that he's interested in selling Blendin back to the elves but wants Mickey to set up a meeting with the elves to talk it over. They inform the Magistrate of the set up and get some officials to come along and secretly observe and Gardner tries to get Mickey and the elves to admit to snatching wildings and paying loggers off to sabotage the trade deal. Thoughts?
Tooly looks distracted as Gardner expresses his fear about the rock. "Relax, skipper. If the rock had anything to do with the island, it'd be because the elves picked it up there. If they'd done that, we'd have seen evidence. No, they're probably only related in that they both used evil damn magic."
ReplyDeleteWith that, he bids the crew goodnight, gets up, orders a drink at the bar, and slides into a seat at the lutist's table, slipping the case under the table, out of sight. "Hello, mistress. I've been meaning to ask what a player of your skill is doing here. Seems an unlikely place for such a musician. Half the crowd doesn't seem to appreciate what they have in you, sometimes."
(Unless her reply is particularly odd or interesting, the dwarf will follow with...)
"I'll tell you, though, there's one guy on the island that appreciates you fully. Maybe a bit too much. He seems to think of you more as a goddess than a woman. I fact, he even made you an 'offering.'" He slides the case over to her, but does not open it or put it on the table. "Practically had to steal it from him to give it to you, he was so attached to it, though it was for you. And he's too shy to let me tell you who it is, but I think you'll figure it out. Anyway, I thought you should know about it." The dwarf then finishes his drink and leaves the pub quickly. He stops at the cooper's and tells him his present is delivered, and if he's lucky, the lady may stop by later. He then heads to the ship to relax with some tinkering.
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OOC: Tooly's not giving the glowborn girl a chance to refuse the gift, hoping that, worst case, she'll have to return it to the cooper directly, but won't be certain it was from him, giving the guy a chance to invite her inside. Otherwise, gift accepted, deal met. If he can get the compound for the cannon right now, he'll take it back to the ship, where he's been fiddling with making a large hinge of some kind.
Xisco doesn't much like Gardner's plan, and would prefer to not get involved, but seeing the issue is important to his partners, he stays his objections. He will absolutely refuse to be present if the offer is made to sell Blendin (even if under false pretenses); while no abolitionist, he refuses to gain a reputation as a blackbirder.
ReplyDeleteWhen gambling / spending time with the girls, Xisco will be inquisitive about events on other islands, and will subtly lead the conversation to his companions' crews have come to Timber, and what they know about current events.
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BR, if he thinks it's helpful (to make them friendlier, or to draw out the game, giving them more time to chat), Xisco will play to break even, or even take a small loss.
Sounds like no one else is interested in getting involved. Nevermind.
ReplyDeleteI'd point out that Tooly didn't hear the plan. He left after reassuring Gardner the two things weren't related.
ReplyDeleteooc: And just after I made the move to condense info transfer between characters, you deem your character is now unaware of the very next piece of info?! Where is my blue lightning bolt? I'll rule that Tooly will hear about the plan after dealing with the lutist, let's say from Wung, who is also on his way back to the ship. Feel free to respond with Tooly's opinion as needed while I'm working on the rest of the post.
ReplyDeleteThe dwarf’s departure from the table is abrupt, but he seems to have other ‘duties’ with the glowborn minstrel. Wung seems thrilled with the plan until he realizes that there likely won’t be much violence. He offers his services as the natural choice to haul the wildling along on a tether, promising his little lizardling friend to do no permanent damage while making ‘it look real.’ Xisco’s silent frown is given voice by Medicus, who states that being known as a slaver can cause a number of problems, which he lists at length, if the plan goes awry. However, he seems to conclude that the best way to avoid that problem is to make sure the plan doesn’t go awry. He offers his services to help get the loggers in the ‘right frame of mind’ to be pliable to Gardner’s plot. He has been drinking with Mickey and the loggers quite a bit over the last few days and feels sure he can help seed low-level complaints about Blendin into the conversation to make Drawlight’s proposal less abrupt.
ReplyDeleteXisco fills in his partners on current events on other islands. It seems that Shadowhaven’s docks are well underway being repaired, and the Council has finished founding a new council ship there, the Advantage. He hears that conditions on Freedom Isle have deteriorated and the elves are asking for permission to garrison a permanent force there. It seems that has resulted in the lower grain supply shipments seen here on Timber. He also informs them that Malorie, or perhaps its Marjorie, the captain of the Broken Promises carried a certain birdling courier who wouldn’t stop stealing trinkets recently to Dragon’s Spine, before coming here. He also informs the crew that he has been invited to a party aboard the Broken Promises that evening, and will be unlikely to make his morning shift, but would happily pay Wung a couple cogs to cover it for him. The orc wishes him good hunting.
“I go wherever there is need for good cheer, and this is a dour place!” The glowborn musician introduces herself, “I am Olla, consort of Festival, singer of songs and teller of tales, but clearly, you already know that, dwarf.” She plucks a string to punctuate various words,. It is distracting, but given her accented and cadenced common, perhaps its for the best. As he slides her the lute case, she stands as if he’d moved a rabid animal towards her. She listens intently to his words as he continues, but does not take her eyes off the item. “He made this?” She opens the case. “Gerks. Faxst mibbletox ega limtrak…” She continues in the goblin tongue for some time, occasionally stamping her foot. Sweat is beading on her brow as she glances from the package to you and back. Finally she clasps Tooly by the ears, and kisses him sloppily on the forehead. “Thank you sir, thank you for this warning. Tell me, are there any ships which mean to depart within the next few days? No glowborn ships, of course. I need to make haste before his courage is up.” She strums the new lute with her long nailed fingers, shrugs, and tosses her current lute into the firepit before closing the case.
"The flowers are a sign of Alpha's protection, at least that is what I have been told." Blendin explains. "And the wildlings most certainly did not kill Milton. Milton was their voice on the council. His death was a tragedy for my group of brothers and sisters."
ReplyDeleteBlendin lowers his voice, "Anything that gives me a chance to cause those sticks a hard time, count me in."
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ooc: When he has a chance on the ship, Blendin will ask tooly about a manner in which he could wear one of those poisoned needles in the palm of his hand and in some other method that would allow for a subtle prick to anyone getting too close for comfort.
OOC: Well, if Blendin's coming by the ship, he could be the one to tell Tooly about the plan.
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The dwarf looks skeptical, though if it's from the plan or the wildling's choice of weapon is unclear. "Well, I'm not much for slavers, and less for these particular elves. I figger we can rig something up...yeah...if we need to pretend to deliver you to the elves, we can hide those in your shackles. For now, though, I guess me and the skipper can pretend to sell you out ourselves."
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OOC 2: I noticed JWW's original plan called for a meeting with the elves which did not necessarily require Blendin's presence. That still seems the best plan. The elves are more likely to talk without the prisoner present, though I guess they'd be more likely to reveal their clandestine activities if they were sure we were turning our own wildling in. We can do it either way.
Tooly will insist on being along for the meeting with the elves. Since both sides will only have minimal weapons--daggers and such--he'll be bringing something in case things go bad. Specifically, a pair of "darkness bombs" (Obscure devices).
LR, if you mean Blendin wants a more permanent way of carrying the darts, Tooly could probably rig up a glove with the needle housed in a case in the wrist so it could be pushed out with the other hand. Since they're blowgun darts, though, I think a little bone tube (or three) worn on the same wrist as your little windy friend would be a very effective holdout weapon.
ooc: so it seems like a plan is developing amongst the crew. who is doing what? Your npcs will be up for whatever you ask of them (within reason) but if it gets ridiculous, might ask for compensation. For now, feel free to approach whomever/whatever as needed, make whatever rolls seem appropriate and I'll be happy to resolve.
ReplyDeleteMy plan is:
ReplyDelete1. Convince the magistrate or someone of that stature that the elves are hunting wildlings and that some of the loggers are involved and that we can get them to admit it somewhere while he's hidden.
2. Convince the guilty loggers to help set up a meet with elves.
3. Get them all to talk through the bad stuff.
4. Spring the trap. Everybody jumps out and says "Ha! We got you."
Admittedly not a great plan. Anyone have any suggestions?
OOC: It might be more effective and possibly safer to catch them delivering wildlings. If we can find how/when they sneak them onto the ship and catch them in the act, we don't expose ourselves and don't have to chance getting the elves to talk. One of the more certain but riskier ways to do this would be to let Blendin get caught, since we can't watch the elves deliver a wildling unless they catch one.
ReplyDeleteIs there reason to believe the Magistrate is opposed to the capture of wildlings? Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's not illegal (per Trade Council), but merely looked down upon by most. Finding out the the Elves' specific plan is probably useful (to us, the wildlings, the glowborn, the boughbreakers, or even Halycon), but I'm not sure there's anyone outside of the Olic's crew worth exposing it to in Timber.
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If there's anyone that needs distracting, or if you need to trick someone into showing up, then that's the role Xisco will prefer to take in this scheme. In either case he'll probably get a room at the inn and start spending more time with other crews, as if he were leaving the crew of the Olic over some disagreement (in the hopes of protecting his reputation).
OOC: Ooh, good point. I assumed since the elves are being all secretive about it (sort of) that is was at least technically illegal on Canopy. If it isn't, well, that calls for a major change in plans.
ReplyDeleteIf it's legal to kidna--er, recapture wildlings, then that raises questions as to what's legal for them to do to defend themselves. Is it illegal for a wildling to kill an elf trying to capture him? Or even injure one? Or for someone to help a wildling? Obviously the humans allow the wildlings to defend themselves, but a lack of will and ability to stop them is different from being technically legal.
Regardless, if the magistrate can't arrest elves for poaching wildlings, then the best plan would be to ambush the elves and make it look like the wildlings did it. Catching a party of them in a trap, then riddling them with poisoned needles would do. The elves would be forced to move in greater force, making it easier for the wildlings to avoid them or requiring more elves to catch the same number.
This is a bit more extreme than just getting the elves caught, and would require some convincing and/or payment for Tooly to commit to help with it.
ooc: the ‘official’ line on the Sundered Skies slavery debate.
ReplyDeleteYour characters would be aware that the TC has only 2 real rules regarding slavery: That only ‘soulless’ creatures – shown as such by divination – may be _traded_ and that any trade in slaves grants them their 5%.
Historically, almost all trade was in goblins. All races used to actively keep goblin slaves in high numbers. Most major human and dwarf populations have given up this practice or even outlawed it on their islands, but it is still ‘legal’ in TC terms; The orcs often keep numerous goblins slaves as miners and rowers and cannon fodder in their settlements and on their ships. The human and dwarf abandonment of the practice of keeping goblin slaves was largely a result of the first generation of the glowborn – the appearance of goblins with souls put things in a different light. The glowborn, by and large, are the true abolitionists of the skies. They have a small but growing presence in the TC, but haven’t been able to change policy to make the TC regulate all slave use - yet.
Wildlings present something of a grey issue b/c the only real concentration of wildlings (or ferals, for that matter) is on Heartland. The TC doesn’t dictate much of anything to heartland, and the elves, generally speaking, don’t try to trade them off island. So when they are re-capturing for return to heartland, that’s kinda not the TC’s business. Additionally, when a wildling or a boughbreaker kills an elf or a goblin or glowborn kills an orc, that’s a hazard of doing business but not a TC issue. The elves or orcs can impose punishment as they see fit, of course, and local ordinances regarding murder might apply as well.
As best you can tell, no charges have been brought against the wildlings who bash the heads in on these humans, and thus you’d expect no charges would be brought if they bashed some random elf shepherd lowlife. Of course, if a leafwarden who is known in Roseport circles is murdered on a trade mission, that might cause a ‘response’ from Heartland. The Timber crowd might respond to _that_ with legal action if only to stave off the elves.
Now, the other thing to notice is that Canopy is a human town that has long been sympathetic to the wildlings. Poaching wildlings has long been off limits there, if not in an official capacity then at least in a ‘lynched-by-loggers’ capacity. The woods are a dangerous place. As such, the island is known by most voidfarers to be a haven for wildlings. And generally speaking, shepherds are despised by most b/c what they do is sleazy. So, you would likely expect that the locals would, generally, be pro-wildling freedom, anti-slave. However, current events seem to be straining that, with a combination of pragmatic trades from the elves and the wildlings killing human slavers/hunters/whatevers in the woods. So the real issue here seems to be whether or not Canopy is going to let the elves have free reign in their woods in exchange for an ‘unrelated’ trade deal.
One more thing – there are places which keep slaves of ‘soulled’ races. This tends to be more like what we think of as indentured servitude; typically a limited term is established, and it does not enslave immediate family and so forth.
Hope that this clears things up a tad.
OOC: So it sounds like if Gardner wants to do his plan, he'll need to find out if what the elves are doing violates any local laws. If not, Blendin would need to do some serious convincing to get help with assassinating any elves (though Tooly will make him a dart weapon if he asks).
ReplyDeleteOn an unrelated note: did the cooper ever deliver the fireproof goo? Are we loaded and ready to leave?
ooc: did you ever finish your conversation with the glowborn? last I heard, she was asking for directions to the fastest way off the island. I doubt that the glowborn cooper will be thrilled with your delivery method if his girlfriend-to-be has skipped town.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, the ship is loaded and ready to move.
The council is about to meet to discuss a permanent trade arrangement with the elves.
As for 'local laws', this place is a logging village that is having a sudden boom. You'd expect that laws are rather ad hoc 'common sense' and enforced as needed. This is a place where brawls are an expected part of the evening entertainment. There certainly isn't a seventeen volume civic code. The humans here have lived in peace with the wildling fugitives for some time, but that is straining under the weight of increased trade demands caused by the booming economy (caused in turn by _your_ repairs to the mill) and wildling violence on human hunters coupled with the loss of their biggest supporter on the council, Milton.
As for thoughts towards elves, generally, you'd say the locals ain't friendly. Remember, when Jay showed up they admonished him to leave the wildlings alone and not venture into the woods unless he wanted to end up dead. It took them weeks to warm up, and even then he caught alot of flak during the council meeting. Situationally though the elves have the locals over a barrel on grain and rope supplies they need to keep the boom going.
OOC: Tooly doesn't know which ships are leaving when (not that he'd tell her), so he'd just say as much and take his leave before stopping by the cooper's to tell him it's delivered. The only thing changed from the original post is that he'll mention that she lkked it so much she burned her old one. If she's insistant about leavibg now, he'll give her a price for passage to Bridgeways as a way of knowing where she is. Frankly, I interpreted that she might be planning to run away with the cooper. I don't know if he's married or what, and neither does Tooly.
ReplyDeleteShe accepts the price, no matter how exorbitant (up to the amount of coin she has on her person), on the agreement that she can hide in your hold starting now and that her whereabouts will not be disclosed to anyone outside of the crew. If you agree to these terms, she'll hand you what coin she has and then depart for the ship with her things immediately.
ReplyDeleteThe cooper seems thrilled and thanks you. He gives you a small wooden cask and some instructions on application of the resin film. He states that he wants to prepare himself for their meeting and bids you goodnight.
OOC: Tooly will ask standard rates for the trip, but can't guarantee a specific departure date or that the rest of the crew will keep their mouths shut, though he promises not to tell anyone himself if she pays in advance for time on ship in dock as if it were underway. If her coin covers that, she's welcome on board.
ReplyDeletewhen I get home tonight, I think I'll move things forward a tad if they haven't done so spontaneously. If you want to have something happen before 'the next morning,' lemme know now.
ReplyDeleteOOC: At this point, unless Gardner or Blendin convinces him otherwise, Tooly is all for leaving for Bridgeways ASAP, before the cooper finds his crush missing. He'll grumble about not loading 3 more cannon, but figures the flameproof goo makes up for it. I take it the little lady is hiding aboard the ship, now? How much did she pay?
ReplyDeleteclosing thread. new one opening now.
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