The Windward Isles - Game Thread

Kairouani is uncomfortable, among her people you need ask permission before entering anothers private space....she looks about for any indication that they will return soon.

Investigation- 8

Quote from Damian_May >>

 " Unexpected.....shall we wait here then...can you repair the sailcloth?"

William took a look at the sailcloth. 'I can repair ships but only the wooden parts.' He said as he ran his hands over the fabric. 'I could give it a go but it's going to be amateuristic and obvious at best.'

He followed the others into the area. Whereas Kairouani was looking for signs of the inhabitants coming back, William looked for things that could tell him where they were from.

Investigation: 10

As Seri commences her ritual out in the other chamber, Thea, Kairouani and William have a good look around the living area by the magical light emanating from William's tinder box and the flame of the torch that Kairouani is still holding.

As Thea loads the pistol, a feat it is impossible to achieve covertly, she notices that it is a plain, workmanlike piece, hardly embellished at all. The mechanism is rusty and takes some effort to haul the flint back to prime the pan. The ram rod, stored in a sheath beneath the barrel, is similarly stiff to withdraw.

Whilst she works on the firearm, William and Kairouani look at the mysterious occupant's other possessions. William notes that one of the crates bears the stamp of the Western Isles Company, whilst the others are plain. They are in varying states of disrepair and seem to all be empty. Kairouani notices that the 'spears' bear the hallmarks of having been hewn with rough tools, perhaps stone ones as opposed to steel or iron. The net on the wall appears to have been woven from the separated strands of the sort of hempen rope found on every sailing vessel for thousands of miles around. There is a certain ingenuity in how the chair has been constructed, using the natural shape of the wood and clever joints in the absence of any sort of nails or other fixings.

As Thea completes the loading of the pistol, Kairouani is testing the point of one of the spears, and William is eyeing the leather journal on the ground next to the chair, your investigations are interrupted.

A figure steps into the chamber from the direction of the daylight, causing the three investigators to look round in unison and freeze in place momentarily. This figure is a man with a wild aspect. His beard, black shot through with grey, is full and unkempt, whilst his hair is long, grey at the temples, and held back from his face by a combination of its own grease and some sort of tie. He is tall and broad shouldered, and appears quite bulky but that could just be an effect of the combination of skins that wrap his body. Above the savage beard, his dark eyes glint with... what seems to be amusement. They scan the room quickly, darting to the top of the barrel, and the pistol in Thea's hand. You wonder if there is a slight change in his demeanour, but almost before you can process it the creases are back at the corners of his eyes and his beard split by a jovial smile. He extends his hands, palms up, in an expansive and friendly gesture. When he speaks his voice is deep and smooth. He speaks Aseri, but his accent is hard to place. It seems neither cultured nor rough, or perhaps a strange mix of the two. He could easily be high-born or a street tough, or anything in between. His manners, however, seem impeccable.

"Welcome, friends," he says. "I would say I wasn't expectin' visitors, but I confess I was. I've been followin' you since the river. You're the first people I've seen in a good long while so I hope you don't hold my reticence against me. I figured you'd find my humble abode, the way you were going. You could have come in the front door though. I get a terrible draft through here without the cloth in place." He gestures at the hole through which you entered this space.

He smiles at Thea. "I'd thank you to put my pistol back, lass. It won't be no good to you anyhow. No good oil to be found round here, so it's in a right state, so it is."

"Oh...Uh...sure. sorry about that. I was investigating its craftmanship." [Deception: 15] "Do you...have a name?" Thea asks, visibly growing much tenser. She puts the pistol down as her hand slides to her breast. The party, if they notice it, would probably assume she has a dagger hidden somwhere in her shirt. and they would be right.

You can't tell whether he bought the lie, but he continues smiling as he watches you replace the weapon.

"Of course," he says, "where are my manners? Bill's the name. Bill Flint. Most just call me Billy. Honoured to make your acquaintance, ma'am." He extends a courtly bow in Thea's direction. Not the first time he has done that. Nor does it appear to be mockery. Straightening up and raising a curious eyebrow, he says,

"May I request the same courtesy?"

"Names Thea." Thea places her other hand on her hip. "Why are you living here?"

Thea is very surprised. Most Aserian men with this mans manors would have gone red in the face at her current outfit. Maybe this guy isn't a jerk like all the rest. then again, who knows

Hearing her companions speaking in the chamber within, along with the voice of a stranger, with thankfully no hostilities occurring, Seri cuts her ritual short and walks down to join everyone else, stopping short of entering the room.  She does not understand the Aseri being spoken very well, so she does not really know what has already been said.  Instinctively she closes her eyes in a quick prayer and whispers to herself (casting Message).

Telepathically (using Message), she ventures to Thea:

"Have you asked the stranger if he is aware of the others we saw?  Landing their canoes on the beach and seemingly following our trail into the jungle?"

Thea covers her mouth and pretends to cough, replying to Seri "I have not. Should I? I wouldn't want to seem tactless"

Kairouani remained quiet as Thea spoke she simply regarded the man with interest, it seemed he had been here some time and not died....that was impressive for an Aseri....

Seri realizes ruefully that she does not know the meaning of some of these strange words the Aseri and Veridians use.  Such as 'tactless'.

She decides to leave Thea alone, telepathically at least, and enter the room herself so she can ask her own questions, murmuring for Trondro's guidance.

Gazing at the unkempt stranger with her turquoise eyes and nodding a slow greeting, she asks solemnly and without explanation or antecedent, the way young people sometimes do:  "Are you they 'grey two-legs' the monkey on the other side of the ravine spoke to me about?"

Billy opens his mouth to answer Thea, but stops as Seri enters the chamber. He regards her for a moment.

"Ah, welcome sister. I was wondering where your fourth member was. Hmmm. What monkey is this you speak of? I've been here two full years but no monkey has ever given me the time of day. You'll be telling me next you've managed to get some sense out of old Roger. I can't say as I can speak for the monkeys, but I would hazard a guess that they'd be referring to the statues at the other end of the island. Strange things, they are. Old as time itself as far as I can tell. No idea who put them there, when, or why."

Seeing that Seri is struggling to follow everything he is saying, he switches to fluent Verdian.

"Perhaps this is better for you? No?"

Turning to Kairouani, he says in something resembling a mix of Mitna'a and Mitenena (the languages of the Igneri and Olona respectively), and with a respectful nod of his head, "My apologies, sister, for my poor grasp of the language of these islands"

Seri's jaw drops open as the grizzled Aseri man speaks multiple languages and seems utterly unthreatened by the four in the party, even when Thea temporarily takes possession of his fire stick.  He even refers to Kairouani as sister, as I do.

As such, she has no reason to doubt his sincerity, yet she attempts to gauge from the man's eyes and throat and hands whether he may be planning some treachery.  Channeling the guidance she had beseeched from Trondro beforehand, hoping to wash her senses clean from deception.

Seri's Insight plus Guidance:  25 + 4 = 29 (one less than absolute max!!)

IF she detects no sign of hidden treachery, Seri gestures with her hands, almost seeming surprised herself at what she is doing instinctively.  The turquoise in her irises grow to fill her eyes and even her skin seems to glow slightly with dappled pattern sunlight seen through ripples just underwater.  In Veridian:

"My apologies.  Nevermind the monkey.  Trondro grants me the power to speak to beasts sometimes.  My name is Sera'ele Eventide, known to my friends as Seri, once the ignored navigator of the Horn of Plenty, now castaway sheltering in Trondro's palm along with my companions, who can introduce themselves as they see fit.  You seem to know much and more of this island, Elder Brother.  Can you tell me what you make of this?"

She casts Minor Illusion a few times in succession in the middle of the room to show a 3D "slide show" reenactment of the view the party had seen of the bay, with the canoe-riders arriving with their ankoai, searching the party's beach-side campsite, then sending people into the jungle, possibly in pursuit.

After several moments, the illusions fade and Seri adds in an almost childlike afterthought, "Also, who is 'old Roger'?"

Kairouani looked at the man in slight confusion, " How did you make your way here?"

William stepped further into the impromptu living quarters. His impressions of the area were twofold. He admired the ingenuity of working with raw materials and making the best of it but its very presence worried him. Whoever made this did so in the expectation that they would be here for a long time: a foreboding prospect to their own situation.

He moved through the area to get a better look at what was actually there. Certain things caught his eye: a crate bearing the stamp of the Western Isle Company amidst several others, all empty, a net made from various different kinds of rope, mismatched but functional, and a chair that seemed to be constructed without the use of nails, rough but functional. There was one other item that drew his attention: a leather journal. Even before picking it up this informed William that whoever lived here had to be an educated person, well versed in their numbers and letters and sound of mind enough to keep track of their activities and time spent. 

Before he could actually pick it up however loud footsteps made William freeze in place. A deep voice echoed through the room as a wild looking man introduced himself to the group. William's initial assessment proved true: in spite of his looks, unkept and dressed in furs like a tribesman, the man spoke with an eloquence and, more important, politeness that indicated a civil background. Though it was hard for William to determine if this demeanour came natural to the man or was something learned. He also spoke several languages though these he could have just picked up along the way without any formal training. All in all a most curious man.

The man introduced himself as Bill Flint He had been on this island for the past two years and the group was the first other people to come across the island. William's background in medicine and health told him that this Bill Flint was remarkably well adjusted for someone who spent two years in solitude without any contact. While William preferred to see the best in people, it did make him a little wary of the man.

'William Brackwater. Company man.' William introduced himself to the figure, pointing at the stamp on the crate to illustrate his words. 'Our apologies for barging into your...' His eyes quickly darted from side to side. 'Home. You must understand: we were not expecting to find anyone out here, let alone someone who has spent two years on this remote island.'

He had several questions for the man but his companions got to them first. He waited for the man to answer the others before he asked his: 'You mentioned statues?'
For statues meant people and a purpose. Even when the man had off-handedly mentioned he did not know anything about it, it did pique William's interest.

As worldly and experienced as Billy seems to be, he is a little taken aback at Seri's mention of talking to animals, and when she produces the images from nothing, his eyes widen and the smile turns into a look of astonishment. He takes an involuntary step backwards, bumping into the cave wall.

"What...? How...?" He glances between the images and Seri, then observes the movement of the people shown in the image. After a moment, he regains his composure and watches the rest of the show with obvious fascination. He raises both hands to his head and rests them there. For a few heartbeats after the images end, he says nothing. Then he lets out a deep breath and talks to Seri in Verdian again.

"This is truly a wonder, good sister. Your god grants you such powers? I have never seen the like in all my days. A little healing magic, yes. And I know the imperial palaces have people who can do wonders, but I did not know such things were possible. And for one so young? Incredible. Truly." After another momentary pause, he gathers himself. 

"Is what you showed me in the images true? There are others on the island right now? No visitors in two years, and now I am overrun!" The smile is back, his arms now loose by his side. He seems relaxed, not at all perturbed by the arrival of the locals. "When did this occur? If they are following your trail they could be upon us any moment. We must be cautious of course, but I think meet them we must." He looks around at the others again.

"There are many questions to be asked and answered, and I am happy to do both, but for now it seems there may be more pressing matters." 

"They clearly know we're here. But why would they follow us? Simple curiosity? No matter what, I think we should find a place to meet them where we have the tactical advantage if things go Windward. Billy, do you know of a place we could use?" Thea asks in Aserian.

OOC: adding a bit of lore, if thats okay. To 'go windward' means to go to something exciting. In this case, Thea means a fight. the phrase is most often used and coined by the crews which are exploring the isles, the use of it spread through ports and gathering places for the explorers.

Seri is lost in thought as she gazes at Flint's reaction to her, and to William and Thea as they speak.

Not a man to be trifled with.  Impressive, capable and confident.  Yet there is something more about him that I cannot place...  something he will not tell us...  enigmatic and deep like Trondro's currents as they course towards an unknown shore.

She nods to answer in the affirmative to both his compliments and his questions about the images being true.  "I think it was Kairouani who suggested that the ankoai serve as scouts for these visitors from a nearby island.  The birds of prey visited our beach-side campsite yesterday, and now they ride the prow of their canoes.  So you may have us to thank or blame for bringing them to your doorstep.  As for where to parlay with them, my only thought was from across the ravine and river which we forded some time back.  Was that you I almost saw when we were still on the other side, Bill Flint?"

"William, good to have you aboard, mate," he grins. "A namesake, no less. A good omen, perhaps? And no apologies necessary, I'm sure. I'm thankful to the gods that brought you here, I've been sorely lacking good company."

"And... Kairouani?" he works the unfamiliar pronunciation around his mouth, but does a reasonable job with it. Again he attempts to speak in the language of the islands. "My fate was similar to yours, I think, sister. A storm. A... boat, er... break? Snap?" He mimes a ship in stormy seas with his hands, eventually turning over completely. Switching back to Aseri, judging it the language best understood by all, he goes on, "Me and Roger were the only survivors, and there's been many a time since that I've wished he hadn't." Seeing the confusion in your faces and recalling Seri's question, he clarifies, "Roger is that blasted parrot. He doesn't say much, but what he does say, he says a great deal, if you catch my meaning? A change of tune would be welcome."

In response to Thea's question, he says, "Aye, I think our magical friend here has it right. The river would provide a barrier of sorts. It is nearly nightfall now. If they have not reached it yet, they won't try crossing it in the dark. If we move quickly, we can get there before dark and wait until the morning. If I'm any judge, I reckon they'll be camped out on the other side."

Addressing Seri directly, he says, "I've come across these folk before. Not here. Elsewhere. The birds find prey and then lead the hunters to it. Sea turtles, usually. I couldn't say whether the birds would lead the hunters to you, but maybe." He shrugs, the easy smile returning. "Only one way to find out. Shall we?" He gestures toward the 'front door' of the cave and half-turns towards it, then turns back. "Oh, aye, I was watching you as you crossed the river. Quite the show you put on there," he chuckles.

"We shall. Though I do not know about an ambush in the dark, since only Seri here can see in the dark. The rest of us are mostly blind. Tonight, we should simply watch them. And yes, you will find that we are very good performers, at least I am" Thea flashes a smile, silently thinking to herself If this man is able to remain hidden from us, how long has he been watching? And why would he be watching? The most obvious answer is simple curiosity, though he could have just come out in the open. No matter what, I'll keep on guard around him. Leave the puzzling out to the smarter ones, like Seri and William. She follows along, making sure to stay behind the man at all times, never turning her back to him [Deception to act normal: 18]

Quote from Uhtred_the_Unprepared >>

He gestures toward the 'front door' of the cave and half-turns towards it, then turns back. "Oh, aye, I was watching you as you crossed the river. Quite the show you put on there," he chuckles.

 William's face flushed slightly red from a mixture of regret and embarrassment. 'Yeah well,' He started in an effort to save face, 'I'm more used to walking on ships rather than wet stone.'

He rolled his eyes and shrugged before pointing at the "door." 'So where does that lead to exactly?' William asked. 'You know: in case I need to expect another wild water crossing.'