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 Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 2:09 pm
Introduction Upon this island stands the settlement of Irronala and the peoples of the Exile known as Dessande'. The ships enter and exit the port often, ad the world knows the Renni people as the traders of the world. They seem to have taken no stance on world affairs as of yet, but that is bound to change, just as the sea changes. This is a place for those who feel an inclination towards the sea and no conflict with the other Exiles. Come forth and see the wonders of the Island Kingdom of Irronala, mortals.
Thus is our way for the Chapter to come:The Civilization of Irronala Circa 0050 AJ
Renni: The Renni are the people of Dessande’ of the Waters, and dwell on the Isles of the Western Ocean. Their population has recently reached three hundred, after the fiftieth year since the arrival of Dessande’ in their most humble Stone Garden. They have developed into a strong and willful people. Most of them appear as a very tanned people with blue eyes and dark hair, from brown to black. They are intelligent and inventive, and often surprise Dessande’ in their advances.
(Note: “Renni” is both singular and plural. An example of this in normal English would be “moose”, which is the same both plural and singular. Two moose are not “meese”.)
Irronala: Irronala is the central settlement of the Renni, placed on the site of the original garden, with docks extending far into the water and a number of ships tied at dock. The people live in huts made from granite they found on the nearby island of Linnis. This isle is the hub and command center for the small fleet of harvesting ships that Dessande’ has assigned to bring back resources from the surrounding islands, of which there are many, all with differing resources and traits.
Culture: The Renni culture has developed around the activities that they must do daily. They have developed a devotion to Dessande’ that may never be broken, even with several generations of separation. They have a strong bond with the sea, and believe that to be on a ship is to have luck and good fortune, as the water is always giving to the Renni people.
The Renni have found that they are proficient with many of the tasks that Dessande’ assigns to them, and are very diligent with their work. A strong emphasis is put on the proper raising of children and the production of more, as Dessande’ has told them that people are the most valuable resource of all, and the designated leaders understand this as well after their experience leading the people in many tasks.
They have also developed a strong desire to acquire more varieties of materials and more developed forms of the tools they now use, and have acquired many items that they have wanted through the trade networks that they began to form within the first few years of their development. They send these excursions infrequently, however, because the other Exiles are too far away to justify frequent routes before they can be traversed with less time.
Technology: Their advancement has been mainly of the development of infrastructure, though. They have developed advanced organizational structures, and make sure that no work goes to waste in an expedition. They have set up small docks on all the islands either they or Dessande’ have deemed valuable, and have begun to harvest and stockpile resources from these islands. Their ships are made from crafted whalebone and the skins of sea creatures. They wear garb made from the furs of seals, and they have many tools made from both bone and stone.
The Renni have developed their ships to a great degree, making their rowing easier through the invention of propellers, which they power through the movement of their legs. Dessande’ has aided some in their improvements by instructing them on the creation and use of simple machines, but most of their development on ships has been done on their own. They have recently begun to discover the uses of the sail, however, they do not trust it, as the wind is fickle, and they do not wish to be slowed down by something as fickle as the wind when they wish to go somewhere. They have also made their ships capable of holding large amounts of weight, sometimes even placing large airtight tubes made from animal skins to add resistance to the water. They believe that the art of ship making will never be perfected, no matter how far it has been advanced.
They have developed other technologies with the direction of Dessande’, as he found that they didn’t really feel the need to look in those directions on their own. They have developed ways to break stone and move it onto their ships, and have learned to hunt and fish with bows and spears. He has taught them how to fight with spears and staffs, and has taught them how to make ceramic containers from the clay of Tawe’ Isle.
Ideology: Under the direction of Dessande’, the Renni have adopted the philosophy that no part of something should be wasted, and take this philosophy to the extreme. On one hand, they make sure no part of any killed animal is wasted, which is not unexpected in a culture with limited resource collection capability. On the other hand, they make sure the people with talents are made to use those talents, a behavior unknown in many early cultures, or so they hear, from the wisdom Dessande’ has collected from the Library.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 2:26 pm
Infrastructure The Western Isles have a complex infrastructure. Here shall lie the information related to this information and the breakdown of many parts of the Western Isles that remain unknown to the outside.
The Islands The islands that are currently in use and discovered within the island chain are the core of the infrastructure. Without knowledge of the raw materials that we are presented to work with, there is no possibility of knowledge of jobs working with those raw materials.Irronala:The island of Irronala is the central population center and the core of many activities that affect the entire civilization of the Western Isles. These include blacksmithing, most engineering, and planning. Other things that might occur often as professions here include fishing, rope making, kelp harvesting, and whale refining.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 2:31 pm
Character Database Character Database: ColorsHere in the Western Isles, there are a variety of characters, and all of them have chosen their own colors. Here are stockpiled references to the colors each player uses, so new players can reference this list and the OOC forum's "Colors" thread to choose a color different from those already picked. These colors do not have to reflect the personality of your character, although they often do.
Dessande' : Cadet Blue (cadetblue)
NPCs Class 1(Garen, Eorans): Saddle Brown (saddlebrown)
NPCs Class 2(Ezekiel, Garret): Dark Slate Blue (darkslateblue)
NPCs Class 3(Lorral, Julian): Forest Green (forestgreen)
NPCs Class 4(Warren, Ludwig): Indian Red (indianred)
Chava : Olive (olive)Character Database: ProfilesThe Western Isles have residents, and they would all like to meet you if you come to visit! Here lie the profiles of all current resident PC mortals within the Western Isles.ladykerryfox Name: Chava Venilia Nevin (Life Of the Sea and Wind [That is] Consecrated[Holy])
Age: 17
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 125lb
Race: Renni
Country of Origin: The Western Islands
Appearance: A tall and slender girl her height stems from her long legs. Her hair is a rich brown with twists of black running in it, it is kept neat in several braids that are carefully twisted in to loops and pinned at the back of her head. A few stray shorter pieces frame her face and are often tied back with a strip of leather when she is working. Her eyes, a light blue, set a strong contrast to her well tanned skin and arched eyebrows. Her clothing consists of a seal skin tunic tied at her waist with a strip of leather. Her pants are tight to her skin allowing her boots to pull smoothly over them.
Personality: Adventures and curious she often misses the obvious and more common sense things in life. Her mouth is often one step ahead of her brain and has been known to cause sore tempers and a bit of isolation form others as she speaks in all honestly what comes to mind. As part of the community she is still treated as a child as many of her elders still refuse to trust her with any thing that could put others in jeopardy. Her case isn’t helped by the fact she is the youngest of 5 children and there too is treated as the baby of the family. Lily Wong Name: Elaine Nacross
Age: 17
Height: 4’11”
Weight: 90lbs
Race: Renni
Country of Origin: Irronala
Appearance: Elaine has brown skin, and, strangely, light blonde hair and eyes that change back and forth (only once in awhile, for it’s a slow process) from brown to blue. This is due to her having mixed-blood, for her father is a Rinni and her mother a Somnian. She wears a light gray (sometimes looks a tad blue or green) strapless top that exposes her midriff and has feathers attached to cover the line that represents the beginning of cleavage, and they are attached with a golden-brown stone. The back of it comes up around her neck and another stone with three pebbles attaches on her collar bone in the front, which is partially how it stays up. She has matching arm pieces that start halfway down her forearm and jag wider to her hand, and then narrow again to a point just before the beginning of her middle finger. Her pants are seal skin and skin tight, ending just above her knees with just below knee-high boots to match. More rocks form an arm band on her upper left arm. A very light tan, almost white-looking piece of cloth forms a hood of sorts with green-gray markings covers over the top of her head, but not her face, and stays open like a hood down towards her back, where it then attaches to the back of her pants. Two segments also fall over her shoulders, going down to about her waist. From the back of her pants, thin pieces of the clothe hand loosely, wrapping around her thighs upon which more hangs down.
Personality: Elaine welcomes other into the small home she’s made with her father, hardly ever turning strangers away, for she knows herself the tires of travel. She has a very strong appreciation for the sea and all the animals in it, as well as the resources the land provides for her and the other Rinni. She is very proud to be of the Rinni people, and expresses it boldly when she feels excited. She enjoys fishing with her hands and talking amongst others, but especially loves to craft instruments from bone and plant, and loves even more to learn their sounds and master them.
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Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 7:54 pm
History of the Isles The history of the island of Irronala is short, but still deserves recognition. Here it is archived from before the creation of these walls that organize ye mortals.Chapter Two:Chapter Two Of Exiles Dessande' perched on the edge of the ship as it began to prepare to turn into the docks of Irronala. The steersman muscled the rudder into a turn as the men belowdecks slowed their pedaling. The sides of the great ship Samuel's Pride rose from the water, the solid whalebone white in the sunlight. Dessande' smiled inwardly as the ropes were thrown down to the dock. They had brought back a great boon from this trip, a full shipload of iron.
The journey had been quite profitable, as they had traded good whalemeat and salt for this load off iron. The truth was, they could not consume enough whalemeat to build many of these large ships. Most of the whalebone ships were smaller and only trafficked between the islands within the island chain. Recently trade had become a useful way to obtain materials that they needed.
Dessande' exited the ship and watched as the excited crowd gathered around to see what this trading expedition had brought to the island. He was proud of the progress of his people, and it was a wonderful sight to see the overjoyed cries at the sight of so much iron in one place. It still bothered him that they had not discovered a better way to steer the ships yet. With the momentum the ships attained with the manpower on the mechanisms within the ships, the steersmen became pressed to become stronger to efficiently steer the ships. While they would make for unstoppable warriors, this problem must have a more efficient solution.
He watched as the people dispersed and the iron was divided among the blacksmiths to hammer into tools for use throughout the camp. All the progress was promising, but it seemed, to him, to be far too focused. They would need to develop more in more diverse areas, or, as a people, they would be left behind by the people's of the other Exiles. They needed to apply what he had taught them...
He wandered off away from the island, letting the camp run as normal. It was true, he did need to find new ways to motivate his people to expand in new directions. There were many things he had yet to teach them, and many things they had yet to do. It would all come together, in time. He fingered the amulet the Craftsman had given him, wondering what it was for. He had often wondered this in the long nights of the past fifty years. One day, soon, he would ask the Craftsman about it.
-=|=-
"Oy! Hard a port!" Came the slurred and hurried response from the first mate at the bow of the small skiff. Garen pulled the large Oak tiller brutally starboard. The narrow skiff glided gracefully through the water, it's narrow hull slicing through the waves. The highly polished wooden ship narrowly avoided the craggy rocks that jut out aggressively from the waves.
"You see it!?" Garen called. His bleached hair flapping in the wind. The man at the bow nodded and motioned through the light layer of fog. "Aye! Tha's Irronala." He slurred loudly as he waved towards the shore. Garen nodded. He could just see the hint of the many docks that reached outwards from the shore of the island. A wild grin spread on his face. "Pull in the main! We're going to give them a bit of a scare!" He called. The crewmen at the boom laughed wildly and hoisted in the mainsheet. The large red sail tightened and the beautiful little skiff raced forwards even faster. It narrowly avoided stone and sand bars as it raced forward towards a vacant dock.
Garen realized that pulling into the shores of Irronala like this might not be a great idea. Dessande resided in this area, and it wouldn't do good for the man who kept the seas in rein to get mad at them, still...He glanced at the tattoo on his shoulder. The same tattoo that adorned all of the men and women aboard the Black Dagger. The same tattoo that adorned all Eorans. It was a tattoo of an open eye with a sword plunging into it from above. Another, smaller eyes adorned the pommel of the blade. It represented the madness that both eliminated and enhanced their vision.
They were all laughing and whooping loudly as the Black Dagger arced towards the dock. Garen grinned evenly as the narrow bow raced perpendicular towards the dock. It wasn't until he was sure they would crash that he gave his orders. "DROP THE MAIN. ROPES!"
The sail immediately descended down the mast and the men all looped the thick docking ropes around their shoulders. Garen casually kicked the tiller over, and the ship turned, sidling up against the dock. The ropes flew out, landing flawlessly around the wooden pegs that lined the docks, and the skiff jerked to a halt.
Garen, along with just under thirty men and women all leapt onto the dock and started casually walking towards the main town. He wasn't fully aware of all the laws and customs, but he assumed that Dessande would be decent to seafarers. "What do you say, lads?" He asked as he regarded Irronala.
Ezekiel turned to watch as a wooden ship pulled up to dock. "Hey, men, gather round! Looks like we got vis'tors!" The tall, burly, black-haired man walked over to the newcomers, his men in tow.
Looking the skiff over, he nodded and smiled. "Oy, seafarers! What buisness have ye in Irronala!" Ezekiel called out as he approached. "Perhaps some lodgings for the night? Or do you have other business here, seafarers?"
Someone bumped him on the shoulder. "Hey, 'Zeke! Why so friendly? They're outsiders!" This earned the speaker a backhand to the face. "Speak in your turn George. They might have business here, and we all know how short we are on trading vessels. Deal with it."
He turned back to the newcomers. "Sorry 'bout that. Got a few people who don't quite understand hospitality. So how about we get a drink in the pub and discuss what business you have here on Irronala, eh?"
Garen laughed heartily and clapped the man on the shoulder even as he and his men shouldered past into the town. "We come here to trade and barter as I imagined many others do. Before that, though, we'd like a drink. I hear great things about the liquor in Irronala." Garen said as he strode into town. He turned, walking backwards on his heels and shouting back at the man who had greeted him.
"And we search for news of the beast that we continually hunt, as always." He shouted and waved, marching towards the town. The docks shook heavily with every step of the traveling sailor.
Ezekiel smiled and laughed. "Yes! The liquor we serve in our pubs is of the finest quality!" He led the sailors down the streets of the town, heading for the pub. They passed a huge white ship floating at the dock. Ezekiel noticed it and spoke up, talking to the newcomers. "That there is Samuel's Pride. She's a beaut, aint she? Fastest ship on the water, she's been afloat a good thirty years, and seems able to outpace even these new sailing ships quite easily. 'Course, they can outlast her in endurance, but she's got them on speed. What do you think of her?" He kept walking and looked back at the sailors he had in tow, his gaze inquisitive.
Garen nodded appraisingly at the massive bone ship. He regarded the paddles with some interest. "Aye, she's a beautiful ship. I've heard rumors of the speed and endurance of these massive hulks. Ugly as sin, though. The Black Dagger is a work of art!" He said with no small amount of hubris. His wild grin cracked his handsome face as he hefted the large black spear at his side. "Actually, I've been wanting to sell that ship. Do you know any buyers who would be keen to have it?" He asked quietly.
He looked back at his ship, the three masts that held the three beautiful triangular sails. The low cabin sloped down slightly towards the front. The wood on the deck was of a much lighter hue than the nearly black wood that comprised its sleek hull with the unusually pointed bow. The bow was encased in a massive piece of brass that was carved into the shape of a a bare-breasted woman clutching a dagger to her chest. The hull was inlaid with silver near the top and the tiller was a beautifully carved elegant piece of work that curved elegantly upwards. "She's almost brand new. Me and my men made her ourselves. It's a bit of an unconventional design, but she's fast as anything I've ever seen. In fact I'd have to see that hulk in motion to believe she was faster than my baby."
He looked almost sad. "Still, our adventure has to take us to the continent and I'd rather the Black Dagger be in the hands of an adept sailot than anything else. That's the real reason we come here." He said with a small grin. "Now, let's talk about that drink, on us! We'll talk more where we can keep our bellies warm with ale." He laughed heartily.
Ezekiel turned down the main street of town, and replied as they walked. "Well, how beautiful it is is all a matter of perspective of course. I think your ship is a bit small, but it would likely serve as a very good messenger vessel, and it does appear to use a sail setup we haven't tried yet, so I can't be sure as to how fast it could go. Still, what Dessande' refers to as 'human-powered turbines' seem to work pretty damn well at moving us along. That sail setup probably makes your ship much more maneuverable, though. Ah, here's the pub."
He pushed the doors open and yelled out an oder for a round of ale on the house. Leading the crew of the newcomer's ship to one of the largest of the stone tables around the room, he sat down on one of the long granite benches and motioned that the others do the same. "Prepare to be amazed by the ale, sailor. Our breweries are some of the best in the land for the brewing of ale!"
A huge man came up with a platter with ale for the entire table and began tossing the mugs to each person individually, flicking his wrist to make the mugs spin into each man's hand. "Zeke! Looks like newcomers have come to the island for a time, eh?" he boomed
Ezekiel nodded. "Yeah, these guys sailed in on the Black Dagger, a ship they seem to have built themselves. A sailing ship, but interesting in design. Sailors, this is Garret, the steersman of the Pride. He does stuff like this while the Pride is at dock."
Garen grinned and grabbed the hand of the sailor. "Nice to meet you there, Garrett. He said as he took the pint from the round table and took a deep draft. He didn't say anything for a moment as he let the liquor roll around in his mouth for a few moments. His eyes widened slightly and he nodded his head approvingly.
"Good draft, eh boys?"
"OI!" was the massive response from all of the sailors in the bar. He looked up at Garrett. "We may need to keep our ship after all just so we can throw some barrels of this on board and bring it with us to land." He smiled. Then he turned his attention back to Zeke.
"Now, the Black Dagger is a fine ship, I'll have you know. Surprisingly sturdy in a storm for wood, and there's nothing on the see that can match her for maneuverability. Firepower's not too bad, either. We've got a few bolt throwers belowdecks for dealing with undesirables. Ship's gotta defend itself." He laughed. "We'll see what happens, it seems like all of you are set on your paddle boat contraptions."
He leaned back in his chair, propping his spear up against a wall. "Actually, me and the boys here are on a little hunt." Garen said seriously. "One of Dessande's kind...the gods. She gave us some information. Ave was her name..." He stopped and leaned in.
"Have you heard of Karon?" His voice had lowered to a dead whisper, and the other sailors leaned in with him, their faces serious.
Ezekiel frowned slightly. "Karon? I think I've heard the name somewhere, but I don't remember what the connection was..." His face brightened. "Ah, that was it. Dessande' sat us down one night after he had visited the library and told us a bit about him, but it was still all vague information, other than the fact that he'd taken down a few of Dessande's kind already, 'even in this young world', he said."
Ezekiel turned his eyes to the ale in front of him. "He did say something about doing more research on the subject in the Library, but hasn't told us anything about what he learned, so we can't help you there. I do know the last place he was sighted was in the removal of the White Lady, near the Library. There were quite a few witnesses, it is said. Apparently, Karon seemed to just disappear after that. This was all fifty years ago, although the things Dessande' has taught us may have been more recently learned. In any case, I know no more than that."
He looked around at his companions. "As the dockmaster, I have seen many a ship come and go, and I'm quite sure that there are a few ships at dock that the owners would be glad to give you in exchange for the Dagger. The smaller ships are similar in design to the Pride, generally. There are a number of newer sailing vessels that are docked in the harbor as well, although they were on the other side of the Pride on the docks, so we couldn't exactly see them without doing a tour of the docks. We generally keep the ships armed with weapons that can be used by our sailors, but this is no small statement, considering the strength of our sailors. I guess we might need help designing things if you want ship-mounted weapons. Dessande' has been badgering us about the lack of them, but we sorta evade it by attaching rams to the ship's hull. They do work quite well, although the smaller ships are better at using them. We do test runs on everything we build, of course."
He downed his ale and sighed pleasantly. "There are more varieties, including some ships that the carvers of Linnis decided to make. Granite hulks that you wouldn't even think would float, really. Us sailors think they're daft. We don't think that the sailors could push them along, even with the turbines. Supposedly they got approval from Dessande', though, so I can't complain. We have some of the smaller ones at harbor right now, as well. The current project is something like the Pride..." He trailed off.
Looking at the color of the sky, he said. "It looks like its getting late, so ye all are gonna need lodgings for the night. Since we usually have a number of trading vessels on the sea at any time, we keep the homes of the sailors ready for sleeping even while they are away. We have two ships on the sea right now, the Wavebreaker and the Sea's Blade. We will have plenty of room for you."
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Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 9:12 pm
Garen stood, his broad hands laid flat on the table. The scabbard for a longsword that had previously been concealed under the thin leather flap that hung down from his waist protruded. "You're very kind, Ezekiel. You have my thanks." He nodded towards his men, who all reformed. "However you really wouldn't want us to stay the night, and we've never been comfortable staying in one place for too long. The Eoran people will always remember the offer, though." He nodded, almost a bow.
Then he turned. "We really must head to the main continent tonight. We really must contact another God. We need the craftsman more than anything, and he's apparently been out of sight and mind for almost fifty years now. Surely you've heard of the Calling Amulets that he created some time ago. There's even a rumor that God, Mythee, has the Visiting Amulet. The Amulet that will actually take us to his city." He said his with a deep air of fear and reverence.
"I was hoping to sell, but it appears that none of your boats are headed towards the continent tonight, which is when we need to leave." He grinned. "Sorry about the sense of urgency." He smiled. "There's work to be done, though. Men!"
There was a low grumble. Garen turned, his face soured.
"Fine." He said when he turned around. "It's been a while, I suppose."
"Weeks!" Someone called from the back. There was a murmur of agreement. Garen lifted his hands. "Alright, fine!" He turned to Ezekiel. "So where can you put us up? We'll pay, obviously." He said quietly.
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 9:48 pm
The wasp which was Toucan had almost entered the unbearable heat of the nation of Firebrand before stopping abruptly and hovering in mid-air, circling a few times as if with uncertainty. She suddenly appeared in her normal form instead of the wasp and looked around with a slightly frustrated confusion. He's not here. Infact, she couldn't sense Ember anywhere. Granted, her senses were still faint, but she could usually...
I'm wasting time. I've one more stop, anyway... I'll come back later. With that Toucan seemed to disappear into the air, except that upon closer inspection one noticed a wasp flying intently off west, west, west...
By the time she reached the western islands, Toucan had taken the form of an albatross, finding a wasp to be ill-equipped for the turbulent weather the ocean hosted. She had soared easily for several hours now before beginning a leisurely, steady descent.
Alighting easily on a piling off the docks, Toucan tucked her long, slender wings back and hopped on the docks, strutting a few paces with webbed feet before clumsily appearing again as her more normal form. She tripped once or twice before adjusting to walking again, which she then did very slowly before coming to a stop and looking around.
Her expression was a foggy mix of curiousity and a slightly fretful searching. The spray of the ocean was quite relieving after the scorching plains of Firebrand, but her business was urgent; time was slipping away.
Where are you, Dessande?
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:58 pm
Ezekiel laughed heartily. "We will accommodate your company gladly! Garret!" He called the large man over. "I think its about time to close up the pub for the night, don't you? We have some guests that need lodging. Could you find them places in the houses of those away?"
"Of course!" Garret boomed. "It will be easy too, with such small numbers."
"Alright then. Lead the way, will you?'
"Absolutely!"
Garret led the group out of the pub and began to lead them towards the docks. "The streets that lead to the houses branch out from the docks. While alleyways are all fine and dandy, they are pretty confusing if you don't know the network." Garret said in his hearty bass voice. "we should be reaching the street we need to go through soon enough."
Ezekiel, following Garret to the docks, spotted a figure on the piers. Turning to the group as he made a beeline for the figure, he explained. "I see a person on the docks, and at this time of night, it can't be anyone but an outsider, and it might be urgent as well. I will be back soon." Turning to the docks, he jogged off.
Garret picked up the absence with his booming voice. "I think he will be back soon. The houses will be down this way." He pointed down the street next to the main street and began to lead the group away. "The lodgings are about six to the house maximum, generally, and with comfort. We have plenty of houses open at the moment, so it will be easy finding lodgings. We have built many buildings in anticipation of a greater population. Dessande' has us continue the work all the time, and soon we will fill the cavern. Some people think he is crazy, but it keeps us in good shape and gives us things to do while ashore."
Garret stopped in the center of a small block of houses and turned to the sailors. "These will be good lodgings for the night. They are properly prepared for occupations, and should do fine. This block of six houses should do you well for the night, distribute yourselves as you will, sailors." He turned away and began walking. "I need to go sleep for the work I shall do tomorrow. I'll tell 'Zeke to meet y'all in the pub tomorrow to discuss business and the like at around noon. Hope y'all remember where it is! Else... No ale for you!" He laughed and walked on, his shoulders silhouetted against the setting sun.
-=|=- ]{=|=}[ -=|=-
Ezekiel jogged toward the figure. "Hello! Welcome to Irronala! What might be your buisness here?" He yelled as he got closer. As the figure became clearer, he became confused. It seemed the person had no craft...
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:30 pm
Toucan regarded the approaching man with reservation, glad for the darkening horizon which shielded her features, making her feel somehow more secure. Her goggles, a comfort as always, resided comfortably and unattractively predominately on the bridge of her nose, masking her flat silvery eyes and reflecting the image of the man.
She had to consciously manifest a smile on her face, somewhat unused to social pleasantries by now. Toucan's stay in the peaks of Fe had been long enough to cause her to forget basic interaction skills. It was difficult to keep the urgency out of her voice as she replied, "I need to see Dessande, please."
The result of her meeting with Dessande and Ember would not be immediate, but a long, grueling, tedious process that needed to be started immediately. Toucan was faintly aware of Dessande's distaste for Ember and all his violence, but again chose to ignore this. Emotions were unimportant, especially if they impeded progress. She failed to take into account any willingness that would be needed on the part of Dessande and Ember, assuming, perhaps ignorantly, that they, like her, had the single-minded goal of progress and efficiency in mind.
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:50 pm
Ezekiel frowned as he came to a halt in front of Toucan. "Exile, eh? And you wish to see Dessande'? I'm afraid he is not present at the moment. Last I knew, he was off brooding in the Library, but I don't know where he is now. Unlocatable for the moment being though. Unless you know where he is, I have no idea how to find him. He never gave us a method to contact him. It never seemed necessary to him." He turned to look at the vast ocean beyond the Exile. "I suppose he might be coming back, but he never hurries for anyone... If you really want to find him, the best solution would be to sit and wait. He might be here tomorrow, or he might be here next week. He has his times. Its your choice, but I really need to get to bed for tomorrow's work shift, Exile." He gazed up at her halfway impassive face without fear.
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 12:15 am
Toucan, caught off guard, blinked stupidly for a second, still growing used to the concept of other nations and people knowing of her. The stone council had done little more than make her realize there were others like her and remember a few of their names and affinities; she was not sure what to do with an entire world of beings, much less ones that seemed on the border of war.
The word he called her, Exile, seemed vaguely familiar... had she been called that before? Somehow she knew it was addressed to her, and that she was an Exile, but still lacked knowledge of what exactly that meant. So far, all Toucan knew was that she was to guide a group of people. And to do that she needed technology, advance technology she needed the others, like Dessande and Ember...
"I... I'll just wait, then, I guess." For a little while
Toucan paused as if in thought, then said hesitantly, "My name-- it's Toucan... you can call me that instead of--" somehow, it was hard for the mechanic to form the word on her lips, and so let the sentence die off, floating away on the nighttime breeze.
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Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 9:52 pm
Garen awoke in the room with his men scattered all about him. "Ach! Looks like a gentleman's orgy took place in here." He muttered, searching desperately for liquor bottles. He sighed, realizing that he had remembered everything from the night before. He rolled over and gave the young maid in his bed a gentle nudge on her naked back. She groaned and rolled over. Garen smiled gently and ran a hand through her hair.
"That was fun, If ever I come back to this place I will visit you again, and no matter what I will remember you."
With that he jovially hopped naked out of bed, brushing his hair aside and throwing on his cotton pants and his leather vest. He tied his cracked leather scabbard to the back of his waist and tossed the heavy brown fur mantle over that.
"Can't I just go with you?" the woman asked hopefully. Garen laughed.
"Perhaps later." He said as he tugged on his heavy brown boots. "Right now I'm hunting a vicious creature that would surely slaughter you and will most likely slaughter me and all of my men."
A few of his men looked up with interest and trepidation. Garen waved amiably and stood up, kicking one of his men in the gut. "Move your asses, you lazy scum!" He shouted with a wide grin. "Naked ladies, out you go!"
Perhaps a dozen woman shot him dirty looks as they were ushered out of the room by his sailors. Garen clapped his hands happily. "Excellent! Let's get a move on. We need to hit the shores by tomorrow!"
***
It was early morning. The seas were calm and a light pink mist hung over the cool water. Their footsteps echoed throughout the large wharf in the silence of the morning. The sun was just cresting the horizon, as if peering curiously at the contingent of men who were so eager to get moving at this hour.
The black dagger creaked and groaned from the gentle waves. The sound of groaning wood was accompanied only by the soft sound of waves lapping against its elegant hull. Garen smiled as he hopped onto the deck of his beautiful skiff. "I love the feeling just before you set sail on a calm morning." He said to all of his men. They all nodded in agreement. "Men, I've been thinking. I need to move into the continent on my own."
There was a roar or protest, Garen waved his arms. "Shut up! Shut up! I don't want to sell the boat. Maur!"
A stock man with rough black hair approached. "Sir?" He asked, waving with one of his massively powerful arms.
"You're the new captain, effective the moment I set foot onto the continent. Take good care of the Dagger. We put a lot into her construction." He said somberly. Maur nodded calmly. "Aye, She's in good hands." The men all agreed softly. Still not happy with the arrangement but they knew that Maur was a good man.
"It's settled then." Garen laughed. "I'll come back to all of you after I finish what I have to do. There is a man who I need to contact. Modest. He's friendly towards travelers and he knows much of everything. He's the only God who is easily accessible." He sighed. "I can't have this monster killing all of you. I'll find a way, and we'll all meet again." He smiled warmly. "Are we clear?"
"Aye!" They all shouted.
"Shut up, dammit!" Garen shouted back, throwing a bottle of wine that he had still been clutching.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 12:27 am
Chava had woken up well before the day had broken her chores all ready in order and finished for the most part by the time the rest of the house stirred as the first lines of pink etched the sky. Hurriedly she had tried to finish the last of her chores as the pink tinge faded giving way to the true morning. Her eldest sister had brought news of strange men and an even strange ship as she stopped by her Mother’s house the night before, the thought of strangers had peeked Chava’s interest and she hoped if she hurried she could meet them before they left. Half way out the gate to the harbor the neck of her tunic was caught by her elder brother who pushed her back to the house.
“Chava if I have told you once I’ll tell you again. When you put the seed out for the birds you must latch the gate when you are done!” He scolded her as she pulled the simple bit of string over the gate post. Shaking his head he let her go after giving the gate a good tug to make sure it was secure.
Running down the hills between the huts she kept a good eye on the harbor mouth praying she hadn’t missed them. Upon reaching the harbor she was delighted to see the wooden vessel still anchored and the crew aboard it. Looking about she chose a place close enough to the ship to observe it, but far enough as to not warrant any scolding for being so close to the water. Settling out on her chosen crate she began to take in every detail with her light blue eyes the fascination with the odd ship blocking her other senses as she tried to memorize each part of it.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:27 am
Garen was marching to and fro on the deck of the ship, waving his arms wildly as his men rigged up the sails so that they could be hoisted up the masts as soon as they were clear of the docks. The launching preparations were taking too long, he wanted to be out of the area before-
His gaze suddenly diverted to some movement by the small huddle of villages. He peered over and sure enough there was someone watching him from behind a pile of crates. He motioned Maur over to him. Maur trudged up to him, and leaned in close. Garen pointed with a small grin on his face.
"See that?"
"What?" Maur leaned in, and his eyes widened slightly and a grin cracked his face. "Aha! Yes. What should we do about it?"
Garen shrugged. "I dunno, it's not as if we're doing anything particularly secret like. Then again, I just don't trust people who spy. I'll be right back."
Garen hopped off the prow of the ship and trotted towards the tavern. He waved amiable, although his calloused hands were wrapped firmly around the hidden hilt of his Iron short sword. He narrowed his eyes, seemed like it was a woman watching him. "Oi! Come out from behind there! What do you want, watching all of us?" He called out. "I'm not gonna hurt you, but stop hiding! And don't even think about trying to hurt me!" His last was a boast, he put himself on the defense just in case.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 5:15 pm
Garret woke from his sleep as soon as the sun began to rise, and began his morning routine, tidying up the house and waking the rest of the men of the Pride. "Ahoy!" He boomed. "It be time for work, laddies! Come on! Get it moving or you'll get double shift when we set the turbines!" There were groans from around the block of stone houses.
One of the slightly more awake men complained as he came out of the house. "Man, Garret, do you always have to be so damned boisterous in the mornings? Its not like we were told to be ready at the crack of dawn..."
This got him a slap on the back from Garret. "Come now, James! What's with the attitude? It is a grand morning to set out upon the sea!" Mumbling came in reply as the rest of the crew came out, a little red-eyed. Comments about needing ale came from the men here and there, but Garret pushed them along towards the dock. "We may even get to see the ability of that sailed contraption that the other sailors brought in yesterday!" This cheered the crew some, but there was still grumbling about the hour of the morning.
As the group came into the wide expanse of the docks, a massive conglomeration of wood, stone, and ropes, they spotted the preparations of the wooden ship at the outer edge of the docks. Garret raised a brow and motioned his men to go to the Pride and prepare her for launch. He broke away from the group and made a beeline for the wooden ship at dock. Were they leaving so soon?
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