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Post by xerxez on May 11, 2024 13:42:42 GMT -6
My Dad has gone palliative, it might be today or tomorrow for him. I am taking a one week break from the game. If any fights break out, Balesh will be enthusiastic in protecting the party makofan I am very sorry to hear that. I think it best to pause the game for a week. peace to you and your family.
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Post by xerxez on May 10, 2024 15:47:34 GMT -6
Tethwan keeps good distance from the witch's artifacts, grasping the figurine of Xan Yae... goddess of twilight, shadows and stealth...which hangs on a leather cord around his neck while he whispers a prayer of protection from curses and demons.
"I would search the manor thoroughly...for secret doors and the like as well as the treasure which must surely be hid somewhere. What do we do with her sorry son? He seems a mad man. Yet no doubt he would babble all to a confessor or magistrate. Or we could simply hold court ourselves..."
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Post by xerxez on May 9, 2024 20:56:03 GMT -6
The Pe Choi extend many sincere thanks for your patronage and wish you to return should you harbor in the Undercity ever again.
Fi'ru does lead the way, with Balesh, Mohammad, Bak Suul the Shen and Mi'kimu in close step.
They soon descend the many staircases and come to the wharves where the sound of the sea against the roots of the cliffs can be heard, as well as voices and laughter of the longest lasting revelers.
Fi'ru looks around with a solemn countenance.
"I could not wait to leave here...it feels odd to be back. I never thought I would be. My earliest memories are here...now I feel as though I never left. The woman who cared for me was a courtesan in a pleasure house-- she was as fierce as any wild beast if anyone should despise or cheat her, but to several orphans of the street, myself one, she would shelter and feed us and shower upon us praise and affection. But she was accused of stealing from a higher status patron enjoying the delights of the Undercity and then taken away to be sold as a slave. Before they came to take her, she gave me a purse of kaitars and told me the name of a ship's captain who adored her and would take me to Jakalla.
I wanted to stop the police who came to take her, but all I could do was hide.
I swore someday I would find her and purchase her freedom."
He smiles at Mi'kimu and his companions.
"I know I'll never see her again. But to have fought and walked beside you, my masters, is the only honor I have ever known in my life. Our friendship is a balm I feel to this emptiness her memory brings."
As the party reflects upon the deep thoughts of the fledgling warrior he leads them to a stall where a man and boy are selling writhing tentacled specimens which seem perfect for the Hairy Ones.
The price is 5 Kaitair for three of the creatures...as you buy them they draw out long sharp needles and spear them to render them easy to carry, as is customary.
Going homewards to the ship the party is suddenly met by a tall man who appears to be of Tsolyani descent, a merchant by the looks of him. He is handsome, wearing a brimmed cap and being perhaps thrity years of age.
"Good evening my masters," he says in perfect Tsolanyi language. "A fine night is it not? I am sorry to accost you but I head home for the night and the days gains have been small...my business is honest. I am a seeker of odds, ends and curios...the more exotic the better. I do not wish to return to my shop empty handed. Do any among you have an item or two gathered from afar which you might wish to sell?"
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Post by xerxez on May 9, 2024 20:23:23 GMT -6
MOhammad smiles at her and hears of the rituals says to the lovely flutist. "When I get back helping my friend lets go have a drink and a meal and talk more" She bows. "If you must go so it is to be, but to eat and drink with you would please me. I am always here."
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Post by xerxez on May 5, 2024 13:47:20 GMT -6
I wonder if Ahoggyá are (game-historically) related to Otyughs and Neo-Otyughs, or (more likely) vice-versa. They seem to have similar body plans, the names are roughly similar, they all eat garbage, and they are basically Neutral because they're just chilling in their compost heaps and, like, vibing. In the D&D world I've always had a fondness for Otyughs, they're just so weird. They don't show up too often in published modules. Plus there are two different kinds, wtf! Who thought of this! They seem to fill the same ecological niche as Gelatinous Cubes (ie, mobile trash incinerators) but are less inimical. Like, you could totally hang with a Neo-Otyugh, but not a Gelatinous Cube. #deepthoughts EPT pre-dates the Monster Manual of 1EAD&D by a couple years but I know Barker and Gygax were in communication and that Dave Arneson played EPT with Barker's group, so its possible. They do seem very similar and my friends and I made use of the Otyugh's and neo-Otyughs in our games. Its actually really hard for me to begin to wrap my head around how Barker imagined and developed some of his races/monsters- he seemed to have some internal axis for his world creation and I think he took it pretty seriously at points but of all his species the Ahoggya are to me the weirdest of all. For one, try drawing them! I don't own any Tekumel minis but I would love to hold one in my hand and have a look at a good model of them. The Source Book has a good bit of info on them and they have some grisly eating habits. It states that unlike the Shen, who have cannibalism as a cultural fixture (mostly in the eating of enemy "egg-group" or other unfortunate Shen), the Ahoggya do not practice cannibalism but see nothing wrong with eating other intelligent species and this can wind up being a fate for beings who transgress against them when that being is left under their own strange laws, such as in their land. I wouldn't want to fight one! I would imagine the grisly feasting also happens to prisoners taken in warfare. I don't have any real evidence they eat cast off food but I made an educated guess based on what I have ferreted out--I think its completely in character for them! I read somewhere once, it may have been anecdotal to Barker's games, that although they do not use any magic some of them were used as functionaries in preparing the dead for burial in Belkhanu's Temple but were expelled after they were caught eating corpses....
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Post by xerxez on May 3, 2024 22:29:14 GMT -6
Mohammad smiles and says, " that was excellently played your skill with the flute is amazing. Your voice is amazing too. I would like to learn about how you were trained and where you are from." Blushing again, she combs away a strand of her hair and bows in her seat to the priest. "Many thanks, Priestly Master. I was born into the Clan of White Flowers. We are artisans and musicians... some are dancers and courtesans as well. My mother was part of a traveling troupe and once danced in Bey Su, the Tsolyani Imperial City where lives the Emperor of the Petal Throne. She paid for my lessons under several noted masters. I have played for royal assemblages here in Salar'vya, but this suits me now. These Pe Choi are members of our clan and the tea house operates under the auspices of the White Flowers Clan. I enjoy this tea room and its hearth, and the smell of the sea and the many travelers it brings to our city."
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Post by xerxez on Apr 30, 2024 20:36:54 GMT -6
Mohammad does his best to try to talk to the singer one on one after the song. He is impressed by this bard. As the table is cleared away by the Pe Choi folk, and the partys rises, considerably refreshed, Mohammad makes his way to the lady with the flute. As he approaches, she bows her head abashedly. What does he say to her?
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Post by xerxez on Apr 30, 2024 20:34:18 GMT -6
Mi'kímu turns to Amiyala. "Thank you, Wise Sister — I had not appreciated the importance of joining a clan to myself and my tribe. Your words will guide my next steps in this land so strange to me. "Speaking of strange lands ... these Ahoggyá ... I must find a way to honor them beyond committing an indecency for their amusement, or sending them to a compost-pile while we relax with tea and sweet-meats, and this enchanting music. As Bak-Suul says, we will come to rely on them greatly in the coming days, and for myself, I have a respect, and even a strange fondness for them. I'll have them a gift before we depart — perhaps I will stay awake all night, and at the dawn purchase a fine squid for each of them down at the docks. And then I shall sleep, while they eat, la!" Here Mi'kímu peers out the window, down the dizzying heights and maze-like terraces to the harbor far below. The ruby glow of the many lanterns that adorn the vast balconies and terraces makes it difficult for him to identify any wet markets down there at the water's edge ... "Fi'ru: tonight, for a time, the student is the master. I am lost here; before dawn I will need you to guide me to a decent fishmonger. On the way, I could share a couplet from my latest journey-song ... and perhaps you could share a thought as well." Amiyala smiles and pushes a dish of sweets towards her Ren'yu companion. "Of course, Warrior Mi'kimu," she says. "A final thought on the matter- once one is a citizen, whether na'kome or no, it is possible to join mercenary ranks led by the Imperial Legions, and sometimes, through rising there, either gold or awarded merits can lead more quickly to finding a place in a clan for hopeful foreigners. Yet somehow I do not see you or Balesh and your good priest as doing mercenary duty...it seems you would fight only for a cause you believe in." After this Mi'kimiu has his word with Fi'ru. FI'RU: "I know many such stalls, Master. I grew up here in the Undercity during my early childhood. It's alleys and streets are my earliest memories. It has only been three years ago that I managed a place on a ship bound for Jakalla. I had one benefactor here to whom I owe my life...I don't know if she is still here. She was a mother to me of sorts. Yes, I would enjoy a walk along the fish market...its smells remain a pleasant memory. My heart is deep with memories and thoughts..." BAK SUUL:"Walk beside you I will, if you wish. Safe it seems here but there is blood in the stones of these walkways. Up to you. Otherwise I go back to the boat. You are wise to respect the Hairy Ones, Jungle Cat. Even in Shen'yu, we own that they are, after us Shen, the best warriors. The Leaf Eaters are fierce as well when roused, but these ugly ones seem as bred to battle as a S'ro Dragon and ready at a moment's notice. Hard to muster as troops but let battle begin and they leave a carnage such as would glut a M'nor." The tea sitting carries on until all have had fill and Karunaz offers to escort Mistress Amiyala and the Ren'yu back to the boat so that the others who wish may walk the market stalls. The Pe Choi and his family appear and with many bows clear away your table and welcome you back if ever again you come this way.
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Post by xerxez on Apr 29, 2024 14:55:54 GMT -6
[OOC — as always, the illustrations are so great! From your descriptions I'd pictured something very similar, but also a little different, at least in general layout. And I was just thinking this afternoon, I'd love to see a sketch of this scene — love it!] Thank you! My work schedule hasn't left me with a lot of energy to draw lately but I will attempt a rough sketch here and there!
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Post by xerxez on Apr 28, 2024 15:03:04 GMT -6
This is the Street of the Red Dancers in the terraced Undercity of Chame'el with a view of our heroes through the window of the tea house. If you were to walk from the door to the balcony wall you would be looking down upon the harbor inside the hollow mountain (for lack of a better term) and over the cliff walls you would behold distant mountains. You would also be able to take in the other terraced streets along the cliff walls and above you see the imposing walls of the Overcity looming down at you. You can see voluptuous Shirin'gayi and beyond her pedestal is a hidden garden full of trees, flowers, foliage and water spouts--the garden you would have noted in your interaction with the old woman at the idol's feet, it extends into a crevice with some wider space beyond. I hope this helps you to have a better idea
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Post by xerxez on Apr 26, 2024 20:53:07 GMT -6
By the way, I should edit Amiyala's words about clans and non-citizens, I do remember reading some source material where clan members in good standing in other empires can join Tsolyani clans of a related profession and I presume they would receive citizenship upon such membership acceptance, so in that case, non-citizens can apply for clan membership.
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Post by xerxez on Apr 26, 2024 20:42:11 GMT -6
I have been remiss in updating XP and Character sheets, begging pardon, I will address that in the coming days if the world doesn't end first
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Post by xerxez on Apr 26, 2024 20:32:56 GMT -6
Bálesh says "For me, this is a journey to see the world, and what my place could be in it. But I will never forget the people I have come with" Bak Suul the Shen gives a rumble of approval and sets a scaly hand on Balesh's shoulder that feels as though he had suddenly had a piece of iron set on him. "This scar I carry from your jungle cat brother will not let me forget them either!" he says. "So far you've seen the world, though the best part of it, Glorious Shen'yu, you have not. Someday little man you go with me there! You will be a guest of Bak Suul and my Egg Mothers and Fathers will not eat you, I promise. Now, though, we sail for the world's end...don't tell Gas Belly I said it, only because he's our guide there, but if there is an armpit of Te'kumel, I've heard it's the Ahoggya lands! I knew a sailor who went there once and he carried a special jelly to smear under his nose whenever he entered their common halls. And the whole land is a land of fierce beasts and no civilization at all...stick by me, though. This tea we drink again on the return voyage."
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Post by xerxez on Apr 26, 2024 20:17:50 GMT -6
Sipping his tea, Mi'kímu settles into his seat and relaxes deeply. He nevertheless notices, over the rim of his cup, the furtive glance exchanged between Mohammad and the flutist. Ah well — in any case, now that Mistress Amiyala has spoken, he responds to her prompt. "For myself, Wise Sister, I seek first the well-being of my kinfolk. I hope to achieve this by deeds of courage — but also by acts of community and friendship. Such activities, I hope, will help cultivate a solid reputation for members of our tribe, and also someday earn me not only Imperial citizenship, but an honored place among 'the village of my peers', as we Nuroabite sailors say. "Beyond that, who can say? Tomorrow looms." The tea is perhaps the most delicious that Mi'kimu has ever sipped and he finds the Pe Choi tea room to be perhaps the most soothing and welcoming place he has yet visited in this strange new world so far from the jungles of Nuroab. Though he wonders how fare those who could not leave, he knows his brothers and sisters he speaks of need him here, and strangely, although his childhood was one of oneness with the forest, he feels content to leave that world behind, for in spite of himself and his "barbarian" upbringing, as these folk might see it, he has become somewhat awed, albeit often with alarm, in the ways of civilization. He remembers when he beheld the few scattered stone buildings of a Liv'yanu fortress and settlement on the coast back home and thought it the most impressive thing he'd ever seen out of the forest...now, having seen Jakalla and this astonishing port city, those memories seem to him like looking upon a tiny pile of rocks. AMIYALA : "Your words are fitly spoken, tus'mi'simu"...(Mi'kimu struggles to recall the word and remembers it refers to one as "You of Wide Journeying"). "In the Five Empires, such bonds are held as the highest duty and blessing. We Tsol'yani are not tribal, but we feel for our clan that same obligation and devotion. This regard you hold, and the courage you have shown, along with that of your friends and brothers, will never permit me again to regard the southern continent as land of barbarians, a customary opinion in our society. Citizenship is a worthy goal but for those of na'kome status, clanless, it amounts to little more than a right to travel the Empire freely and perhaps own property, where one has the wealth to do so, but life would be an unending struggle unless someday your people might find acceptance in a clan. No clan would ever take a non citizen, so one must attain that first. Aside from that and other qualifications, which amount mostly to manners and conduct and to some degree, successful endeavor, joining a clan is a matter of gold. Wealth is the lifeblood of any clan, however poor or rich, for by it the clan members are sustained. A clan will take care of you and yours from birth until death and you will find help, rest and succor anywhere there is a clan house or clan member. Lower clans are the most eager for new blood and it is relatively an inexpensive matter. Middle and middle higher clans require more gold and more qualifications. High clans and Imperial related clans are beyond access to all but the wealthiest and most lauded newcomers, while the clan of T'loktani, the Petal Throne line, is forever sealed and barred to all without. While rare, it is not unknown for na'kome foreigners to be awarded clan acceptance for meritorious deeds, though it requires an Imperial writ of sanction. But in any event, know that in most cases, religion plays an important role, and sometimes skills and profession, like your sailor skills. Most foreigners find a Temple in the Empire that most closely aligns with their spiritual understanding and become devoted to it. Tsolanyu clans do not room for beliefs that lie outside of Pavar's Pantheon, even if sympathetic to them. If I can help you and your people by any means, I will do so, for you have behaved with honor and you and Balesh, Mohammad, the others...they would be a credit to the Empire." KARUNAZ: Sipping his tea "All true. There are some differences among the Five Empires but most of what Mistress says holds true in all civilized lands. But don't forget (he grins at her)...Liv'yanu may not have the Petal Throne but it is also a great and noble realm. Though you don't speak a word of our tongue! Ha! I can imagine you Nuroabites causing a scene back home!"
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Post by xerxez on Apr 26, 2024 19:13:42 GMT -6
Mohammad smiles at the flutist. He waits for the others to take charge of the conversation. She appears quite pleased at Mohammad's smile and shifts upon her stool to begin a new song, seeming to face directly towards the priest, though her poise remains modest. Mohammad has a 92 Comeliness score and for fun I had rolled upon the reaction table and the results were quite good.
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Post by xerxez on Apr 19, 2024 20:33:29 GMT -6
Tethwan is no healer but he will spring to their side with his water skin and try to administer what aid he can.
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Post by xerxez on Apr 18, 2024 18:45:31 GMT -6
The Pe Choi turns with a fluid movement and flutter of limbs, moving towards you with as graceful a bow as its strange anatomy permits. He addresses you in Tsol'yani. "Honored ones, welcome to the tea house of H'kit, he who now attends you. I am honored to see you to your table." He leads you to a low table and all of you remain standing until Mistress Amiyala is seated upon the plush mats. All of you join her as Bak Suul hands lays 5 Kaitar in a cup he then covers, as is customary in this land. In his husky voice he says: "Worthy Master, fine tea we seek...and all the table spices you have." H'kit bows again and hurries away, leaving the cup of coins, knowing if good service is given more will be added. Soon you have all sat in customary silence for the first small cup of tea--its warmth and flavor seem enchanted as you begin to feel the rigors of the boat and the sea fall from your shoulders and the warm flute music flowing around you like a mist. MOHAMMAD takes notice of the flutist, who has noticed his striking handsomeness, it is evident. She blushes as he looks up at her but never fails a note. Soon the conversation begins. All are polite and allow the Mistress to speak first. MISTRESS AMIYALA: " Bak Suul, I am grateful for your hospitality. Tekar, I know of your fame. Your clan is held in honor as is your brave legion. Perhaps you have aspirations in the Military Party? When your service is done or even before would have you dreams of rising in more political means of serving the Petal Throne? And you Nuroabites--what is your hopes in the Empire? Do you dream of one day gaining admittance to a Clan, having first obtained Imperial citizenship, of course?"
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Post by xerxez on Apr 18, 2024 8:16:37 GMT -6
Tethwan watches in shock and horror mingled with rage at the smoking corpses of the two companions and the rolling head of the slain witch!
His eyes cast about the chamber, wary of the invisible demon who granted such a power to this evil woman.
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Post by xerxez on Apr 17, 2024 14:18:12 GMT -6
Tethwan will try and bet a backstab in on the infernal hound.
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Post by xerxez on Apr 14, 2024 23:11:28 GMT -6
This music is somewhat like what the girl sounds upon her flute in the tea house...
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Post by xerxez on Apr 14, 2024 22:43:29 GMT -6
The encounter with the old woman fresh in your mind, you take leave of her and walk to the end of the cliff street to the tea house.
There is a stone porch, arched windows glowing with lamp light from within, and the scent of spices and hot tea wafting out.
A flute softly begins inside.
As you enter, you see a half oval shaped room, with the flat side being the place from which you entered.
A beautiful young woman sits beside a hearth, playing her flute. Her melody is one of longing, melancholic but not wholly sad, like a remembered song of childhood.
Each note falls as a drop of rain in the forest..her skill is evident but is her song which immediately sets you at ease and rest, along with the pleasant aromas of the tea house.
There are six tables and a bar of sorts, with a door behind the bar on the left side of the room.
Small fires burn behind the bar upon which tea kettles steam.
Fresh mints, spice herbs and other plants hang from the ceiling.
Behind the bar is a Pe Choi... a graceful six limb being with motions as of a butterfly tending the steaming pots. It's chitinous black body gleams in the lamplight.
Only two tables (six chairs each) are occupied.
At one table sits a man in soldier's gear, alone and sipping his tea as a candle burns upon his table.
At another table sits an old man in robes, also enjoying his tea.
In a corner of the tea house, upon a perch, rests a beautiful green bird, its head tucked behind its wings as it grooms itself.
What do you say or do?
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Post by xerxez on Apr 14, 2024 22:26:02 GMT -6
The worthy warrior Balesh would most readily think of the goddess he was told of from childhood in Nuroab, Peka'laa, She From Whom the World Sprang in Fire.
She is, to your knowledge, associated with a certain volcano, and is said to be the wife of the Father of Storms. The Nuroabites held her in the highest esteem, for though she was an embodiment of fire, passion and fury, your shamans, such as Be'van, taught you that her fire and her ash brought life to the ground, and thus was born the jungle and the soil wherein what little agriculture your people know finds root. Thus she was also held to be a Mother Goddess.
But when you entered Jakalla and walked the Avenue of the Gods (The temple district), the statues you beheld there of Avanthe', Dlam'melish, Di'nalla and Hri'hyal struck you as being very like the figure and symbols of your volcano goddess.
What you have seen and heard since then has left you thinking that perhaps, though names may change, somehow, in the aspects and symbols of these other goddesses, there is the semblance of Peka'la... and in beholding this statue of Shirin'gaya, you cannot help but think of the volcano mother goddess. Impressed by this insight, Balesh donates a Kaitar As his coin sounds within the laver, the old woman looks up at him, smiling with approval. Balesh suddeny has a fleeting memory of the time he touched the orb in the Prince's tomb...and the strange visions that came from that, but they are gone as quickly as they came.
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Post by xerxez on Apr 14, 2024 22:15:02 GMT -6
Mi'kímu, suddenly aware of — what? the tingle of magic, the movement of Fate? — he nevertheless does his best to retain his composure. He places a five-kaitar piece among the other offerings. "Wise Mother, if only I had a piece of fruit for you! Please accept this." He hands the woman a cowrie shell from his necklace (a clever knot allows them to be twisted free without breaking the strand, the better to trade them or replace them with finer ones). "I value this shell above all coin or gem," she says. "A gift from the sea, sometimes given upon funereal mounds to procure safe passage for the dead to the Blessed Isles, sometimes used as dice in games of chance by those who seek fortune. I thank you, my son. The blessings of the Mother surely go with you..." She then bows her head and begins a song in the tongue of Tsolyani, a benediction of sorts. Amiyala is transfixed and has become quite serious. She fishes coins from her purse to lay in the laver but also sets therein the feather of the beautiful bird she was given by Tekar. She says nothing but bows to the woman and passes on.
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Post by xerxez on Apr 13, 2024 12:27:43 GMT -6
(Apologies for my lateness in replying)
Tethwan rushes again to the evil hound to take another stab at it as it attacks Torlak.
Can he try for a backstab attack?
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Post by xerxez on Apr 12, 2024 18:47:29 GMT -6
* I'm totally making this up. That is highly enjoyable to me and everyone is encouraged to do the same!
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Post by xerxez on Apr 12, 2024 18:36:03 GMT -6
Mi'kímu regards the lifelike statue with both admiration and recognition — might this be an aspect of Peka'lá, Nuroab goddess of lava who created the stepping stones among the whale roads?* There is no way to know, but he is pleased with the dulcet tones of the fountain, which remind him of nighttimes spent before the mast listening to the wind in the sails and the wash against the hull. "Greetings to you, Gentle Sister! We in fact hope only for joy this evening, thank you. I have no trinkets or flowers to spare, and I know not the custom here. But perhaps I can spare a few kaitars to purchase some of these handsome flowers, as a gift to the Great Mother?" * I'm totally making this up. The woman tilts her face upward, and Mi'kimu is stirred to feel a sudden recognition...he knows not how or why for a moment, but then he is reminded of an old woman he met in the Lower Market of Jakalla, an old woman to whom he proffered kind words and a juicy plum. He is deeply unsettled, though not necessarily afraid. He is half a sea away from where he, Balesh and the others met that woman when he was performing the request of Mistress Amiyala, which he so freely and joyfully offered, to take ward of Do'shi, the Ren'yu. He cannot be certain- her hair is darker, she seems fatter, but in her eyes twinkles that same light he recalled when an old woman in a Jakallan street warned him of the dangers that he and his friends face. She smiles and speaks: "Any gift you give will be accepted by the Goddess, son of the southern lands...and returned sevenfold. And her joy shall be upon you all!"
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Post by xerxez on Apr 12, 2024 18:26:26 GMT -6
What do we know of the Great Mother? The worthy warrior Balesh would most readily think of the goddess he was told of from childhood in Nuroab, Peka'laa, She From Whom the World Sprang in Fire.
She is, to your knowledge, associated with a certain volcano, and is said to be the wife of the Father of Storms. The Nuroabites held her in the highest esteem, for though she was an embodiment of fire, passion and fury, your shamans, such as Be'van, taught you that her fire and her ash brought life to the ground, and thus was born the jungle and the soil wherein what little agriculture your people know finds root. Thus she was also held to be a Mother Goddess.
But when you entered Jakalla and walked the Avenue of the Gods (The temple district), the statues you beheld there of Avanthe', Dlam'melish, Di'nalla and Hri'hyal struck you as being very like the figure and symbols of your volcano goddess.
What you have seen and heard since then has left you thinking that perhaps, though names may change, somehow, in the aspects and symbols of these other goddesses, there is the semblance of Peka'la... and in beholding this statue of Shirin'gaya, you cannot help but think of the volcano mother goddess.
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Post by xerxez on Apr 11, 2024 2:20:08 GMT -6
Mi'kimu stares, blinking, at the disembarkation of his Ahoggyá ship-mates. [Internal screaming.] He has no idea if their presence will be accepted anywhere in this city, or what trouble they might get the party into, should they join us in our pastimes. Aside to Fi'ru: "I do not wish to offend these Ahoggyá. You seem to have some knowledge of their ... appetites. I would prefer they do not join the rest of the party for the evening, and if your compost-heap satisfies them, I approve." Fi'ru grins and nods. "I do not believe it is easy to offend them, Master," he replies. Mi'kimu notes Fi'ru seems to have a way with the Ahoggya and they seem delighted at his suggestion. The three of them stump off while the party gathers..Mistress Amiyala, Do'shi, Bak Suul, Tekar and the Nuroabites. F'sal's Pygmy Folk companions (three, to recall) politely decline the tea house and wish to visit a trader in the Undercity whom they know. Thus the cool sea night embraces you all as you leave the vessel and walk upon land again, climbing ornate wide stone stairs and landings past terraced gardens, vendors, open air eateries and everywhere the watchful eyes of the harbor watchmen. Laughter and small chatter is heard all around, and from somewhere a song from an open window. Fi'ru seems a bit removed from the gaiety of the group as he looks upon streets he has not trodden since childhood, climbing flights of steps which twist this way and that into colonnaded porches that serveas entrances to homes and places of business, most now shuttered. "Here is the street, Masters," he says. "The Pe Choi tea house is at the end, against the sea cliff...see its lanterns shining by the door?" But as you all pass on your eyes are drawn to an idol of the goddess, Shirin'gayi. A rather tall statue, carved so well it seems that her supple form is about to begin a dance--she is not a thin goddess, but a full figured beauty with long carven hair and delicate feet upon a pedestal whereon is a great stone laver in which have been laid flowers, trinkets, Kaitars, and scraps of rolled paper. Planters with flowers and vines are at her sides, and a fountain runs nearby, its watery music seeming in perfect time with the distant waves. Beside the laver a hooded figures sits, head down. You must pass the idol to reach the teahouse--as your party approaches, the seated one's head rises a bit, and from the hood comes the voice of an aged woman. "Greetings, noble ones," she says. "May this night bring you only joy. Has anyone a gift for the Great Mother?"
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Post by xerxez on Apr 4, 2024 18:32:44 GMT -6
At Mi'kimu's instruction, Fi'ru departs to do just that.
This leads to a rather awkward moment...Gasbelly and his two fellow Ahoggya warriors appear and clamber around you...
They smell of the ship's hold and of raw fish, the remains of which glisten upon their wooly manes.
"Food run? And the Shen is buying?" says Gas Belly. "Let's go.."
They began stumping about in eagerness and even the most considerate among you realize they might bring little grace or comport to a tea house.
Fi'ru fidgets a bit.
He leans in to whisper to Mi'kimu.
"Master, I have little experience with these Ahoggya folk...however, I do know of an alley where food waste is deposited for composting for the gardens. I could inform them of it..or they could join us, if you wish it."
Gas Belly looks at the party with glittering eyes.
Do'shi cautiously and at respectful distance sniffs at the great hairy quadrupeds...
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Post by xerxez on Apr 4, 2024 17:22:29 GMT -6
Tethwan, seeing his companions are engaging the evil sorceress, rushes towards the crimson dog with his silver dagger, intent upon dispatching her guardian.
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