Ovo doesn't want to openly take sides in a dispute between senior officers, but he can't help but nod his approval at D'Amboise's words.

In reply to Ovo Goldenshield (msg # 448):

Thatch shrugs, The captain lady herself said they would be meeting in a few days, but, pauses, if you can get her to set a meeting for tomorrow that would be fine and dandy, with a grin, sir.

The priest sighs heavily in consternation.  "No, you are right ... the meeting is already arranged - to turn up earlier might invite attack at worst, and either make them overly wary or make them think that we are desperate."

"The waiting is always the worst part of any battle, be it of brawn or wits.  But if wait we must then I shall abide."

Ovo smiles.

"Well, den, on de bright side . . . I still got dese two lads who are eager for some religious instruction.  Kenneff and Grendu are their names.  Eager they are, and smart as whips."

In reply to Ovo Goldenshield (msg # 451):

So, till we meet up with the Mongrual men, let's find out why the Amazons do not cross the line and attack here, see if we can recon the outer area that the captains crew controls for defense purposes, you know in case we get attacked chuckles.  and plan exctly what we are going to ask the Mongral men.

For now then I will take the time to study up on a new spell I been meaning to learn.

Let's at least stay paired up for now.  Ovo, I shall keep you company and Kit And Shank you two seem to work well together so stay with each other and D'Ambiose, pick which group you would like to hang with.

Kit seems comfortable with that suggestion, passing Shank the cheesiest grin she can muster. All teeth and sparkling eyes. Wisely, she keeps her words to herself, knowing that the others cannot understand them, and that her common is rough around the edges. Absently, she rubs an arm as if cold, lifts her shoulders in a shrug and relaxes her stance. Ready for what comes next.

In reply to Kit L'Rynn (msg # 453):

Looking to the group gathered.  Tonight each of us finish up what are plans are via in pairs then tomorrow we meet for breakfast and plan each day plus what we are going to look to ask about the Mongrel Men.

D'Ambiose, if there is a chance to move forward the Mongrel Men meeting by a day that could work but we go by the Captains plans there.

Thatch will stick with Ovo the rest of the day, He will watch and learn how Ovo teaches fighting and take in what the crew are like he sees by way of - any taking extra care to watch them, singularly or in groups, if the same ones keep watching/coming back to were they are to watch but pay more attention to him then the teachings by Ovo.  Being paraniod about how well the group has been assimulated into the crews lives and making sure only the Man with no Name joins freely (this is a pirate/independent crew) and no steeling/theft or - looking at Kit - worse could happen while they are among them.   He hopes they are taken in as part of the crew and have no issues but .....

He will also study each day that passes new spells as I rolled.

D'Amboise may have the advantage of having met the crew before (if under unusual and difficult circumstances), but it seems to be Ovo who gets on best with them - the Dwarf's love of battle and simple faith the catalyst for the interest expressed by some of them in learning more of Wotan.

So the priest remains with Ovo, and with Thatch as the Dwarf teaches the crew how to fight, and when they approach him with questions he obliges, though he is careful to answer plainly as he speaks about the gods and his own devotion, wary of preaching overmuch to the sailors.

Even so, D'Amboise does not shy from discussion around the different faces that the gods show to mortal men ... and that sometimes Wotan wears the face of Tempus, others Denastron (that name first heard from Captain Redclaw's lips) ... and that it matters not what names men choose to give their gods, it is the aspect that is the essence.

And the aspects of Wotan, of course, are that of war, but also of wisdom, knowledge ... and even poetry.

The priest tells the sailors how Wotan and his brothers slew the Frost Gian Ymir and made the earth from the giant's body, that he is the All-Father, sire of Thor, that he traded one eye for a draught from the Well of Knowledge, that he hung himself on Yggdrasil, the World Tree for nine days, pierced by his own spear, until by virtue of his suffering he was able to reach down and seize magical runes that were the source of wisdom and arcane lore.

And that the reward of the warrior who is slain in battle is to be granted a seat at the table in Valhalla's hall, there to feast and fight, in preparation for Ragnarok, the last battle, when all things will end.

Several days pass as the party enjoys the hospitality of the crew and preparations are made for the meeting.

The captain sees them all off, though her main interest is clearly in D'Amboise, though she does pay due diligence to her crew and their mission.

Shank seems more cheerful then... well, ever to be sure, and to those with an eye for such things, it is the presence of the lady elf that seems to have caused the change in his demeanor.

Their nameless companion would not be traveling with them, as he had fallen ill with some sort of brain fever, and lay tossing and turning in his bed, tended by the crews doctor, but the illness is new to him, and far beyond his normal array of cuts, bruises and the occasional amputation.

The party is duly sad, but not overly so, as the man had been with them but a short time, and to be honest, not a one even had learned his name, through no fault of their own.

***

The party skirted the northern edge of the city, and finally met the local band of mongrel men after about six hours of careful travel.

First mate Briggums stepped ahead to discuss the situation with the leader of the others, a tall fellow with stork legs and torso, and feathers on his arms, which ended in human-like hands. His dog shaped head was capable of speech, and he seemed an easy going fellow.

"Any friends of the good captain is welcome here. Don't start any trouble, and none will come to you in return..."

The goods are swapped, mostly food stuffs from the city folk, for an odd assortment of goods including swamp animals and several potions crafted by Redclaws mage.

Soon the familiar-ish mongrel faces are headed off, and the party is left with new ones.

In reply to The Dreamer of Worlds (msg # 456):

Smiling but with a sidelong glance at the crew then his group Thatch awaits the new group arrival, prepared.

Kit spends her time as best she can, quite frequently with Shank and it soon becomes common knowledge that she has slowly been teaching him her language at the same time intently attempting to learn more of his. Very little in the way of her past has come up, only to say she was once a part of a larger group of Elves, but chose to leave them, her reasoning falling on ears that could not understand and she had fallen silence in her frustration to not be able to explain it.

When the time comes to make their exchanges, she is quiet enough, letting others do the talking where her skills have been lacking. Her bow remains at her back, always near should it need to be ready and she watches the proceedings with interest.

Ovo plays the strong silent type, trying his best to appear quietly competent when the new group is met.  He is certain to have the "say nothing" part down pat.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:44, Thu 03 Nov 2016.

D'Amboise seems more like his old self, some of the cares of the world having fallen away since he and his friends, unhoped for, found Captain Redclaw and her crew once more.

While waiting for the days to pass (and indeed spending as much of that time as he can in the Captain's company, though he too does not neglect his friends nor his duties, talking and praying with any of the crew that wishes to do so), he is moved to speak of the tale that only Ovo has heard before ... of another life that he thought but a dream but which has proven only too real.

He tells of being captured, taken by magic to a place called the Labyrinth, a patchwork place of different peoples and cultures and lands, all trapped there by a self-styled god, a madman calling himself Soahc.  He tells of how they fought many battles, striving for freedom from their captivity.  And how one by one all his comrades fell.  And he tells how, at the last he met Captain Jenni Redclaw and sailed with them until one dreadful night when one of the crew was wounded unto death and he fought to save him, trying to hold the life in the torn body with but bare hands ... and then woke, finding himself as he is now, with memories of a different life and thinking that previous life but a dream, until the witch he and the Dwarf found at Shallowdome told him the truth of it.

And now ... here at the cusp, with the struggle like to begin anew, the priest finds himself happy.

"Well met, gentlemen," he smiles, offering a handshake to the feathered dog-bird as if it were the most normal thing under the sun.

Shank spends most of his time with Kit, practicing her strange language and teaching her common. She is a quick learner and an able teacher and he retains as much as he can, though he keeps complaining about words he should know not being locked in his memory due to lack of true rest.

When not in language lessons, he moves freely about the ship trying to understand more about why it is here and why the people that have stayed with it have not abandoned the land locked vessel. D'Amboise's stories make it clear this Captain inspires loyalty and then some but he still has to wonder if there isn't something special about the ship itself.

Shank sizes the new arrrivals up keeping an eye out for any threats

In reply to Shank (msg # 461):

One day Thatch will have to talk to D'Ambiose about his other worldly adventure - when hings are a bit more calm, but for now, Thatch gives the new Mongral a slight bow and acknowledgment as he awaits the appropriate introductions by the lead spokesmen of each group.

"My name is..." a sound comes from his throat which is part growl, part birdsong and totally unrepeatable by a human (or elven) throat, "... but you can call me Bird-dog. Yes, I know, where on earth did that nickname come from?" His good-natured laughter is half bark. To any who ponder such things, it must be much easier to grow up some an odd mix in a land made up of similarly unusual forms. The fact that the party, for perhaps a wide variety of reasons, have the singular reaction of taking this all in stride, certainly can't hurt.

The men gather the trade goods they had come to collect, and the party heads back to the lair of the mongrel-men, Bird-dog taking point.

"So, D'Amboise was it? How did you and your friends end up in the confines of our little world. Tell me, is sun really brighter than the glow of the Temple?"

Kit keeps a watchful eye to their surroundings as they move, though she keeps an ear open for the story-telling. Kit had always been one for stories, as it had led to her eventual abandonment of her own people and the continual desire for them was evident in her attention, though no so far as to neglect her duties.

Shank is happy that all was handled peacefully. He feels like it may have even been too easy. He watches and waits to hear D'amboise respond to this Bird Dog.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:56, Mon 14 Nov 2016.

The priest laughs at the mongrelman's jest, the sound from his own throat more gutteral, but hearty.  He's been around the ship's crew and captain long enough that such oddities of form now trouble him not at all.

"How did we end up here ?" D'Amboise seems to be asking himself the same question, grinning at Kit's interest.

"At the behest of a lady," he settles upon.  "A favour for a favour.  We seek news of her lost love, last seen in this vicinity, and in return we gain her good will and her assistance.  Yes, we come from the lands above, and the sun above is so bright that if you gazed upon it even for but a short while, you would be blinded by it's light."

"We travelled through a swamp, to the island that lies above us and managed to avoid the sharp blades of the Amazons to make our way here ... though in truth, having been reunited with Jenni Redclaw and her crew, it's as if I never left."

"All this ... reminds me of a place I once was."

In reply to D'Amboise (msg # 466):

Thatch gives D'Ambiose a warm shoulder grasp our past walks with us into the future and we live the present to make the future bright.

Some of your past has connected back with you.  Smiles now about why we ended up here, and looks to the mongrelman, we seek word about this man the lover or favored by the women a Mistress X..... (forgot the exact name)  Is there or was there ever a man around these parts? (gosh did we ever get his name?? - wow did I have a software failure too?).

Thatch looks to D'Amboise again, Anything I missed? Did not want to overstep things  Then back to the mongrelman.

"Mistress Xellistia," D'Amboise supplies.  For a man with memories that encompass two lives, the priest has no trouble recalling the name of their patron.

"No, you have the right of it.  All I can add are the lady's own words: 'When last I spoke to my lover, he was in the gardens of Aloyebakis in the heart of the city of Kturumthirr'.  Mistress Xellistia is not unskilled in the arts arcane," he explains to Bird-dog. "Though whether her lover had similar talents I do not know."

"Nor, I must say, do I recall her mentioning his name in my presence ..." he looks questioningly at Thatch and Shank to see if either of the pair can provide it.

Bird-Dog pauses for a second, then continues walking.

"That glow in the sky, that comes from the Garden you mention. Not a safe place for any of us, or so I'm told."

He glances about, as if frightened they might be listened too.

"The heart of our city, without I suspect the entire city we live in would cease to me. If there is a man alive from when the city was new, that would be the place to find him. Or what was left of him..."

"A dangerous place then," the priest hesitates, looking to his companions, concerned that if he pushes too far for an explanation it might offend Bird-Dog.

Raising his hand, hopefully to forestall any further questions regarding that, at least for the moment, he changes tack slightly.

"Kobolds occupy the temple, I've been told ?  Led by one Occulasii Ressulem ?  We'd though to treat with them ... and hoped you might be able to help us ... or warn us ?"

Ovo glances about nervously, as if expecting an attack from all sides at any moment.

In reply to Ovo Goldenshield (msg # 471):

Thatch nods to D'Ambiose as he changes tactic.  We wish to gather information about this area and not trying to unbalance things we thought to council others and start with those more civil and competent.  Smiles, Getting advice from you goes a long way as Kobolds have a reputation but the name perked our interests.   He does look toward the Garden a moment then back.  Maybe we can work our interests to everybody's betterment.