[In-Character Threat] Deciphering Tomorrow
Nembellick may be one of the most unique cities you have yet seen. When Fakeen Orris hired you to tend to the needs and safety of her caravan, she had promised you that she went to some rather unusual places. She has yet to disappoint; likely that is the reason she was perfectly fine hiring someone as unusual as Cube.
You've been with the caravan for a month, the first week spent traveling between small claves in the Beyond. Fakeen knew her markest, and traded ore from one place for thin sheets of synth in another, trading those for flocks of feathered, six-legged sinuous creatures in clear bubbles, the creatures for heavy synth bags of some kind of sloshing liquid, so and so forth across the countryside.
For the past three weeks you have traversed the Black Riage mountains, trading at tiny villages, hamlets, and claves that one had to know they were there to find them at all. The caravan of twenty aneen had little trouble navigating the slopes and turns of the range, though you've had to fend off occasionally attacks of broken hounds at night, and two raids by abhuman bands looking for a quick bit of loot and mayhem.
As you descend from the foothills into Navarene, the aneen are now burdened with bundles of a thick red fleece that the last village harvested from the churning of the crimson waterfalls near their home. Fakeen had recommended not drinking any of the local brews while you were there. As the foothills become more and more gentle, Fakeen nods to Eris (and Erin) on their own gold and white aneen, gesturing to what appear to be two large structures atop stilts in the distance.
"That'll be our next village, Nembellick. They do fancy feather cloaks and fabrics - the stuff looks grand and is light as a cloud, but 'tis more suited for them that don't have to dirty their hands for work. City folk in particular will pay handsome for it," she says, raking her silver hair out of her eyes, her one crystalline hand flashing in the late summer sunlight. "Should be there in a few hours."
That's a bit interesting, because it suggests the tall structures are quite tall indeed, though estimating size at a distance can be deceptive. As you draw closer, you notice something quite odd about the little town, in particular across the structures. The long stilts supporting the building, they seem to be organic. That's not entirely unheard-of, but certainly less common. Then you realize that there are structures atop the largest parts of the silts. And the tall towers that rose above the city are attached to them.
Nembellick is a cluster of buildings atop the backs of two enormous four-legged bird-like beasts, with ropes that stretch between them for people to visit the opposite part of town. Long cord ladders dangle down the necks from the head, where a single structure with a single person sits. Below the "backs" of the birds are a series of slings and more ladders and ropes for people to dangle or swing on. It seems, from the piles of refuse at one end, and the small flocks of dossi being tended in the shadow of the birds' feet, that the large creatures move very slowly, if at all.
As the caravan draws closer, the older children who seem to be in charge of the dossi herds shout and laugh, pointing at the caravan as someone swarms up a ladder to alert anyone who hadn't already known of the group's presence.
As the other children herders begin to call and use crystal-tipped staves to get the dossi together, there is a rumble in the earth. With a shriek, one child loses his footing and falls out of sight as two surprised dossi tumble after him, lowing their distress over the harsh, staticky cry of something very strange...
This message was last updated by the GM at 15:48, Mon 01 Oct 2018.