Cavalier had indeed not done much. The automaton had done what it had been told, if anything, and waited out the night. It was getting used to such; remaining inactive or idle while the others rested. Of course it did not complain, for it had often much to ponder instead.

As the day continues on, and the giant approach them, it speaks calmly.

"Stay your weapon. We do not wish to fight unless necessary." While it speaks, its hands hover at its side, though the right one is still and always close to the handle of the club, if the man would get any hostile ideas when it got closer.

Skitterlung had spent a good part of his morning preparing plant matter for his new friend, as well as letting him out to crawl across his fingers for a bit. He thought that he might get this bug a friend in time.

When the giant man crashed through the trees and shrubbery, Skitterlung rushed to stand behind Gren, in a manner that could perhaps be construed as cowardly. But, he had noticed that Gren fought with his hands, and he trusted Gren more than the tall folk.

Gren dug himself out of his hole then went to help the sailors before looking for some dried food to eat in his pouch.

Just as he was about to tuck in something else burst into their camp.

Turning he felt Skitterlung dart behind him which uncharacteristically prompted him to place one clawed hand on the little goblins shoulder to reassure him while his other hand stayed at his side though his clawed fingures were suddenly spread ready to attack while dried food found itself dumped on the ground

The man closes to about ten feet before noticing the suspicion he is being watched with. He looks somewhat theatrically behind him and, seeing nothing, turns back towards you with a face erupting into a broad grin. He maintains the hold on his staff but opens his arms out wide in a gesture of supplication. He then speaks in a booming voice, "Hold friends, I come in peace! We don't see strangers on the island very often and when I got word that we had some newcomers I just had to come and see for myself. You've picked a magnificent time of year to come, the weather has been absolutely divine for weeks. How are you finding the stay so far?"

Had Cavalier been able to, its eyes would have narrowed. It did not fully trust the man yet, but so far, approaching them alone and speak as such did not suggest it to be hostile.

"Unwelcoming and hostile, so pardon our reaction." Its hand, resting near the club, moved slightly away from it, trying to adopt a more casual stance - as casual as a huge clockwork could, that is.

"And me, Skitterlung, it's been a bad visit. Too many talls I don't trust, too many shorts don't trust me. Lost my roaches. Not much eating." He gave a wheezing cough as he finished talking.

He kept a hand near his sling in case the tall man threatened them suddenly.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:56, Wed 19 Aug 2020.

Kaine had just finished breaking his fast after spending a very uncomfortable night in the treetop, and so was caught off guard as the strange man crashed through the trees into their campsite.

Staring at the red liquid on the man's clothing with suspicion, Kaine gripped his staff and used it to propel himself to his feet, catching the man's eye and saying, "We have found this place to be a bit inhospitable good sir. Would you care to introduce yourself, and tell us where you are from?"

The man looks rather taken aback at the negative response to his question and reaches one hand up to scratch his beard, smearing red from his gloves through it as he does so. He tuts thoughtfully for a few seconds before speaking, "I'm very sorry to hear that, you should have sent word ahead and I could have made sure you were suitably greeted. I suppose the things in the jungle could be a little daunting if you don't know your way around but the broken ones should have been on hand to assist. Oh well, nevermind, no lasting harm done."

At this the sailor with the broken leg, Jeb, spits loudly on the ground and audibly grumbles about 'lack of harm'. At this the newcomer seems to notice him for the first time, "Ah, that looks like a nasty break. I'm sure we'll be able to see you right back at the house. Of course you'll all come? We would love to have you for lunch!" He points vaguely in the direction you had been heading, to the source of the other smoke you saw, and starts to turn to go before remembering "Sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Dr Fran Markov but everybody here just calls me Dr Fran. I live here on the island with my ward and a small staff, been here for years. It really is a lovely place when you get used to it. Now, shall we head to the house? It's only a couple of miles."

Cavalier's head turns ever so slightly, empty eyesockets behind mask focusing on its companions. It was their call, it concluded.

Something about the man's tone and words, not to mention his appearance, made Kaine inwardly recoil; nearly every instinct of his warned him of danger. But they could not part with an opportunity to see to Jeb's broken leg; they would not be able to move with any speed in the jungle as long as Jeb was with them and in his current condition.

"Very well, our companion could use rest and healing. We would be most grateful for any help," Kaine replied to the strange man, slowly and evenly. He gestured with his staff for the man to take point and lead the way.

Skitterlung nervously moved up and around to Gren's side, slowly setting his sling back in its place on his belt. He did repeatedly look back and forth between Gren and this strange man, as well as his other companions, to see if anyone would have a different take.

Kaine, whom had become something of a spokesperson for the group it gathered, had agreed to the suggestion - though it did not catch the tinge of uncertainty in his voice. Its head turns back to the wild man, waiting for it to lead their way away. Though it would keep its eyes on him...

Gren looked over at the others and nodded.

They might as well follow the strange man anything to get them out of the jungle

The newcomer's face breaks into a huge smile, "Capital, capital! We'll see what we can do to help back at the house. We just need to detour to pick up my things." With that he heads off towards the part of the treeline from which he emerged earlier.

As the sailors gather their things Monterey whispers quietly to you, "I don't trust 'im. First sign of any trouble I'm stickin' him with this" he gestures to his sword "so just keep him distracted." With that he, and he rest of you, follow Dr Fran into the woods.

A short distance in he comes to a stop in a small grove at the center of which is a bush covered in bright red flowers. Nearby is an easel and art supplies which Fran busies himself packing up. Given the fairly chaotic state of the paints it seems likely that this is the source of the red liquid he has been slowly smearing all over himself in the short time you have known him. The painting, though half finished, is already a fairly capable study of the flower in some detail. Seeing you look Dr Fran is happy to provide further information, "Art is my little hobby you understand. This island has such wonderful flora and fauna I think it's important to document it as much as possible. There are so few visitors it would be such a shame if nobody ever saw any of this."

Once packed up, in a large sack Dr Fran hoists over one mighty shoulder, he leads you on a path through the trees skirting around the edge of the open hilled area. After about an hour heading South (whilst given a running commentary on every tree, plant and animal you pass from Dr Fran) you come to something which resembles a track, or at least the clearest path through the trees you have seen since coming to the island, and after about a further hour you leave the jungle and enter a large open area.

Located on a low hill in the centre of a comfortable area of rolling grassland is what looks like a large manor house surrounded by a wooden stockade, about seven feet high, of sharpened wooden stakes. From the angle you approach you can only see one entrance - a sizeable wooden gate built into the North wall. As you approach you can see that closer to the house the ground is taken up by an expanse of vegetable and flower gardens.

Dr Fran points with his staff and booms, "Home sweet home!". As you get within shouting distance of the walls he shouts again, deafeningly loudly, "Orson! The door!. Looking at you almost apologetically he shrugs, "Sorry for the delay, we have to keep the gate closed to stop some of the more...boisterous wildlife getting in. My man should be here to open it but I suspect he didn't expect me back so soon so he might be tending to something else. While we wait I haven't asked how you got here! The supply ship isn't due for another few weeks and even that rarely brings visitors so what brings you to my little slice of heaven?

Following the large man in silence, Kaine is pleasantly surprised at the reveal of the partially completed artwork. "You have some talent good sir," he politely remarked, looking at the partially completed work.

The remainder of the journey proved to be more relaxing, as Kaine felt some of the tension from their encounter drain away. After all, what were the chances an artist could secretly be a cannibal or any other type of horrific person. Still, it never hurt to be on guard; Kaine's own master had appeared to be a feeble old man rather than the potent warlock that he was.

When they left the jungle and reached the manor Kaine exhaled in relief; some civilization at last. If nothing else, at least they could look forward to a proper bath.

"We were shipwrecked only about two days ago, and wounded up on shore along with the wreckage," he replied to Dr Fran. "It is strange you have been living alone here for some time, do the wild beasts of this island not pose any danger to you?" Kaine added curiously.

Skitterlung followed along, always cautious of this tall man. He eased only slightly when he found out about the man's artistic practices--after all, many short folk were renowned for their artistry of various sorts. Goblins for their scraping--Skitterlung had a scraped piece of his own, of course--dwarves for their carving, gnomes for their machining. The tall folk had arts, of course, but these were strictly inferior--art was always a second thought for tall folks.

Coming up to the manor, his sense of alarm kicked in all over again. Well-to-do goblins always stayed in sewers or alleyways, and having a manor was as certain a sign as any that a tall was ill-mannered, prejudicial, and thoroughly invested in flushing undesirables out of the local environs.

He voiced just such an opinion to Gren: "Skitterlung doesn't trust the tall, Gren. Big house, big stamping and stomping boots coming down on short heads."

Gren followed the others his sight might not be as good as them but his sense of smell was so he used that to study the area around him.

Looking down at his now little green friend "do not worry if there is stomping and stamping the big one will find Gren is not for squishing stick with me and you will be fine" he said with a smile on his big wide mouth

Cavalier was - unsurprisingly - not very talkative. It found some companionship in Caine, but Gren was a strange creature, and Skitterlung even more so - and his talk of tall folk surely rubbed off on the clockwork. It assumed the tiny thing did not trust it, so it did not particularly confide in it more than it needed to.

The journey was long and dull, as it were, and it found little humour in the strange doctor that aided them. However it afforded the automaton plenty of time to think. Think of its plight here, stranded on some remote island with wildlife at large. It never assumed it would be in this sort of a life, now that it was free. Or was it?

"No one will be allowed to stomp you. We protect each other." it says, calmly, slightly leaning down to say it to Skitterlung.

Your host, beaming with pride the whole way back from the praise for his artwork, looks genuinely shocked at hearing you were shipwrecked, "Good Lord, are you all alright? (this gets a derisive snort from the injured sailor) "I had no idea, you must think me quite flippant!

As he continues to apologise you hear a grunt of exertion and the gates begin to swing open revealing a huge man the other side. Clad in a simple monastic robe he stands nearly eight feet tall and is almost as broad. He hauls open the gates one at a time to admit you entry and then gives a small nod of his bald, but thickly bearded, head to Dr Fran who waves his thanks, "And I don't live here alone my dear fellow. This strapping chap is my man, Orson. My major domo, Felix, will be around here somewhere and there is also my ward, Delphi. We do get the supply ship every few weeks and some visitors on that but it's usually just us; and the Broken Ones obviously but they aren't much for conversation." He leads you through the gate, his huge manservant stepping to the side to let you pass - there not being enough room for both him and Cavalier in the gateway despite it's large dimensions.

A dirt pathway strewn with gravel begins at the gate and leads up to the front doors of the main house; a smartly made two story wooden building with a thatched roof. The house forms a rough U shape with a central area, where the main doors are, and then two wings; one to each side. The timbers of the house are well-hewn and tightly made; whoever built it knew what they were doing. Several windows, shutters swung open in the sunshine, dot the walls of the building though most are on the upper levels. A side path juts off the main route and then splits with one fork going to a smaller, one level building (constructed in a similar manner to the main house) set up against the wall just to the right of the gate as you come in and the other running around the side of the house and going into what appears to be a side door on the right side of the main house as you look at it.

Dr Fran leads you to the smaller building and pushes open the door revealing a simple interior divided into three rooms around a central hall. Two of the rooms are clearly bedchambers, sparsely furnished with a table, chair, water basin and straw cot. The other room appears to be a communal area with a central fire pit and two cupboards. "Here can be your home away from home, this is where our guests stay. My apologies for the humble conditions, we don't get that many visitors, but obviously you'll be welcome in the house so this is just really for sleeping in. Shall I leave you to settle in and get ready while I check on lunch? I'll have some water sent out so you freshen up. When you're ready just pop up to the house and let yourself in; I'll be in the library it's just to the right as you come in." With that Dr Fran turns to leave you in peace though you can hear him muttering, "It's just so nice to be able to entertain! as he walks away...

As Dr Fran led them inside his abode Kaine looked around the manor curiously, wondering if their host had constructed this place or found it like this. Likely the former, given the place must be able to accommodate the large size of Dr Fran and his three companions.

They are not human surely, descended from giants perhaps? he wondered. It would not be polite to ask of-course, so Kaine refrained from doing so. His ears did perk up at the mention of the 'broken ones', and he wondered if they referred to the beast-men they had fought earlier. He kept it in mind to ask their host later, after they had eaten and rested.

There were a great many things Kaine wished to query their host about.

As Dr. Fran showed them to the guest rooms and turned to leave, Kaine propped his staff outside on of the bedchambers and said, "We thank you for your hospitality and generousness, good sir. I will gladly join you in the library after freshening up; someone to see to our companion's leg should be a priority though, if there is someone here who can help mend it and take care of the pain."

---

ooc: Would Kaine know what species Dr. Fran and his companions are? If not can I make an Intellect roll to determine if Kaine has heard of them?

OOC: There is definitely something odd about the physical dimensions of your hosts but Kaine hasn't heard of anything which might fit the bill. Dr Fran is more 'normal' in appearance, certainly in the face, whereas Orson very much has something of the other about him.

Cavalier has to bend down slightly to get into the house, but after some awkward maneuvering, it manages to get in. "There has been more comfortable logistics, but this shall suffice." it comments, once Fran had left, not wishing to insult them.

It sits down against one of the walls, looking to the others. "What is our plan for now? Are we to wait for these supplyships to arrive so we might leave the island?"

Having been impressed by the artificial tall one's prior words, Skitterlung settled in closely between Green and Cavalier, leering about around himself before pulling close to the others. "Don't trust this tall. Feels wrong to this one." He scowled as he leaned back, looking around the room for any signs of a spy or a new visitor.

Gren felt it to but couldn't put his clawed finger on it. The man had for all intense rescued them from the jungle, given them hospitality and done nothing untoward but still things were not as they seemed he felt it.

He gave the goblin a reassuring pat on the arm then went and cleaned himself up after all he still had dried earth all over himself and he knew humans hated dirt in their homes

After ensuring Jeb was as comfortable as could be given the circumstances while the water was brought it to fill the basins, Kain put his travel bag and staff by the side of a cot in one of the rooms, then stripped off most of his clothes and washed himself using the basin as best as he could.

Thoroughly enjoying the feel of the cool, clean water on his skin Kaine also wanted to wash his clothes but decided against it for now, he didn't know how long they would be staying here and wanted to get a proper feel for their hosts first.

"That would be the most apparent course of action, there is little else we can do," he replied to Cavalier, as he dusted off his clothing before putting it back on. He also glanced at Gren, Skitterling and the sailors to gauge their reaction. They had no other choice, aside from starving in the wilderness or falling eventual prey to those beasts they had fought earlier. And to be honest, spending the days perusing Dr. Fran's library and eating his food until the supply ship arrived did not seem like a bad way to pass the time.

Therein lay the problem of-course, nothing was free in this cruel world.

"I say we remain on guard, trusting only each other, but stay polite. Our hosts could be what they seem, generous and good of heart, helping those in need," Kaine remarked finally.

He was eager to go to the library to eat the lunch Dr. Fran had mentioned, and to talk with him some more once the others were ready.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:29, Thu 17 Sept 2020.