Rosa raises an eyebrow at Murleena's impudence. "I'm comfortable sitting here in my captain's chair. If you want to read over my shoulder you can move closer to me." She again reaches for the book, but this time she doesn't pause; she lays her hand on the book and slides it towards herself.

Murleena growled low, and extended a claw holding the book firm where it is for the moment. "Do not treat me like I am some house cat. Telling me to 'come here little kitty and look over my shoulder'." She said in a firm tone, giving a very clear indication of how she took Rosa's words. "I feel the reason that the cultists are here and what they are doing is in that book. Meaning it would be better if we were reading it side by side, not me over your shoulder like I am some house cat." She clearly seemed upset by the treatment, but seemed willing to share and still come to a consensus. It also seemed that when she was upset, her speech became much better. She didn't say her name when referring to herself.

"I'm not treating you like some bloody house cat!" Her voice rises in exasperation, but then pauses and takes a deep breath. "It seems that we want to read the book for exactly the same reason, so let's stop arguing and bloody well read the thing." She gets up from her seat and sits down next to the kitty. "I read fast. Try to keep up."

She calms down and takes her claw off the book. "Let me make sure there is nothing on it first, that will make us go boom. It would be a huge loss to get this far only to lose it all." She said with a firm nod, and began to examine the book more closely to make sure there was nothing untoward about it. Once she was satisfied, she'd set it in a good spot between her and Rosa, and open it. "Murleena reads fast too, when either of us see's something we should point it out to the other. We might have different takes on something."

Light's quick cooking helps him get things ready - he's used to trucking at odd hours, though the frantic run through the ship was draining.  Being n'Eyeborg isn't easy.  The crew is tired too - some come by to get some rest and food, others to talk about what had happened that night.  For such a risky venture for little (financial) gain, things went shockingly well... a good omen?  Maybe.

It's a sleepy day.  Rumor has it the town is apparently planning a bit of a feast in thanks that evening.  There is time to set stew and broth to cook, to prepare quick food for energy, and for Light to get some shut-eye.

---

Tylluan digs in early - there's plenty of fresh fish for him, and fruit!  They don't need any cooking for his palate, and they know enough to know that.  Really, it's good that adventure was done so quickly!  Of all the inconveniences of it, those idiot priests were probably the worst.

He'll probably never see them again.

And good riddance!

------

None of the things are trapped, though the scrollcase is sealed with wax.  The book... is a book of notes.  Most of them are attached via a set of three loose rings that bind most of the pages together.  But others are held in via string, folded paper compartments, or just stuffed between the pages.

1) The stuffing comes first:

There's a collection of pieces of maps, different areas circled and marked on it.  Rosa can tell that these heavily feature the Aifla Archipelago, though there are references to maps and notes for the Belka Archipelago, Wintermere, and Tronsket.  Most of what she can find on those regions is terse - channels, cities, and rough sailing maps with certain areas marked.

For the terse notes on the other regions, the markings look like settlements (and what major cities there are).  Her own maps are much better for that sort of thing... and judging by the notes, a little more accurate.  Only the maps for the south Tronsket coast and region look quite correct, though the notes there are -surprisingly- detailed and accurate.

There's also notes about 'the construction site' at a south Tronsket city called Jeilfet?  It's a pretty popular trading city, Rosa's been there before.  Construction there was common too - on the mainland of Tronsket, there was plenty of room to expand.

The Aifla notes are much more thorough - no one's really mapped the thousands (or tens of thousands) of Aifla islands, and these don't add much there... directly.  But there are popular travel routes marked, major towns and cities.  There's also a number of 'sites of interest' marked along the way... including Faq U?  Stepper's Toe does as well.

Almost all these markings are along the northern part of Belka, and the nearst areas along the Aifla.  Also, perhaps not coincidentally, that's where the most accurate sections of the map are.  The distances between major islands is noted in writing and markings, notes about possible seasonal currents, and some other kind of 'water regions' are noted that aren't familiar.

At the very end there's some notes about Piquo... and a note about the city of South Vicquet.  It has 'open negotiations on site?' in scratches.

2) The book:

The book itself seems to have numerous sketches on 'observed life', 'strange things'... actually, it's so stuffed with different observations and sketches that it's going to take... quite a while.  It seems like a detailed catalogue of information, mainly on strange things... like trinkets!  There's some maps drawn out here as well, little thumbnails of the region where the animal or plant was found?

3) Flat case:

The flat thin case opens... to a narrow, ornate silver key.  Alongside it is a small gold chain (a necklace?) with a tiny ruby on it, wires of gold clutching it.

4) Scrollcase:

This... unfortunately cannot be opened without breaking the wax seal... or cutting open the wood of the case directly.

Tylluan enjoys his food, to the extent his rudimentary palate allows him, which puts him in a much more happy frame of mind. Once full, he bows to the villagers who were appreciative enough to reward his efforts. "Thank you, thank you, good people. I must take my leave for now, but I shall return later."

Flying on a full stomach isn't easy, but Tylluan manages to flap into the air until he finds a suitable perch. There, he fluffs out his feathers and closes his eyes for a well-deserved nap to sleep off his meal. The warm sun, the sea breeze, and the cry of seabirds lulls him into a contented drowse. If all adventures end like this, perhaps undertaking them could possibly be more rewarding than I previously thought.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:05, Sun 24 July 2022.

"Interesting, interesting," Rosa keeps on muttering as she looks through the book. After skim-reading most of it, she says, "What you've got here is a navigator's book of charts. They'll be lost without this. They really should have taken more care of it." She chuckles for a moment, then frowns. "It wouldn't surprise me if they try to get it back. It's obvious that we would have come back here, and any half decent navigator should be able to retrace their steps back to here. We should warn the villagers.... and we need to decide if we stay or leave as soon as possible."

"It looks like they've come from the north and they've been exploring the area, working their way south. And they're building at various places. Trading posts, perhaps? Is that what they were doing  on the island? I don't know. I think this is going to require a closer reading."

She takes a look at the key and the gold chain. "Pretty. It kind of looks like the it's in the same style as that bauble I picked up earlier." She gets it out and compares the two.

"What's in the scroll case?" She lets Murleena open it and look at it first.

In reply to Rosanhi the Red (msg # 18):

Light frowns at the cartography stuff that found itself in the catfolk's possession.

'You... Took that off those crazy High Light people?'

'Rescuing the villagers made us heroes, but this? It makes us thieves. They might not have messed with Faqu again after we rescued them... but if that mess of charts and stuff is...' -He starts rubbing his thumbs and fingertips together like he's trying to sprinkle seasoning on two meals in front of him- '...important... to them, then this could make them a lot more likely to pursue us.'

His face is one of honest concern for the Darkmaiden's Dance and its crew and passengers.

Oh boy!  Inside the scrollcase is a letter held curled up in the curve of a large signet ring.

'This is a letter of introduction of Head Bishop Tamitor, acting representative of Archbishop Kari Wuhrer and the Investigation Fleet "Lighting Way", to Lord Galen Ardent of the city South Vicquet.  Head Bishop Tamitor, and Bishop Allifet if the Head Bishop is indesposed, have been granted authority to conduct negotations for the construction of a Lighthouse and Library on my behalf.'

One last thing is found with the Navigator's book - it's been fastened to the inside of the back cover.  Another letter, this one flat and kept for safekeeping.

'Head Bishop Tamitor, Bishop Allifet, and High Deacon Allister, all of the ship "The Twelfth Beacon", and of the Flotilla "Foglight Piercing", of the Investigation Fleet "Lighting Way".  This is a Letter of Authority of the aforementioned individuals to conduct the business of the Archbishop Kari Wuhrer for the express purposes of discovery and the construction of new Lighthouses as well as the requisition of materials and information for their Libraries.'

---

Naps are ready 'round - Moft was back with the villagers. Tylluan was lording over his successes and settling down for a daytime nap.  Light is able to get some rest after preparing some quick food...

[OOC](and soon, your GM will put together a party thread... and perhaps a next journey thread)[/OOC]
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:43, Tue 26 July 2022.

"Yes, bad kitty," Rosa says, then she gives Murleena a wink that Light can't see. She says to Light, "We'll warn the villagers to be prepared for a return visit. Hopefully that will motivate them to build better defences for themselves." If the priests want to get these things back then perhaps it is best for the village if we leave as soon as possible.

She reads the letters from the scroll-case. After reading the first one she says, "This all seems legitimate and normal." She frowns after reading the second one. "Hrm. This says their ship was part of a flotilla which was part of a fleet. They're exploring and setting up lighthouses along the way. All very reasonable, no? The worrying part is the last line that gives them permission to 'requisition materials'. Was the kidnapping of the villagers a requisition of materials?"

Tylluan wakes from his nap. He slowly opens his eyes and swivels his head around to take in his immediate surroundings. Seeing the island peasantry going about their dreary island lives, he sighs. I suppose life must go on, regardless of the brief disruption of those silly priests.

He shakes out his feathers and stretches his wings to bring himself fully awake. A few of his smaller feathers, each larger than a man's hand, float to the ground unheeded by him. I'd best talk to the Captain, to see if she has decided when we are going to leave. Though the food here was ample and acceptable, I'd much rather get on with my original plan.

Tylluan flaps into the air and makes his way to where the Captain and the others are gathered, using his keen eyesight to spot them from the air. He lands a short distance away and struts over to where they are, though considering the awkward gait of his people, it may only look like he is strutting, but that is the general impression. "Ah, Captain. You are discussing the events of the day before, yes? Have you decided what next you will do? Resume our journey, I am hoping."

Rosa looks at Tylluan for a moment before replying. "Yes, I plan on resuming our journey. Are you happy with us leaving tomorrow, weather permitting? We figure the priests will want these books and papers back, and think they will come here once they get their ship working again. Perhaps we should sail past them again just to show them that we're not at the village? Then we sail off in a different direction."

Tylluan bobs his head up and down in an exaggerated manner. "Yes, yes. Tomorrow will be splendid. I look foreard to continuing onward." He clicks his beak at the mention of the priests. "Those priests. So inconvenient. They should confine themselves to a temple, or monastery, or... or someplace holy, instead of being so annoying. The ship is yours, so you will do what you think you must with regards to it. My only concern is getting to where I want to go, with as little fuss as may be, yes?"

In reply to Rosanhi the Red (msg # 23):

'I'm going to see what FAQU has in the way of guards. If they chose the villagers specifically for some dark purpose, they could try again once we've left, so the village needs a means of dissuading them of that notion in our absence.'

'Not too sure on the "sail past them as we leave" plan either. It could just as easily make them follow us as assault FAQU once we're gone. Though if they intend to grab hostages again anyway, then it won't matter what we do.'

The cat looked towards Light with a lifted brow. "Yes, I took the stuff from the Cultist Slaver's that looked to enslave innocent people for no other reason then their Cults own gain." She said sarcastically. "I'm so sorry that my intentions were to see what they were up to and if there was any way we could stop them. I will be sure to ask the townsfolk to flog me later."

She then considered for a moment. "To be honest, we should consider looking into this further. They seem to have interests all over the area in different spots. Murleena feels that they could be looking for something important. Something worth a lot of gold, or something very dangerous that should not be found."

Rosa grins at Tylluan. "If you wanted as little fuss as possible then perhaps you should have chosen a different ship. We do tend to get tangled up in things."

She says to Light, "Good idea. Go talk to the villagers and, um, encourage them to be more energetic in their own defence. I think they'll be fine. They were just caught off-guard by the priests, that's all. They'll be more cautious from now on, and hopefully the priests will be less bold from now on too."

"Ok, the sail past them idea isn't a great idea, so tomorrow we will just head to Doghelm and drop off our fine-feathered friend."

Rosa grins at Murleena, "Ok, ok, settle down. Put the claws away. I for one am glad that you took the books and scrolls from them. They are an obnoxious group of men and I'm happy to see them get what they deserve."

"We should look into it further. I'm going to read through everything while we sail to Doghelm. I hope you'll do the same."

Tylluan turns his head sideways to what should be an uncomfortable angle, but doesn't seem to bother him in the least. "Choose a different ship?" He swivels his head back upright, then cranes his neck to look around the small village. "Yes, I see your point. In such a burgeoning seaport where the entirity of suitable vessels consists of one captained by an incompetent who was nearly blown out of the archipelago by a storm and your own, I was practically spoiled for choice, yes?" He heaves a dramatic sigh. "As things stand, you are still the more attractive option for getting somewhere more interesting, and so I will remain on board until such time as circumstances change."

In reply to Tylluan (msg # 28):

OOC: Dang it, I so want to post a reply along the lines of 'Hey Captain, the Owlman thinks you're attractive.' Which I feel would be more of a Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy response, if he had selective hearing.

---
'I'll go see what I can start.'

Light grabs his gear and heads into FAQU to talk with Moft and see if he knows any of the town's defenders (assuming it has any) so he can determine what -if anything- they plan to do should the High Light try to strike again.

Out of habit he starts thinking what he can make for today's menu, already doing a mental inventory of what he has available on board and whether there are things he might have forgotten to buy that FAQU might have at the market while he's in town.

"Murleena will accompany you in this endeavor. You should know though, in some ports I hold a bad reputation, others, a good one, and some...both." She explained, her reputation for obvious reasons now.

She then considered for a moment. "I must retrieve my payment from the people here. I think I will give some back to them to pay for some of their protection." Odd, for a thief. What kind of thief was she to have a 'bad' reputation?

Rosa definitely has a problematic book... and a few other things.  Light can see that for sure, even if he doesn't know much else there.

Light already can see a problem brewing.  There is a real possibility the villagers will be on the lookout... but the book?  If Rosa was right, this may be a bigger headache than Rosa seems to be taking it as.

With that, Light heads out to tackle this oncoming headache.

--

Murleena will have to settle her account... Moft, the dog-knight, was probably in town right now.  That would be a quick search... she heads after Light, into the town.

--

Poor Tylluan!  His options were limited for sure - even with that other fishing boat in the harbor, Rosa's might be the fastest ship currently working!  Even among those pesky priests.

He was left with Rosa.  It looks like the Captain was going to stay in harbor for the near-future.  The crew were still stocking and prepping for leaving next morning... but they would probably making further preparations soon enough.

Does that mean he's going to have to see those irksome priests?  Well, at least that town center was going to offer him a feast for his services.

Really, it was the least they could do!

--

And Rosa... what exactly will she do?

[OOC]Creating a new thread for what people will do, reply to here to add anything :)[/OOC]

Rosa checks the anchorage, and with the help of Hugh & Dolph she sets things up so the ship will turn and face outwards at the next change of tides. She then dismisses Hugh & Dolph and lets them have the rest of the day off.

Things fall silent on the ship, and Rosa takes a few moments to appreciate the quiet. She climbs up into the crows-nest and scans the horizon for a few minutes, then takes a tour of the ship to make sure everything is ship-shape.

Finally she settles down at the desk in her cabin. She throws open the windows and door to let in the sun and the sea-breeze, and while drinking a bottle of beer or two, she reads through the books and scrolls that they acquired from the priests. She checks her own charts and books and makes notes about what she finds out.

Once every hour or so she takes a wander around the ship and climbs up into the crows-nest to check the horizon. After the tide changes and the ship turns around to face outwards, she ties it off so it won't turn around again.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:35, Fri 19 Aug 2022.

Rosa takes time to check the state of the ship - Hugh and Dolph were relieved to get some rest, but they reassure themselves on the anchorage too.

From there... it was quiet.  The crow's nest reveals nothing - the priest's ship had moved far along the Faqu island-mass, and Faqu's island was still big enough to fit on her chart!  If as but a dot... but long enough that there was no way she could see the far shore from up there.

At the least, she could tell they weren't headed her way.

The rest of the afternoon was quiet.  Rosa maintains the anchorage of the ship, checking the horizon... and reading through the documents.

Rosa's instinct was probably right - this book is the most important piece of 'treasure' of the lot.  By her estimation!  This seems like a collection of notes, gathered together - it's possible some of it was copied, but from whom?  Rosa doubts they had a spare...

Beyond that?

She has time to rest, read, and tend to the ship.  And watch the sky...

Eventually, the sun begins to lower, the sky taking its first tinges of orange and red...

Rosa closes the book when twilight comes and the light begins to fade. She finds it interesting to read about places that she hasn't been to and it makes her want to travel to such far-off places. It seems that the archbishop likes to hear about far-off places too, but it seems he also wants to set up some sort of navigational aids and libraries. That actually sounds like a good idea. Sure, it seems like they have given themselves the right to acquire slaves and materials, but how is that different from most kings and merchants? They always take as much as they can get away with. She'll have to actually talk to them next time she runs into these so-called priests. In the meantime she'll continue reading through the books and scrolls in her spare time, at least until something more interesting comes along to read.

She climbs up into the crows-nest to enjoy the sunset, then she locks up the ship and heads into town to find the others.

Rosa finds herself up on the crow's nest.  The sun sets the sky ablaze as it lowers in the sky, the ocean shimmering orange and red.  It is setting down beyond the farmland and windmills, the western end of Faqu - the closest tip of the island, and the one Rosa had guided the Darkmaiden's Dance around in pursuit of the priests' ship.

And to the east, the darkening sky.  The direction the priests' ship had gone to, moving towards the edge of the island's tip.

Over in that direction, on the far edge of the forested land beyond Faqu's hills, Rosa catches faint sight of black clouds.  A fire?  If so, not a big one.  It did remind her of the black smoke coming from the priests' own ship.

But this is obviously on land.

Strange.  And a number of miles away.  A number of miles, still, from where the priests had been left, too.

The rising smoke is small, on the furthest edge of the woods.  It might be a woodland fire, but what would the source be?  Would anyone be camped out there, miles away from the town?  The storm was days past by now, and Rosa hadn't heard any thunder.
This message was last updated by the GM at 01:07, Thu 08 Sept 2022.

Rosa watches the smoke for a few minutes as she contemplates what to do. It's getting too dark to go for a wander through unknown terrain. You really need to be able to see in the dark to do something like that. She chuckles to herself for a moment, but then thinks that tonight is a night to party and that the cat deserves to have some fun after what she's done.

Rosa puts on a red dress with a flouncing skirt and puffy sleeves, and puts on a good pair of boots. She also straps a pistol to her thigh and hides a long dagger in the folds of her dress. She then heads in to town to find the others.