In reply to Atlas Blue GM (msg # 1):

Light said nothing to Murleena joining him in going to FAQU. Had she been hired on to participate in the rescue? Light may have missed that or even forgotten mention of it with all that had transpired. He smiled upon seeing that FAQU were at least taking things seriously with regard to possible repeat abduction attempts.

'Not sure if we've been introduced, I am Light Vessel, Ships's Chef, and Lookout for the Darkmaiden's Dance.' he asked the man who seemed to be overseeing defenses.

'Anyone actually know the why as to what the High Light wanted with your people?'

Murleena had indeed been hired on my Moft, and more importantly, the town to free their people. It was time for her to get paid, but it was also time for her to do more.

"They was looking for slaves. Simple." Murleena said as she walked past Light to find Mofty.

Murleena has to train her eyes and ears to track down Moft.  The village was more bustling than she had seen in some time - lots of banging of hammers and nails, people moving around and talking, bubbling and cooking.  A celebration in the making... and the preparation for war, all at once.

Moft, Murleena and Light find, is scurrying along on his small legs.  Much of the weightiness of the armor was relieved, leaving him in a thick tunic and some sort of chain waist as he looked about.  His dark eyes were on some of the walls people were putting up, and he barks out a few words to someone reinforcing a wall crossing the vertical hills.

"We'll have to leave it to the land if they use any cannon!  But these mounds'll be a ramp for them, too!  Get the wall sturdy, but we'll need-"  His shaggy head turns as he spots Light... and Murleena.  "Ah!  You, thank you both!"

Tylluan wanders off on his own, now that he has learned they will be leaving for Doghelm soon. He struts along through town, poking among the stalls of the marketplace trying to find something, ANYTHING, of interest. It's so boring here. How can these people live like this? Naturally, he conveniently overlooks the fact that his own village was not exactly a hotbed of excitement. Which is one reason he abandoned it for more exotic locations (which Faqu-U barely qualifies as in his mind).

Perhaps I should brighten their lives with a performance. I'm sure they've never seen or heard a Tytonian sing and dance. The idea of performing for an unfamiliar crowd excites him. Surely they will be impressed by my performance. I should rehearse though. So many days on a ship with little activity may have dulled my movements.

Tylluan finds a spot near the edge of town where he can rehearse. He perches on the ridge pole of a large hut and hums to himself. Slowly, he begins moving his clawed feet. He hops from one foot to the other, while trilling and chirping to himself. Suddenly he snaps out his wings as he hops into the air, spinning a full 360 degrees before touching lightly down and bobbing his head. His wings fan out, black plummage glistening in the afternoon sun, and the dance continues. This goes on for some time, before he decides he's had enough.

In reply to Tylluan (msg # 5):

Light looks for something to do to help, chiefly with anything heavy that needs moving, or asking if he can pitch in if there's anyone arranging food for the workers.

'I don't know if I can stay very long, but maybe I can make myself useful.' he says with a warm grin.

"Mofty! Murleena has a proposal for you regarding her pay." She said, offering him a small smile. "Instead of giving Murleena the tidey some Mofty and the other promised..." She said as she put a gentle arm on his shoulder. "...only give her a quarter of it, and give the rest to those that were taken. They were wronged by the cult people, so they should be compensated."

Quietly, Tylluan alights himself atop a far-away hut, beyond the festival grounds, market square, and residences of town.  Here, he can see what probably qualifies as a sawmill and the edge of woods.  For the size of the town, there is precious little people... and over here, the town looks to be deeper in disrepair.  The hut he's on feels secure, but it is also threadbare and simple.  The other nearby buildings were huts of a similar nature - plain buildings, stripped down... and old.  Gaps in the roofing, the walls, and looking weather-worn without maintenance.

Here, though, there was no one to see him practice.  Trills and chirps float in the air, his plummage sparkling with light...

He looked damn good.  He just needed a mirror.

--

Light gets a gruff growl, more appreciative in tone.  Moft scurries over to see him at the request.  "Yes!  Well... hopefully they won't show up.  It'd take them days at any rate, their ship being the mess that it is!"  He barks out a laugh!

He glances over at Murleena, but apparently hasn't figured out yet why she's there.  Instead, his attention moves back to Light.  "Edge of town deals with a lot of wind... there are defenders of the town, but they don't know much about fighting.  Then again, those... priests... didn't know much either."

Moft scratches his face-fur a little.  "If'n you want to help lift and set, I won't stop you!"

Murleena's chime-in brings a blink from the halfling.  "Oh!  Yes.  ...Yes, that's very generous.  Thank you so much, Murlenna."  He stumbles over the name a bit, but his paw pats her hand.  "I will get the pay... your quarter.  Give me a minute!"

With that, Moft was scurrying away on his new task, leaving the hammering and working to the people there.

It seems there would be plenty to do for Light, at least until the sky began to get red with the eve...

"Thank you Mofty. I hope the coin helps those that we brought back well." She said softly and with a gentle smile.

Waiting there for Moft to return she would look towards those working a moment. "Can I help anywhere?" She asked one of them.

She was an odd thief. Giving up most of her payment to those that were taken, offering to take up a hammer to help build up their defenses.

Rosa saunters through the town, having a nibble of the foods on offer and quaffing an ale or three, all the while making small talk with the locals.

She spots Moft and Murleena and heads on over to them. After a brief bit of small talk, Rosa points off into the distance and asks, "What's a few miles east of here? Are there any houses out that way? I don't want to alarm you, but I saw some black smoke rising off in that direction. I'm wondering if the priests are back and they're setting up camp out that way?"

Moft was fine with getting help from Light and Murleena - for a few hours, the work isn't hard but plentiful.  As the sun was beginning to set, Rosa makes her appearance...

Moft furrows his brow.  "They'd have to be moving very fast to get that close... but no, there shouldn't be anything out there.  Well... there are a few who live out on the outskirts... but it was not near the shore?"  It wasn't.  And with that answer, Moft growls and paws at his chin, scowling in puzzlement.

--

It wasn't just on their plate.  As Tylluan finds himself looking for things to do in the town, he spots the faint, distant plume of smoke too.  Of course, it was a bit unusual - but was it relevant?

As he ponders this, he helpfully spots the bright reds of Rosa - the captain was almost as easy to spot as he was!
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:59, Sun 11 Sept 2022.

Tylluan stretches himself up to his full height and flaps his wings, both to keep limber and to express his happiness. I feel like giving full voice to my joy, but I'd better not. If I were to captivate the villagers and keep them from their tasks, their preparations wouldn't be complete. And I am looking forward to the feast tonight. Indeed I am.

He lifts into the air, dislodging a few loose feathers that float to the ground. As he heads back toward town he sees the plume of smoke rising above the trees. Now I wonder what that could be. I was under the impression this village was the only one on the island. Was I given inaccurate information, or is there some other reason for that smoke? Below him, he sees the captain walking through the town, her flamboyant red clothing easy to see amidst the more drab clothing of the villagers.

Tylluan glides down and lands, cupping his wings and causing a small cloud of dust to rise as his claws touch down. "Greetings, Captain. How are you this fine afternoon? Rested again, yes?" He indicates the plume of smoke with a motion of his beak. "I only now noticed that. Is there some other settlement from which it could be coming?"

Rosa nods. "You saw it too? Yes, we were just talking about the smoke and wondering what's causing it. I'm not keen on heading out in the dark to see what it is, but you...?" She smiles nicely at the big bird, but then realises that human expressions probably don't mean much to him. "Perhaps you would like to go take a look? It's only a couple of miles away. You could be there and back again within the hour."

Tylluan tilts his head as he stares at Rosa, the swivels it about to stare at the rising smoke. "I would hate to be late to the festivities, since I am the guest of honor, but it would be very irritating if there were unexpected guests that ruined everything, yes?" He clicks his beak and lets out a sigh. "I suppose I should fly over to look at things, at the very least. My eyesight and hearing are superior to everyone else's on this island, after all."

Tylluan turns back to Rosa and bobs his head. "Please let everyone know I will return as soon as prudent, yes?" And with that, he launches himself into the darkening sky and flaps his way toward the pillar of smoke.

"Yes, you really are the best person to go scouting," Rosa says as she flatters Tylluan. "And don't worry – you won't be late to the festivities. Besides, the guest of honour should never arrive early."

Taking off into the sky, Tylluan gets a glmpse at the town at dusk - red sunlight playing out over the mounds of Faqu.  The little town rises in the back because of a hill... and at the foot of the hill, beyond the market, is that festival grounds.  Light flickers from torches set out around the grounds, and his sharp eyes pick up the sight of colorful streamers.

He'll have to be sure to try the food and drink.  Later.  Soon.

Beyond the town, due East, was a few more short foothills and then the forest.  It starts sparse, but stretches out for a few good miles.  A normal person would take hours and hours to walk through it (really, a whole day), but him?

Soaring overhead, Tylluan spots the plume of smoke across the darkening skies.  Gliding overhead, his eyes can't make out much easily - it looks like the far edge of the woods is billowing smoke.  Leading up to the smoke is some sort of trail of turned-up land and dirt, scraped stone and other things he doesn't recognize.

What he does notice is a few cloaked figures.  Ah, those priests again.  Kind of impressive they made it up here, actually, along Faqu's island.  There's no boat nearby that Tylluan can see.

But they seem to be scurrying about, throwing dirt and scooping up sand.  Ah, putting out the fire.

Odd.  And annoying.  Like everything else to do with these priests...

Tylluan clicks his beak and sighs when he catches sight of the priests. How annoying. These priests are proving to be more difficult to be rid of than a case of feather mites. Why can't they just go somewhere else and be a nuisance to someone else?

He tilts his wings to circle the burned area and find the leading edge. What in the realms did they bring that set the forest on fire? Could it be that great, clanking, hissing... crab thing? I thought being doused in the ocean would have rendered it inert, since fire seemed to be what gave it life.

The fires are within the tree line it looks like, and... indeed, Tylluan sees a silvery metal leg flailing a bit, the bulk of the thing buried in the bowl of a trio of trees.

That 'crab thing' tore its way across the land, with the priests in tow it looks like.  It lurches about there, getting unstuck, while priests scramble about.  Some are tossing dirt on the fires, others are bringing some sort of straps up.  From what Tylluan can see, there's some sort of... not a sled, but kind of a... sailing-vessel?  With two pontoons, long straps, and a few figures scrambling on it.

That's how they got here so fast.  And as he watches, he catches sight of another one, the tall lanky priest, leaving the group and dashing into the trees...

Persistent...!

Tylluan clicks his beak in annoyance as he catches a glimpse of the metal creature. What an impractical thing. It causes fire and destruction just by walking around. What in the world possessed these pitiful humans to create such a thing?

His superior eyesight catches movement and he swivels his head to watch the lone priest dashing for the shelter of the trees. He banks his wings and follows, trusting in his dark plummage and silent flight to keep him from being noticed. I wonder if I should capture this one. Perhaps the captain would like to question him to see why they are being so persistent.

Suiting the thought to the deed, Tylluan swoops down once he's away from the clearing. His silent wings beat just enough to keep him in position until he's ready to pounce on his prey and bring him down. He attacks, talons outstretched, and attempts to grab the priest.

OOC:
Grab: -1 OCV
OCV: 4
Attack Roll: 19:43, Today: Tylluan rolled 4 using 3d6.  Grab Attack.

While Tylluan is gone, Rosa has a talk with Moft, asking him if there are any historians in Faqu who might know about the ruins on the island where they fought the priests.

Rosa enters the town for the first time since dropping off the captives.  She's greeted with eager waves, the captain easily recognizable amongst the townsfolk.

It looked like they were setting up stormwalls.  They probably had these ready for the turning of the seasons... but would it really stop an attack?

Then again, she also remembered those priests.  Almost none of them were competent fighters... hell, none of them seemed trained for any conflict.  From what she saw... not much for deckhands either.  Light had gone below, maybe he saw something more.

Moft!  As it turned out, he was scurrying down the street, talking to a scrappy looking young man with a tossle of hair held up by a bandanna.  His head turns to Rosa, and he's clearly surprised by the question.  While the youth watches, Moft mutters and looks about.

"Well... in town?  Historian... oh, well, the ruins on the far side of the island.  There used to be a settlement there, before Faqu... what, two hundred years ago they say?  People've picked over the ruins of course, but under the water it's more tricky.  Guys like Gen will dive in the shallows there and sell things.  He was grabbed by those priests, he's probably the best to ask if you want to know more."

Moft motions and begins to move along, the youth following after a moment.  "Better yet, I'll show you to his place... interested in what those priests were doing, I am betting?"  He lifts a bushy brow up at her.

"Yes, I'm very interested in what they were up to," Rosa says to Moft. "It would be good if you could introduce me to diver Gen. Who does he sell things too? I'd be interested in looking over the things he sold too."

Tylluan had the advantage of attacking from the air... of flying silently... of attacking with speed... of ambushing against a distracted enemy.

And he struck with such perfection, a sniper would be green with envy.  The lynx-man was tall, strong, and yowling with surprise as his feet left the ground!  "WHAT?!  YOU!  Let go!  Let go or I'll bring you down!"

Tylluan was shooting up as much as he could, and the fall was already two stories up.  But the lynx seemed undaunted, twisting his body and lashing upwards at him with one of his long feet!

Tylluan had a split second to decide whether to drop him, or possibly take the hit...

-----------

Meanwhile, Moft grumbles as he paws at his face.  "Same here, truthfully.  But I've been busy with the town.  Just in case-"  A furry brow is raised to Rosa.  "...and I'm not much for books.  Yes, Gen's found lots of odds and ends in the shallows here.  Used to be a real community in depth delving, but after the rush... well, people's moved on.  I'm from south, I hear it's a lot more common to find ruins in Aifla."

They were walking through the streets now, heading to the East end of the wharf.  A few small buildings were on the edge of the hilltower-things of Faqu, and its a one-floor shack by the water that they arrive at.

This is very much a fisherman's home.  It's weathered, old, full of pockmarks and dirt.  It creaks in the wind... but it holds up enough.  The door was opening, and a lean man peers out at them.  He was haggard but visibly quite fit, a shirt half-worn on a muscular and toned frame.  With him was someone older, leathery and weathered, white-and-gray hair in messy strips.  Rosa's seen enough men to hazard a guess - he looked in his fifties, but was probably no more than forty?

...and didn't Rosa see him in the marketplace?  During -that- incident.  "Yeh?"  The old man glances to Moft, but peers mainly at Rosa.  The younger one... his son, almost assuredly, looked more relaxed as he smiled.  "Hey, thanks for saving my pa."

Murleena scratches her head a bit confused as she listened to Rosa and Mofty talk. "Murleena can't remember where she was born as a small kit, she's moved around so much. Doesn't really remember her parent's much either. Been a street cat all her life." She said with a small shrug as Moft said where's he's from.

"Anyway, what's this about a fire?" She looked between them.

"I spotted some black smoke on the horizon over on that side of the island," Rosa says to Murleena. "Since it got dark I asked Tylluan to go have a look and see what's up. I've got a feeling that the priests are somehow back. Damn it; I really should have blown up their ship."

"In the meantime, Moft and me are off to talk to and old diver about sunken treasure … and fish. Care to join us?"

---

At the fishermen's home, Rosa doffs her feathered hat and greets the two men. "You're most welcome," she says after they thank her for the rescue. "But I'm afraid it might not be over just yet. Nothing to worry about tonight, but best be on your guard, just in case." She tries to sound reassuring, but her words got away her a little. "It seems they're interested in the ruins around here. I hear that you've been diving here for many years and have discovered many things. I wonder if you can tell me more about what you have found? Do you know anything about the ruins here, and on the island where the priests took you?" She wonders if the priests knew about him and specifically targetted him for kidnapping?

In reply to Atlas Blue GM (msg # 23):

Tylluan lets out a most undignified squawk as the catman reveals his identity beneath the priestly robes. He releases his hold on the creature before flapping upward to settle on a thick tree limb. I'm not about to let this unsavory wretch get a claw into me. Aloud he hisses at his adversary. "If you weren't dressed like one of those annoying priests I wouldn't have bothered to soil my claws with you. Count yourself lucky I am a peaceful being."