"A month?" Rosa thinks for a moment then nods. "That sounds reasonable. Yes, we're happy to feed, accommodate and transport you while you work as a scribe." She holds out a hand to seal the deal, looks down at his clawed feet and hesitates.

Rosa is disappointed that Bel has no idea about the relic. She looks at it once more, then wraps it up in a soft cloth and stows it away in her hidden compartment.

Tylluan looks at Rosa's gesture and clicks his beak with amusement. "I would say our word would suffice, but if a token gesture is needed, this will do." He leans forward and bumps the captain's hand with the upper curve of his beak. "Normally it would be beak-to-beak, but since your... nose... is more fragile than a true beak, I am willing to improvise and compromise."

Bel nods at Tylluan's words.  Their eyebrows raise up, but there's a nod.  Bel's fingers position near Tylluan's wing.  There's a faint flicker of light, then a glow... it doesn't do much, but it seems to help any last bleeding... and some of his features.

"It's... more for... stabilizing the badly wounded.  But I had the... um, training for a couple of things..."  Bel says carefully, lowering their hands as the glow fades.

Light makes what he can with what he brought with him.

Upon receiving even this little insight into the activities of the High Light, he is again grateful for not breaking from his family's values and treating the folk formerly allied with the dig leaders like friendlies instead of intimidating them through unsavory methods.

'Thanks for that. Take care of yourselves, ration it well.'

Once he's done with providing what he can spare and packing up his donation box and cooking apparatus, he waves goodbye and heads back to the Darkmaiden's Dance to share what he's learned from the encounter.

He hands the Captain the pages he received so they can all have a read of it together, while mentioning what he was told:

'This High Light group seem to have some wide reach. The people at the camp whose tongues were loosened by a feed reckon they've got Libraries or perhaps Lighthouses going up at Wintermere, the edge of Tronsket, and Zamgree... with one being constructed at South Visquet. If we're traveling near those places, we might want to make a note of that, maybe expect them in other places too.'

'They seem to be really into collecting and keeping relics and artifacts.'

Tylluan tilts his head sideways to better see what the priest is doing. He watches the man's hands glow and feels the pain ease from the wound. "Nicely done," he says, once the process is completed. "You have my appreciation for your assistance." Of course, that's not the same as an actual 'thank you' since that would require a character facet Tylluan lacks. If I continue having these sorts of inconveniences during my travels, perhaps I should take the time to acquire some healing magics of my own. After all, one cannot depend on the kindness of strangers for aid.

"Beak to beak? That sounds rather … intimate." Rosa brushes Tylluan's beak with her hand and seals the deal.

Rosa takes a look at the papers that Light gives her as she listens to what he says. She frowns and says, "From Tronsket to Wintermere to South Visquet forms a huge triangle that encompasses all of the Aifla and Belka Archipelagos."

"What are these people trying to do with their lighthouse libraries? They don't seem like the normal type of conquerors. There must be more to it than just collecting and keeping relics and artefacts." She looks over at Light and raises and eyebrow. "You know what? I'd really like to get into one of these lighthouses and have a good look around. I just have to figure out how...."

"Anyway, I figure we'll spend another week here – It'll give Tylluan a chance to start on his transcription of the journal without having to contend with the heaving and hoving of the ship; and we can make sure that the prisoners and not going to cause any problems; and finally it will give me a chance to do some more diving. We can then head for Dohelm. That'll take about 4 days with a good wind."

Tylluan trills a short laugh at Rosa's remark. "Oh, that isn't very intimate. Not for a Tytonian. After all, we lack hands for such things, and talons would be awkward." He raises one clawed foot as a demonstration. "For true intimacy, my people employ mutual grooming with our beaks. Around the beak, or over the eyes. The most pleasing is the back of the head or nape of the neck, since those areas are difficult for us to reach for ourselves."

In reply to Rosanhi the Red (msg # 35):

Light raises his one eyebrow at the mention of the High Light 'Triangle'.
'It may not be something sinister in and of itself. Just because we crossed paths with two leader types who behave badly doesn't necessarily mean the entire organization is bad. Their hirelings don't seem to be bad people at least.' he says playing Devil's Advocate.

'Could it be some attempt at setting up some inter-island communication network? Like Lighthouse signals or something?'

Light has time to dig thorugh the 'notebook'... really, mostly scraps of paper that was cobbled together.  From the looks of things, they used charcoal, ink, and whatever else to scratch out a bunch of things.

It does seem like they tried to cobble together, from rumor and pieces of information, some stuff as to what the 'High Light' was doing.  That they'd put this together specifically was interesting in itself... but they seemed more than grateful for the food.  And the consideration.

Inside was much of what the priest had said.  Notes on pieces about them supposed to be heading towards South Vicquet, a diplomatic mission and to be part of a 'builder fleet'... in this case a trio of ships sent to scout and to build a 'Lighthouse' there.  Notes about them (the ship and crew) being part of a larger effort of Damasto's military too... for what, that isn't clear.

It seems hard to parse, but the High Light and Damasto's military seem to be kind of tied together.

But they've been sending a lot of stuff southward, and are stretching an arm out across the Aifla too.  There's rumor of most of the military vessels going north-south along the Belka... but largely otherwise staying west of Tronsket.

Apparently Allister (the lynx-priest) was actually a junior officer in the military of Damasto before he became a priest.  Rumor has it he has a cousin or something that's a high rank member of the Damatso fleet.

Unlike the notebook... which covers natural things and places the fleet was exploring/passing through, this seems to be a quick scrap of notes of this mission, itself.

--

Miron backs up with a nod after helping Tylluan, letting him converse with Rosa.  Their eyes light up at Light's mention of 'communication', and looks thoughtful.  "I wish I knew... but I know the libraries are more than... just libraries.  That's the impression that I got."

Rosa says to Tylluan, "Ahh yes, I've seen birds do that... um, little birds... Anyway, thank you again for the scribing. I know you will do excellent work."

Talking to Light Vessel, Rosa says, "You're right. Maybe they're just building libraries and  extending their trade routes, or maybe they're trying to build an empire? I hope it's the first, and if it's the second then it's no business of ours. Still, I'd like to get a closer look at one of their lighthouses. Maybe after Doghelm we'll head to the nearest one? Yes, that sounds like a plan."

"It's a bit of a worry that Allister has big brother in the navy. Perhaps you should warn the villagers? Tell them to treat him well and maybe they'll be able to ransom him back to his big brother."

Tylluan puffs up his chest. "Of course I will. You will not be disappointed." He bobs his head to the captain. "Now, if you will excuse me, I am in need of food and drink. After that I will take a nap to rejuvenate myself for the coming task." He turns about and goes in search of something to eat and drink.

At least this project will keep things from becoming tediously boring. From what I've seen so far, ship voyages tend to be so, unless you're on a ship commanded by a busybody captain who sticks her nose into things that are clearly none of her business. Quite inconvenient, but I suppose it can't be helped. As my old mentor used to say; 'no matter how well you plan, the unforseen will always play a part.'

In reply to Tylluan (msg # 40):

Light tilts his head to the side at the mention of Allister having a big brother of high rank.

'What if this high ranking brother is an even bigger jerk than his little brother? Could asking for ransom get some of this Damastos fleet invading Doghelm and then coming after Faqu and by extension us?'

He looked more concerned for Faqu than himself, as the Darkmaiden's Dance had a good group of talents.

Rosa shrugs and looks a little helpless at Light’s speculations. “I don’t know. Depends on how much of a bastard he is. In most cultures, a ransom is perfectly acceptable; in others they take issue with it. I’ve got no idea what these Damastonians are like. Doghelm will be fine though. It’s got tall walls and it’s well-defended.”

Miron hesitantly raises their fingers up when Rosa poses the question of what 'Damasonians' are like.  "I can probably help a bit, about Damasto... but I don't know much about what they're actually accomplishing out here.  A ransom would probably work... the priests... tend to do that.  The military... it depends on who's in charge."

Light's notes, from the other priests, do seem to be helpful here.  There isn't any real detail on 'why', other than the priests' general stated goals.  It gives him an idea of where their ships are (largely around Tronsket and Zamgree), and that they have (or are building) at those points "on the triangle".  From the notebook Murleena stole (and Tylluan copied), it looked like they were exploring the whole of the Archipelagi.

-----

Soon, it was time to go Doghelm.  Moft, after talking with the folk of the town, surprisingly tells Rosa he should stay behind.  But the town needed to send someone on behalf of the town - someone other than the crew or visitors.  To help the ship make this trip, the locals volunteer all sorts of supplies for the Darkmaiden's Dance, taking only pittance (if anything at all).

Light sees a briefly-familiar face on the docks as the ship readied itself to leave.  Welk, a furfoot a little taller than Moft (of the badger persuasion), looked portly and weathered.  But their demeanor was nothing but warmth. "I wish your visit to our village could have been better, Captain."  Welk nodded to the last of the cargo being loaded.  "We don't have much, but our goods should help get you to Doghelm.  I don't need much, either, but if you'd be so kind, maybe we could stop worse from happening..."

[OOC]About half of what I wanted to post, but I need to get at least a bit started... and to crunch more books.[/OOC]
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:41, Wed 04 Oct 2023.

Rosa shrugs and washes her hands of the matter. “Well, it’s up to the people of Faqu what they do with the prisoners; after all it was their town that these priests attack and kidnapped. Personally, I’d let most of them go and hang Allister – people like him are better off dead - but hey, it’s up to them.”

Rosa is glad to receive the supplies from the locals. She closely supervisors the storing of all the cargo, making sure everything is shipshape and in its place.

She welcomes aboard the Whelk the furfoot. She sets him up with a hammock in the bow of the ship, where Hugo and Dolph sleep. “Fresh supplies are always welcome. But don’t look so glum, my friend. I’m sure things work out just fine.”

Tylluan gathers together the required materials for his upcoming task, once he's had enough sleep and food to satiate his appetite. As is his way, he doesn't bother to consult anyone else, secure in the knowledge that he's in the right and everything should fall into place where it should, based on that knowledge. Scribing out the contents of the book will be an easy enough task for me. Just a somewhat tedious one. As long as the motions of the ship are not too violent, I can compensate for them. It's not so different from the bobbing of tree limbs in the forest, after all.

Once he gets started, Tylluan works steadily and methodically. Following the images imprinted indelibly on his mind, he scribes the text first, then adds any illustrations or notes. As an extra service, he also numbers each page. Just because _I_ know which page belongs where, it doesn't mean whoever reads the book will be able to. I should advise the captain to have the book bound when she has the chance, so it will be more difficult to lose any of the pages.

During those times when he allows himself rest, Tylluan appears on deck to stretch and flap his wings to keep limber and to give himself a little exercise. I do love this sea air. It feels so much fresher and more varied than the closed in air of the forest. I'm sure others might not see it that way, but that isn't my concern.

When Tylluan emerges from below, he sees Rosa sitting at the helm and reading a book. She’s on a comfortable chair and has a stool to rest her feet on, while overhead is a shade cloth to keep out the sun. She looks up when she Tylluan, and says, “Beautiful day, isn’t it. You know, if you want to stretch your wings you could fly up high and do a circle in the sky.” She twirls her finger around in a vague circle. “I bet you must get a cramp in your claw with all that writing you’re doing. You've been at it for hours. I hope it’s all going well. Do you need any more supplies? I have some coloured ink, if you want.” 

Tylluan bobs his head at Rosa. "Hello, Captain. Yes, I suppose for Humans it's a beautiful day. My people prefer the dim environs of the forest, or night time, but I will say the sun on the water creates some vivid colors. For us, colors must be vivid for us to perceive them, since we are descended from creatures who ruled the dark skies and forests of night." He half-unfurls his wings and shakes. "When the sun is low in the sky I will take wing and enjoy the refreshing ocean breeze."

Tylluan does indeed flex his talons when Rosa mentions his work. "Yes, but as a practiced scribe, not to mention a talented musician, I know when to allow myself a brief respite. And so far as the work, it is proceeding as planned. Since the book is all in one color, so to will be the copy. However, to avoid confusion I have taken the initiative to add page numbers, in case the pages become out of order before you can have them bound." He bobs his head again. "You are welcome."

“I’m sorry for asking you to fly around during the daytime. I should have known better. Having a scout around at dusk or at night is perfectly fine.”

She falls into thought as she looks out over the water and up into the sky. She takes note of all the subtle shades of colours that she can see. After a minute or so, she says, “It never occurred to me that some races don’t see colours as well as I do. Does that mean there are races that see more colours than I do? When the sun sets all the colours that I can see now will all turn to black, but you will still see the colours. Will they still be as vivid as they are now, or will they all be dull and faded?”

Rosa smiles when Tylluan talks about his talents. She says, “Page numbers are a good idea. It will have to be a simple binding, unless you are writing it out in folio style. Perhaps next time...” She smiles at him.

“I’d like to hear you play music sometime, though I can’t promise I will like it. There are many types of music, but I find only a few really resonate with me. What instrument do you play?”

In reply to Rosanhi the Red (msg # 48):

Light busies himself with helping Dolph and Hugo to make room for the furfoot.
'Have you been to Doghelm before? Do they have any good places to eat?' he asks the Badgerkin.

'Oh, let me know if there's anything you can't or shouldn't eat, and I'll work around it for meals.' Hammerhead Isle didn't have a lot of non-humans, there may have been a few furfoots, but they seemed to be fairly independent when it came to feeding themselves, fellow sea fishermen like a lot of the young humans living there, or just passing through.

Once he's done there, he would go and see if there was still odd jobs to perform in his galley, like cleaning plates and utensils ready for the next meal, wiping down benches, mopping the floor and generally keeping things tidy. If he ran out of things to do there, he would then go up the crow's nest and take first watch to get some use out of his Eye-Borg powers.

Tylluan clicks his beak in amusement at Rosa's apology. "It's of no consequence. I find everyone works from their species' perspectives, then their own. For instance; it took several years for my people to be more accomodating to those who cannot see well in the dark. From what I gather, there were many accidents when people lost their footing and fell to their deaths."

He trills a laugh at her questions about color and light. "So many questions, but that's fine. I have questions of my own for which I want to find answers. I've read there are creatures and intelligent species who see in different colors, or no colors at all. Their entire world is black, white, and shades of gray. There are even some creatures who see patterns of heat. I found that fascinating." He slowly blinks his eyes as he looks out over the sea. "One reason for my voyaging is to see what the world outside the forest has to offer. Reading about it in books, or hearing stories recounted, does not give the same... same... sense of wonder and excitement."

Tylluan taps on the deck with a talon as he listens to the captain. "Well, you've seen me use my dancing bells when I performed on Faqu. I normally play two rather bulky instruments; the shinwyrr, or tamran. The first is a stringed instrument. It has a long body with several strings that can have their pitch altered by using sliding bridges." He raises a taloned foot for a moment. "Someone with my sort of feet stands on the instrument and uses the talons of one foot to pluck or strum the strings. I suppose it would be similar to a human harpsichord or lute." Tylluan unfurls a wing and slowly waves it. "A tamran... is a bit hard to describe. I suppose you could say it's a sort of flute. Instead of blowing air into it, you must have wind to play it. It's a complex arrangement of pipes on a frame that gathers wind at one end, produces sounds through holes in the pipes as it passes through, before being expelled at the other end. Different sounds are possible by using the tips of primary flight feathers to cover different holes. It takes a great deal of skill to play one well."

[OOC]This post is for the 'initial boarding' part of the thread.  Really wish these forums had a tree-style structure sometimes... ;)[/OOC]

Welk looks up at Light, their fingers brushing at their own face lightly.  "Yes, I do travel to Doghelm from time to time.  That's part of why I volunteered for this trip." Welk accepts Rosa's encouragement quietly, they seem at least a hair less quiet?  It was hard to get a bead on the badgerkin's thoughts or mood.

But they did seem to be reassuring Light.  "I brought travel rations that I can eat, but I'll talk to you more.  Make sure."  Welk would be as helpful as possible in that respect, and did not mind the accommodations provided at all... it was certainly enough, and accommodations were made.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:41, Wed 04 Oct 2023.

In reply to Tylluan (msg # 50):

Rosa closes her book as the conversation gets interesting. “Patterns of heat!? I wonder how that works?” She looks around, and after a moment she says, “I guess it would look like another type of colour, with hot things being bright and cool things being dark.” She looks around again at the ship and the water and the sun. “Most things are warmed by the sun, so most things would have a similar colour on a hot day … or on a cold day. Living things have their own warmth though, so they would stand out against the dull background colours. But plants... what would they look like? Do they have a warmth of their own?”

“Travelling to actual places is more exciting than reading about them in books, but books can take you to places that you can never travel to.” She chuckles and says, “And I travel to places to find books that can take me to places that I can never travel to.”

She listens with some amazement to Tylluan’s descriptions of the instruments he plays. “That sounds like something you can’t hear in a book. That’s something you have to travel to in order to experience it.”

---

When she gets a chance, Rosa has a talk with Whelk. After a bit of idle chit-chat, she asks, “So, are you from Faqu, or did you come from somewhere else? Is there a badgerkin homeland, or are you scattered all over the world?”

In reply to Rosanhi the Red (msg # 52):

Welk brushes at his whiskers.  When he spoke, he spoke more easily, less formal and 'grace' than before.  "Oh.  Well, I spent much of my days in Faq'u.  But when I was younger... I lived in South Vicquet for a short time, and traveled to Tronsket before settling down here."

Welk brushes at his face again.  Thinking?  "Occasionally, I get the desire to travel again.  But while the world changes, Faq'u needs good heads to stay in it.  Especially being how it is."
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:26, Thu 05 Oct 2023.

Rosa says to Welk, “South Vicquet to Tronsket. Impressive. You’ve travelled far. But why settle in Faqu? Because of how like it is? Do you mean with these priests kidnapping people or is there something else.”