Fireday dawned crisp, bright, & cheerful. Not many in the Falamora household marked its coming however, as most had already been up for hours preparing for today's supper. The night before, Sir Dealann, Neroon, Baram (the steward) rode to Sir Dealann's estate along with two professional servers and a minstrel hired for the occasion. By mid-afternoon, as is the custom, the guests began to arrive by carriage and horse. First to arrive are your former in-laws, Master & Mrs Soruukei. They are greeted by your Aunt Dortha, and both are pleased to be invited to a more aristocratic gathering then they usually attend, thanking her profusely and sipping their watered wine a little too often. Next came Sir Dealann's neighbours, Sir Hainur and his wife Lady Kivua on a pair of fine horses. Soon two carraiges arrive, disgorging a handful of Zoan potentates: Lantern Xookaer and his wife Mirena, Sir Taanaur Loolaika, Commander of the Children of Light in Zoa, accompanied by Torch Neira Falay of the Assembly (whose presence is a bit of mystery) and
Council Elder Falein, Master of the Army and the militia commander who rescued Sir Dealann as an infant. Last to arrive are Captain Bloodsword and his wife Mawoo, who came with their eldest daughter, Tirraka.
With everyone mingling in a friendly manner, Neroon seems a bit nervous in the presence of his church superiors. He avoids speaking to them directly until approached (more like cornered) by Lantern Xookaer.
"Surely you realize I am not to be feared, Neroon?" asks Lantern Xookaer "despite my brother's unfounded opinions, I am not of the same mind. I'm sure the misunderstanding you and he had is long past. You should contact your cousin Emmaere some time, I'm sure he would be pleased to here from you.
"Now I must reveal why Torch Falay travelled all this way - it was not just to impinge on Sir Dealann's hospitality. Sir Dealann - if I may interrupt your gathering for a moment?" Hearing no objection from his host, Lantern Xookaer beckons Torch Falay over and motions for Neroon to kneel. The elf woman glides over to Neroon and Lantern Xookaer. Conversation stops - everyone is looking at the three clerics, Neroon kneeling in the centre flanked by the burly, greying Lantern and the willowy yellow-haired Torch.
"Neroon, Spark of the Assembly" announces Torch Falay "you have shown much promise as a believer. Not only have you shown proper diligence in the following of the tenets of your faith, making observances and tithe, you have defeated the followers of the Harvester on two occasions and even built a shrine in a far land. Even as you have done these things in the name Neatuir, the Eternal Lantern, so has Neatuir chosen to act through you - at your hand and by the gawd's divine will 81 new followers swore themselves to our faith in our own city. For this miracle, we command you to put off your white novitiate robes and take up the yellow robes of a Flame of the Assembly, and I bestow upon you the gold chain of your new rank." Torch Falay slips the chain over Neroon's bowed head. Lantern Xookaer holds out his hand. "With your obeisance I confirm this promotion, and encourage you to continue in your faith with all of your heart" after Neroon kissed the proffered ring, Lantern Xookaer raises him to his feet. "A joyous occasion! Now if our host will allow it, then let us eat!"
At Sir Dealann's assent, couches are quickly put out in small groups for all the guests, and dinner is served. As the most prominent guest, Councillor Falein is seated next to Sir Dealann, along with Sir Taanaur, Sir Hainur, and Captain Bloodsword. The elf makes pleasant conversation, congraluting Dealann on the remarkable return of the Cup of Peace, and of the prestige he has brought to the Children of Light. He remarks to about how the estates in this region north of the city have grown in the time he has lived here - over 250 years, you find out. Falein is quite gregarious for an elf, but his humour is rougher than you might expect (He actually comes off as a bit of a boor), but for the company of country knights and a Captain of the Zoan navy Falein seems to fit right in. Towards the end of the evening, the councillor requests if Dealann might join him and Captain Bloodsword to partake in a bottle Ousoo brought from Falein's own estate. The three of you repair to a small sitting room off the foyer, with only Falein's servant in attendance.
"The return of the Cup has done me a great service, Sir Dealann. I am very pleased because it gives me an opportunity to pursue a grand alliance amongst the cities of Reanaaria. I have a councillor Werlen's ear in this and I can tell you he is greatly pleased as well.
"Your letter, however, has caused quite a stir in the Council. If there were to be a vote today I think it would not pass - expanding Zoan territory raises fears in many of a return to Tyranny and the days of our Empire. If Council were to endorse this officially, it may even incite the other cities to act against us.
"I think it is best to proceed more cautiously - it would be better if we delayed bringing this to the Council until we can gather more support, and perhaps present the Councillors with an established fact rather than an uncertain - and costly - endeavour."
Captain Bloodsword breaks in. "I was surprised when the Councillor talked to me about this, but my next patrol on the Erne's Beak will be South, and I have agreed to use my discretion to go off course and investigate the keep and harbour and make a report back to my superior, the Master of the Bay, as well as the esteemed Councillor. Further intelligence can only aid the situation, and if it as Dealann says perhaps we can obtain the agreement of the Navy to this scheme.
After a sip of Ousoo, Falein continues "I will also divert a small part of my funds" Falein continues "so that you, Dealann, may organize as a private citizen, a further exploration of these lands in order substantiate the claims that have been made. I believe councillor Werlen may do something similar, although I have yet to obtain his firm agreement."
"Dealann - consider carefully this suggestion, and perhaps solicit the opinions of your colleagues. If this can be done by private means then we need not concern ourselves too much with the opinion of the Council until much later, when the base is established and the utility of it can be made clear. You need not go yourselves, I will trust whomever you choose to send. Now, I think perhaps we should rejoin the party - don't you?"
4.6.10
A social call - Pelsday, 23rd of Famine, YND 744
Sir Dealann and Neroon walked up the steps to the orphanage and rang the bronze knocker on the oak doors. After a few moments, the door creaks open and a wimpled head pokes around the opening, at about the height of your navel. Big, elfin eyes look up at you. Seeing you are not servants come to the wrong entrance, the small figure steps out onto the landing. "Can I help your sirs?" she says, the depth of gnomish nun's voice betrays her age, and your realize that though small she must be well into her middle years.
Neroon steps forward "Dear sister, would you take us to his holiness, the Abbott? We would like to visit one of your charges, the child Gwilly." There is a slight hesitation before the nun answers, "Yes, of course. Follow me."
"Why the hesitation Sister? Is all not well?" asks Sir Dealann as you follow the small figure down the corridor.
"You really must talk to the Abbott," she replies "he'll be in his office." She ushers you into a sparsely furnished office, where you take seats on a long couch. There is large desk stack high with papers. An ink pot and several pens poke out from amongst the piles. Small windows high up in the walls let in air and light. After a moment or two, a small, balding man with spectacles - who you take to be the Abbott - bustles into the room. He sits down and looks at you across the desk, peering out between the stacks of paper like he was looking through the crenel of a castle wall.
"hmmm... Gwilly. Of course." The Abbott pauses. "We sent to you at the Circle of Gawds, but you were away."
"What happened?" demands Sir Dealann.
"Yes, well. Things were very well for the first seven-day, Gwilly excelled at her lessons and made several friends amongst the other children. She had a wonderful impact on the whole orphanage, actually.
"But then the second week, Gwilly seemed bored and distracted. She was still kind to the children, but refused to do any lessons. She had an argument with one of the Sisters, and was sent to her cell for reflection. When we checked on her a few hours later, she was gone.
"You must understand that a child of Gwilly's particular nature is difficult to confine. We were not going to restrain the girl or bind her wings. We warned the Shields the child was missing, and asked that her description be sent to the surrounding towns, but that was 2 weeks gone and no word as yet. I suspect we won't hear from her unless, or until, she chooses to speak with us.
"Of course we will return the money you left in our charge for her care and dowry. Sister Agatha will give you a letter of requisition so you can retrieve the funds from the Parish of the Prolific Coin, who keeps charge of our financial matters.
"I wish I had better news - I'm sorry. The only consolation I can give you is that Gwilly is a remarkable child with powers and abilities that belie her years. I do not think she will come to harm unless she seeks it out. I suspect she has gone to the gnomish communities deep in the Fautee Woods - she would be most welcome there.
"If you have any questions I will be happy to answer them, but otherwise I must go about my day. Don't forget to speak with Sister Agatha on your way out."
Neroon steps forward "Dear sister, would you take us to his holiness, the Abbott? We would like to visit one of your charges, the child Gwilly." There is a slight hesitation before the nun answers, "Yes, of course. Follow me."
"Why the hesitation Sister? Is all not well?" asks Sir Dealann as you follow the small figure down the corridor.
"You really must talk to the Abbott," she replies "he'll be in his office." She ushers you into a sparsely furnished office, where you take seats on a long couch. There is large desk stack high with papers. An ink pot and several pens poke out from amongst the piles. Small windows high up in the walls let in air and light. After a moment or two, a small, balding man with spectacles - who you take to be the Abbott - bustles into the room. He sits down and looks at you across the desk, peering out between the stacks of paper like he was looking through the crenel of a castle wall.
"hmmm... Gwilly. Of course." The Abbott pauses. "We sent to you at the Circle of Gawds, but you were away."
"What happened?" demands Sir Dealann.
"Yes, well. Things were very well for the first seven-day, Gwilly excelled at her lessons and made several friends amongst the other children. She had a wonderful impact on the whole orphanage, actually.
"But then the second week, Gwilly seemed bored and distracted. She was still kind to the children, but refused to do any lessons. She had an argument with one of the Sisters, and was sent to her cell for reflection. When we checked on her a few hours later, she was gone.
"You must understand that a child of Gwilly's particular nature is difficult to confine. We were not going to restrain the girl or bind her wings. We warned the Shields the child was missing, and asked that her description be sent to the surrounding towns, but that was 2 weeks gone and no word as yet. I suspect we won't hear from her unless, or until, she chooses to speak with us.
"Of course we will return the money you left in our charge for her care and dowry. Sister Agatha will give you a letter of requisition so you can retrieve the funds from the Parish of the Prolific Coin, who keeps charge of our financial matters.
"I wish I had better news - I'm sorry. The only consolation I can give you is that Gwilly is a remarkable child with powers and abilities that belie her years. I do not think she will come to harm unless she seeks it out. I suspect she has gone to the gnomish communities deep in the Fautee Woods - she would be most welcome there.
"If you have any questions I will be happy to answer them, but otherwise I must go about my day. Don't forget to speak with Sister Agatha on your way out."
3.6.10
Navear's Story - 20-28 of Famine, YND 744
Entry 1 - Your days of shore leave are filled with the details of setting up Halaan with a forge in which to create a new Coin of Power, valuing the party's treasure & trade goods, and re-purchasing the equipment you lost in the shipwreck.
It turns out these simple tasks are a lot more difficult than you expected, and you discover a lot about the City of Zoa and its guilds. Setting out to purchase a set of jeweler's tools you find that no merchant will sell you a set of tools without verifiying your guild credentials. Not being a guild member, you are turned away a few times, learning in the process that the guilds seem to control a lot of what goes on in Zoa. There are a lot of guilds, seemingly for all professions and trades - even the Clerics and Mages are organized into guilds And they have a lot more power than guilds typically do - not only can they restrict the sale of tools to members only, they can also levy a 10% tax on all tools as well.
Entry into a trade guild is no mean feat - typically a Zoan child starts an apprenticeship at the age of 10 or 12 years old, and his family often pays a tuition to the Master for his time. After 8-10 years training he is tested for a journeyman's rank and allowed to enter the guild. You could shortcut the process by finding a Master willing to test you, but he would command a significant fee for the service. The professional guilds - such as the Merchants or Mages - are easier to join, one just need to declare an intent to settle in Zoa and pay the guild dues, after the applicant demonstrates they have the relevant skills and assets required to succeed. Geolain even suggests you join the wizard's guild, especially if you are going to continue to summon horses in the street. Geolain also lets you in on part of the secret of why he lives in the Dregs.
"Its a lot easier to obtain some rarer items in the Dregs, Navear" he says as you help him setup some alchemical apparati under Halaan's direction. "why don't you head for the shops along Harbourfront Lane near the Low Market and look for your goods there. I'm sure you'll find what you need."
Taking his advice, you explore the neighbourhood around the low market (taking care to guard your purse) and find a number of shops selling a bit of this and that. After some surreptitious discussion, you manage to purchase a set of Jeweler's tools and book binder's implements (and a set of thieves picks on the sly).
It turns out these simple tasks are a lot more difficult than you expected, and you discover a lot about the City of Zoa and its guilds. Setting out to purchase a set of jeweler's tools you find that no merchant will sell you a set of tools without verifiying your guild credentials. Not being a guild member, you are turned away a few times, learning in the process that the guilds seem to control a lot of what goes on in Zoa. There are a lot of guilds, seemingly for all professions and trades - even the Clerics and Mages are organized into guilds And they have a lot more power than guilds typically do - not only can they restrict the sale of tools to members only, they can also levy a 10% tax on all tools as well.
Entry into a trade guild is no mean feat - typically a Zoan child starts an apprenticeship at the age of 10 or 12 years old, and his family often pays a tuition to the Master for his time. After 8-10 years training he is tested for a journeyman's rank and allowed to enter the guild. You could shortcut the process by finding a Master willing to test you, but he would command a significant fee for the service. The professional guilds - such as the Merchants or Mages - are easier to join, one just need to declare an intent to settle in Zoa and pay the guild dues, after the applicant demonstrates they have the relevant skills and assets required to succeed. Geolain even suggests you join the wizard's guild, especially if you are going to continue to summon horses in the street. Geolain also lets you in on part of the secret of why he lives in the Dregs.
"Its a lot easier to obtain some rarer items in the Dregs, Navear" he says as you help him setup some alchemical apparati under Halaan's direction. "why don't you head for the shops along Harbourfront Lane near the Low Market and look for your goods there. I'm sure you'll find what you need."
Taking his advice, you explore the neighbourhood around the low market (taking care to guard your purse) and find a number of shops selling a bit of this and that. After some surreptitious discussion, you manage to purchase a set of Jeweler's tools and book binder's implements (and a set of thieves picks on the sly).
Neroon's Story - 20-28 of Famine, YND 744
Entry 1 - During the first two days of your return you are very busy caring for the Dejy slaves. They were overawed with your display of holy power in the ship's hold, and gather around you everytime you visit. Using your divine abilities, you move among them healing the wounded and tending the sick. You even manage to teach them some Merchant's Tongue, enough to so that they understand your preaching of the Canon of the Eternal Lantern, glorifying the light of day urging battle against the darkness of night, and the creatures that hide within it.
From the Dejy you learn that they lived far to the south, and had been on the ship for many days, perhaps a month or more. They lived a relatively peaceful life, hunting & gathering in the jungle and fishing on the coast. They had heard stories of traders in ships coming with metal items and exchanging for animal skins, ivory, and tropical hardwood. They assumed that the slavers were traders when they appeared in the cove where there village was. They are afraid of what may happen to them, amazed at the stone city they can see from the deck, and all are grieving for the children and elders lost in the raid. One of them tells you a legend in their tribe of a great warrior who defeated a dark shadow to save the sun. Seizing on this link, one by one you win the Dejy over to the worship of the Eternal Lantern. As each of them professes devotion to your Gawd you lead them up out of the dark ship's hold and into the sunlight, a symbolic cleansing as well as welcome relief from the misery below decks.
For the rest of your time, you spend your evenings writing in your diary, studying the Canon of the Eternal Lantern and other religious writings available to you, and visiting with your friend Belar on the docks. He is most interested in your tales of different lands and especially of the Obakasek jungle. In exchange, Belar teaches you some of the new wrestling tricks and tells you of the goings on around town. On your walks back to your quarters you are often stopped and asked to officiate on the local wrestling matches. These can get quite serious as neighbourhood champions move from street to street accepting challenges, and the even hand of a holy man is needed to adjudicate.
Studying the logs and charts of the slave ship don't leave you with much more than what Finn had already surmised. But in Cosulting with Wien and Belar, you are reasonably certain with the log and charts a ship could be sent back to the tribe's homelands. Perhaps you can encourage some of your brethren to journey with them and continue their religious education?
From the Dejy you learn that they lived far to the south, and had been on the ship for many days, perhaps a month or more. They lived a relatively peaceful life, hunting & gathering in the jungle and fishing on the coast. They had heard stories of traders in ships coming with metal items and exchanging for animal skins, ivory, and tropical hardwood. They assumed that the slavers were traders when they appeared in the cove where there village was. They are afraid of what may happen to them, amazed at the stone city they can see from the deck, and all are grieving for the children and elders lost in the raid. One of them tells you a legend in their tribe of a great warrior who defeated a dark shadow to save the sun. Seizing on this link, one by one you win the Dejy over to the worship of the Eternal Lantern. As each of them professes devotion to your Gawd you lead them up out of the dark ship's hold and into the sunlight, a symbolic cleansing as well as welcome relief from the misery below decks.
For the rest of your time, you spend your evenings writing in your diary, studying the Canon of the Eternal Lantern and other religious writings available to you, and visiting with your friend Belar on the docks. He is most interested in your tales of different lands and especially of the Obakasek jungle. In exchange, Belar teaches you some of the new wrestling tricks and tells you of the goings on around town. On your walks back to your quarters you are often stopped and asked to officiate on the local wrestling matches. These can get quite serious as neighbourhood champions move from street to street accepting challenges, and the even hand of a holy man is needed to adjudicate.
Studying the logs and charts of the slave ship don't leave you with much more than what Finn had already surmised. But in Cosulting with Wien and Belar, you are reasonably certain with the log and charts a ship could be sent back to the tribe's homelands. Perhaps you can encourage some of your brethren to journey with them and continue their religious education?
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