Kong sits back in his chair and says, "Well we asked a question, it would be rude not to wait for an answer, even if it does take a while. What do you guys think? If we are not heading above ground, I don't see a point in trying to slip out with the masses."
"Better not to go in blind, if we have any other option... I don't expect it to be months. At least, I hope it isn't. We might want to put the vents on hold til we get the answer, regardless."
The group ends up spending another day in the city, mostly hiding out in the inn to avoid being seen.
The next morning however, the mushroom man is back behind the bar. When the map that was bought from the trader is produced, the bartender marks the locations of volcanoes that he knows of. "Here, volcanoes lead to World End. Where my people live, not safe." Then he marks some on the other side of the ocean. "More here, in Silk Mountains." Then he moves up to the northern end of the ocean, and draws a very large volcano. "Is very big one here, but my people not able to go there. Something stop them. Not know what."
Neri pauses. He starts to speak, then nothing comes out for a second. "Have you, personally, heard anything about a place called Rantherius? No need to ask everyone else. I just know that there's supposed to be an 'enemy city' that they're at war with on the north end of the ocean."
'That certainly explains why Id doesn't have any servants showing up in his volcano. They're all still alive, and at war, maybe...'
Lina tries to get an aside with Neri first. "Did you hear that? A volcano with a mysterious barrier around it. Sounds a bit like a shrine..."
"Yeah... I caught that, too. But... waking up a volcano that is also centered on the only resistance the world seems to have, I'm not so sure about. Not that I'm positive they're in the exact same place... but Id put the city around there when I scryed." Neri says, once dragged off to the side.
"Hmm. And, sure, crossing the ocean isn't ideal, especially if that's your nearest shrine—but there's a chance we wouldn't need to sail back, or ever."
Johnny looks at the map and thanks the fungus. "Thanks! This is quite useful. We really appreciate that you went to all the trouble of asking your companions about this. I guess that means there aren't really any safe-ish volcanoes on this continent though? Or at least, any ones that don't lead to your people."
Once they've gone to chat in their more private group, he'll grumble, "Why does everything seem to keep pointing at traveling across the ocean?" Then, a bit louder, "I wonder if there are underground lava tunnels that go under the ocean. I mean, I'm not sure that's any better for us than traveling up top with the crazy-making monsters or whatever... Maybe we could just sort of look near the volcanoes without getting too close to the Mushroom Kingdom?" It's clear Johnny still isn't a fan of the thought of trying to traverse the ocean, though he doesn't really seem to have any more useful ideas.
Kong looks at the map, "Well, it does sound like that might be a shrine and we should probably head there even if sailing the ocean doesn't sound great."
"It's a solid lead. We don't really get any of those often...." Liisa agreed once in private. "... but yeah - if awakening it actually *awakens* it - that might not be such an stellar idea. Though, thinking back, the forest didn't really do much. Not that forests are prone to any sort of worrying or violent explosions really ..."
Lina shakes her mind. "Speed is a concern. A boat can cross an ocean in weeks. Getting there on foot would take months, through hostile territory, and I doubt we can get horses underground."
"Well, really... both are gonna be hostile, I'm pretty sure. Just, underground is going to be hellish to navigate without maps. Hellish with maps. And that's assuming there were even tunnels that filled the spaces between, which would probably just be more of dumb luck... no, I think we'll have to get a boat."
"So across the ocean then? Hmm. We'll need to find a way to deal with that whole 'sea of madness' thing. Try to visit the google merchant again, perhaps under a different guise?" Liisa ponders. "Honestly though, I'd love to know a bit more about that whole deal before getting too close..."
Johnny sighs as he resigns himself to a future of sea sickness, madness, and probably scurvy knowing his luck. "If we're going to visit him again, I would suggest that Lina not talk this time. Though I'm not really sure how we'll find a ship large enough to carry enough supplies to get us where we need to go but small enough that we can pilot. Especially given our lack of sailing expertise."
"I'm guessing there's more than one city with ships..." Lina suggests. "The bigger problem is, of course, that associated with getting to and across the sea safely. And if we don't have a good idea of where this volcano is, we might just be stuck there until someone kills us."
"I know where it is... about as well as I know where anything is." Neri offers. "Not that that's a lot of good without landmarks, though. Id gave me a general idea. I just hadn't realized he was trying to directly answer the question of what I was looking for at the time. The volcano is Rantherius, the rebellion's hideaway, I think. Id showed it to me when I was looking for more of the shrines. I think it'd be a good idea to simply go with the traffic that'll probably be heading to the city aboveground, but if you'd like, I can try to find us a guide."
"Yeah, no, we could probably just go with the flow. Not sure if they are all heading the same way though. Liisa frowns. "Only thing I'd be worried about is keeping up appearance; we don't know nearly enough about this whole thing to pretend to merchants and 'oh we are just some backwater hicks that happened to be down here and wanted to visit the Shoals' seems flimsy." She finishes with a small sigh.
"Though, I suppose, we need to practice *blending in* anyhow and there will probably be less consequences of screwing up down here then inside a city." Liisa takes a deep breath and starts to nervously drum the table with her fingers. "Sooo. Get some supplies and 'trade goods' and then see if we can find someone to tag along with?"
"Seems like it could work. Honestly, most of what we use is already probably considered trade goods. Plus, we're a lot more likely to run into something for Johnny along any routes used for trade..." he shrugs trailing off. Also possible they abandoned old trade routes because they were blessed by a god that had left and they'd fallen into disrepair.
"Actually, there's also the option of looking at the map for major roads from long ago." he shrugs again. "Though I guess we should stick to one idea at a time."
"Hmm. Maybe our first option is seeing if any of the merchants here came from Rantherius or Silkland, and can maybe give us a lift back there?"
"That's really not an bad idea Neri. I mean, it doesn't cost us anything. And a closer look couldn't hurt..." Liisa retrieves her map and rolls it out on the table. Maybe they could even try and find hints to this place on the map?
"If Rantherius and Silkland are as remote as we think, telling them apart by their accent or clothing shouldn't be hard. If we knew how 'normal' people sounded and looked like ..."
"We won't find anyone from Rantherius out here. At the very least, no one that will admit it - that place is an enemy of the state. We might be able to book safe-ish passage across to the Silklands, though, if we can find a ship heading back that way, and traders shouldn't be too uncommon, I would think." Neri returns, "Everything seems to lead to the city first, though."
Johnny nods, clearly excited by the prospect of catching a lift somewhere rather than trying to do the sailing themselves. "Did we want to talk to traders here or just in the Shoals? It's possible we could even get a ride to the coast, and offering to be caravan guards seems like a very fantasy-style thing to do. Though I doubt I could pass as one. ...and now that I think about it, I'm really not sure we'd want people to see us fighting. Most of us would have a huge handicap to pass as normal guards."
"As for finding Silklanders, I gather that we're looking for people dressed like they're from Asia. If we're lucky, maybe the thing translating for us will even convert their accents into Asian ones, though that seems like pushing our luck."
There is a large group of traders leaving tomorrow for Verdant Shoals. In fact, most of them are closing up at 'noon' and packing up in preperation for leaving early in the morning.
There are no positions for guards, as the guards were already hired to come out and back. However, anyone is welcome to travel with the caravan. Alternately, the group could trail behind or scoot out ahead of them if they wanted to avoid large crowds.
The next morning, the group gets up early and heads out at the tail end of the convoy. It's slow going, as the wagons don't move fast. All in all, the group ends up having a leisurely stroll.
The day goes fairly unventfully, and toward evening the convoy rolls into the small village the group visited before.
Lina has no new interest in poking around the town, especially since Verdant Shoals might make a less conspicuous point to consider travel options (as well as set a point for Luna's rumor gathering). She is a bit worried, however, at the fact that all this travel will occur aboveground, and not close to a cave opening.
Whenever they're separated from the other groups, Neri assuages Lina's fears, "But it's also right next to the forest, and while they're patrolling, and they're dangerous, they're not likely equipped to stop us from breaking through to our compounds, only to keeping us from exiting that way."
"I don't think we need to head into this town again. Best to go around it I think. Unless they have an avatar with them we should be able to hand any patrols." Kong says as they get closer to town.
"Avoiding them is our best bet." She agreed. "We can deal with anything along the outskirts but we might just able to sneak past if they don't expect us."
"Yeah-" Liisa adds to the choir "-let's take a little detour."
"Unless they have an avatar with them we should be able to hand any patrols."
Johnny gives Kong a look. "Says the guy who almost got killed by their archers last time... Plus those dogs were nasty. So clearly they have ways to deal with us without needing a 'special person'. But I agree with not going in the town. A detour should also be a bit more interesting that this snail's crawl." He waves at the caravan. "I hadn't realized how slow traders are when they don't have trucks or planes."
The group drops back and then heads off into the woods, and spends half a day walking around the village, moving back onto the road along the coast.
The next day they pass the point they turned back last time, and are in new territory again. By the time afternoon rolls around, they are coming up on another village along the coast, it has a dozen buildings, and a dock, obviously another small fishing village.
Kong stops and looks down the road at the village, "Should we go in and have a look around? What's the worst that can happen, we end up burning the village to the ground?" Kong smiles at his sarcasm and then adds, "I'm thinking maybe we should bypass this one too and wait till the next one. It's possible this one has heard rumors of us. Of course it's also possible there's posters of all of us in every town with "Wanted Dead or Deader" under our faces."
"A new place is always a chance if it comes to the worst we can run but we should have a look at the very least. I could scout ahead if you'd prefer."
"But if there are posters; I'd rather just have the mob be village rather then city sized." Liisa continues on Kong's line, both in tone and subject. "Let's just be on our best behaviour."
"It doesn't seem likely that there's signs up for that sort of thing. Otherwise, the caravan would have taken notice, or one of the people in the caverns. It's more likely they just thought one or more of us were 'touched'." he shrugs, trying to pass off the subject, entirely.
"I'm fine with you heading in first and getting an idea of what's going on and expected, but I'm really not worried about it - yet."
"Maybe try to avoid situations where Lina has to talk this time" Johnny winks at the former cop. "To be honest, while we were likely odd, I wouldn't have thought we were weird enough for stories to have spread about us. Unless people around here are just supremely bored. Which they could be. I've never actually been to the countryside, so I don't know."
The small village is no bigger than the last one, a dozen or so buildings, and two docks for the fishing ships. Fish hang from lines strung up around the village, drying in the sun.
The few people in the village nod at you in a guarded manner as you enter. The only building of any major note is the church, a stone building that looks to be just big enough to hold everyone in it all at the same time.
A grizzled old man in a leather jerkin with an odd helm made of a ram's skull approaches. He carries a spear in one weathered hand. "Blessings of the Three upon thee, travellers." He intones, seeming slightly bored.
Well, that's a new fashion trend, Lina thinks, while waiting for the others to talk this time around.
Johnny smiles at the man. "And upon thee, good sir! We've just come from a small trade festival of sorts. I'm afraid caravan travel is dreadfully dull as well as slow, so the group of us decided to take a small jaunt ahead of the rest. Tell me, can you recommend any places to see in the area? Perhaps a nice walk with a view or some such?"
We're unlikely to get anything actually useful. After all, the poor man looks more bored than we were. But who knows? Perhaps something vaguely interesting will come up. And at least I suppose we have a nice local greeting now."
Always with these insular fishing villages! Liisa notes the less then welcoming atmosphere. But maybe it is justified here. And at least they are not that hostile! When the village shaman (maybe?) approaches to greet them Liisa gives him a disarming smile and tries to recall what little she had learn about etiquette from eavesdropping at the traders earlier. Not that I'm sure their manners are applicable here. But if we make the same faux pas as they do, it only adds to our cover!
Neri stays aloof, allowing the others to do the talking. He'd ruined enough in his time, and as long as -someone- were willing to make a real effort, he'd be happier just staying out of it.
"You can walk on the beach and see the ocean. Or you can walk in the forest and see the trees. You can walk down by the midden and see the drek pile if you like. Can't say I recommend that one. But to each his own." He looks the group up and down. "You seen any heretics at the Lizard Demon's trade fair?" He spits on the ground, the spit black, indicating he's obviously chewing on something. "Father Marsus says we should look out for the Heretics. Damn demon worshippers. Probably down there with the lizards cooking babies or something foul like that." He nods toward the stone church. "Make sure you stop in and see Father Marsus, all travellers required now. On pain of discommunication."
Johnny nods to the walking suggestions. "About the same then; more forests and oceans. Oh well, I suppose it's still better than the slow march down the road. As for the festival, well, it was certainly...interesting. I can't say that I saw anything unusu- well, no, there was plenty that was unusual, but nothing especially suspicious save for some rather questionable 'meat'. Tell me, Father Marsus, has he been with this village long? Do you know if he favors one of the three?"
While Johnny lead the social aspect Luna was studying the building and the landscape in search of the place to flee and how armed this place was in case things went south again.
Lina waited in the back of the group, hoping the others could pursue a subtle line of questioning effectively.
The old man rubs his nose. "Hmm, Father Marsus is a Barathielian. Not sure what difference it makes though. You still gotta see him."