"I'll tag along, I have nothing better to do; but keep your two-legger friends from serving me for dinner. Every time I assume there's no way a two-legger would put it in their mouths, they prove me wrong. You people will eat anything!" He hops toward you on the tree branch once, twice, cocking his head to the other side. "Call me Teal." The kookaburra laughs once more.
Teal has joined your party!
As for the rest of you: It is morning, around 10 AM, though it will be several thousand more years before timepieces get widespread.
Si-Yi stands before the bonfire, watching the cooks prepare the tribe's breakfast of salamander meat. "Salamander meat yesterday, salamander meat today, and blimey if it wouldn't be salamander meat tomorra" - Bill the Troll, Fellowship of the Ring
Hawke is sharpening his axe in the chieftain's hut.
Kano has just awakened from a prophetic dream.
Olivius TBD
Olivius grins back. Thank you for your help. Without you I'd probably have to work all the harder to avoid a beating. I truly appreciate your assistance.
He is astonished at her house. Buildings of stone are commonplace to him, but a house in a Tree! That's incredible. is all he can manage.
As Kano awakens from the prophetic dream, he feels a great disturbance in the world beyond. As always, the only sensible thing to do is prepare for war. Kano sits by the fire in a meditative pose while he smears grinded ochre underneath the bags under his eyes. Truly the burden of his position weighs heavily on him as he hums an old tribal hym and cleans the blood from his shark tooth club.
After a couple minutes he rises up and goes to where the men who remained loyal to him trained. He takes a couple swings at one of the training posts. His eyes are closed. He lets the spirits guide his movements.
Your blows strike the training dummy with great force, yet you feel disturbed. A great weight seems to weigh upon your heart as you gaze upon your tribal lands, and your people...why? You do not fully understand your feelings.
Stormclouds hover menacingly overhead. You feel a few droplets of rain, though no more than that falls from the sky for now.
Olivius: As you turn away from Yala, she hesitates, and then asks if you'd like to stay in her hut tonight. Since you have nowhere else to go. It's dark, but you can tell from her tone of voice that she's trying to keep from blushing.
Olivius grins to himself for more than one reason. She was right. He was a stray. So far from the buildings and bustling streets of home. In some gods forsaken wilderness. But even here, he'd found a ray of sunshine. The fact that she'd probably rob him blind in his sleep only make it all the better.
He turns back and gracefully accepts. As a professional courtesy, he only looks over her house once, and politely behaves himself while there. He didn't have to act the savage just because he was with the natives.
Yala conceals moderate disappointment that you behaved yourself but you sleep comfortably through the night. You awaken at daybreak - though no sunshine is there to pierce the windows - with all of your supplies surprisingly still on your person.
"If they try to eat you, they will face my wrath. I am Sinathel." With Teal in tow, Sinathel climbs back down the tree. Letting Teal show her the sites, she makes her way back towards the village. Aiming for the least occupied route, she begins to try to find Boda's cabin.
Kano: As you survey your tribal lands, you see Si-Yi standing impassively near the bonfire, his eyes fixated on the flames. You also see, far off in one corner of the village, Olivius leaving one of the treehouses, looking rather refreshed. Finally, you catch the kweekwean (shapeshifter) Elf druid, Sinathel, walking barefoot back into the village with...is that a kookaburra riding on her shoulder? Strange...
Yala conceals moderate disappointment that you behaved yourself but you sleep comfortably through the night. You awaken at daybreak - though no sunshine is there to pierce the windows - with all of your supplies surprisingly still on your person.
The night before, Olivius notices that Yala hasn't quite been her cheery self the last few hours. Rather than assume something, he asks, Yala. You seem disappointed. Have I offended you?
Yala turns to face you with a little grin on her face. "You're a polite one, Sticky-Fingers, if a little slow. No. There's nothing that offended me. I was merely thinking about what we'll have to say to the village elders. They'll be unpleased." she chuckles to herself, gesturing at you vaguely.
Unpleased that a certain dagger has gone missing or that I'm here right now? He eyes her mischievously. You're not using me to create a sirr, are you? I bet, in a small village like this, romors spread quickly.
No, Sinathel. Your actions were recognized by the tribe and you find a guide to take you to Boda's hut easily.
It's far on the outskirts of the village, too far to even see the pit. In this area, weavers are seated next to large, primitive looms, working together to create cloth from textile plants found on the island itself. The colors weave together in dizzying, ornate psychadelic patterns - you recognize magic here, of a natural sort, more like hedge magic than the high arcane might the wizards wield. Boda's hut is on the far end of the weaver's section, in a hut elevated on some sticks. Once you arrive at the hut, your guide (a young man named Tuvo) nods at you, glances nervously up at the hut, and runs off without a word.
The weavers' area is perhaps 50 feet behind you. There's a ramp to your right leading up to the hut, in front of you and 15 feet off the ground...
Teal preens his wing-feathers on your shoulder.
Unpleased that a certain dagger has gone missing or that I'm here right now? He eyes her mischievously. You're not using me to create a sirr, are you? I bet, in a small village like this, rumors spread quickly.
Yala tosses her head dismissively and snorts. "Pfah! Rumors! Whispered half-truths to titillate morons! I don't respect the hens that mutter to each other. Mealy-mouthed losers! Besides," she continues, with a prideful note in her voice, "Pearl-divers are prized in our village...I am beyond reproach." She grins.
"I'm not at all unpleased at you, silly thief. What do you plan to do? Kano would be most upset to learn of the dagger's disappearance...if he's going with you like they say, you might want to get him away from here before someone tells him it's gone." She bites into a mango.
My plan? I'm going to march out tomorrow morning and state the obvious. We need to get going, and sooner rather than later. The sooner we get this solved, the sooner we can get back here. He stops mid-thought and smiles. Hey, there's a thought. Why don't you come with us? Two islanders is better than one, and I could certainly use the company.
Yala stares at you. "Leave the village with you to go...where, the future? Where does your journey even lead, Olivius?" she uses your actual name for the first time, indicating her seriousness.
Olivius shrugs. Anywhere. Everywhere. Future. Past. In between. Or just up the mountain. I know you have a life here, and I would never presume to force you to leave that. Just food for thought. Think about it.
With that he heads to bed.
You leave Yala with much to think about.
You have nightmares all night, nightmares that cause you to toss and turn on the simple, but spacious bedding that Yala provided for you. Several times during the night, you awaken from sleep by bolting straight upright and clutching your chest, feeling what seems like a hand made of ice gripping your heart. The feeling passes nearly instantly but is enough to give you a painful shock.
When you awaken the following day, her family greets you warmly, showing no knowledge of your theft from the previous night. Yala's family is immense, with sisters and brothers ranging from infancy to adolescence all crowding around the stranger. Yala herself is not present, but her family serves you a sumptuous breakfast made from natural ingredients taken from the island. If you ask her family, they tell you that Yala is a free-spirited diving child, and goes off on her own quite often. Being a pearl-diver's family has its benefits, you can see - riches taken from the ocean floor adorn the family's home everywhere you look, now that it's morning.
Olivius is shocked by the size and close-knit nature of Yala's family. He has never experienced it's like. The thought that Yala would accompany him leaves his head. He has a wonderful time, and emerges after the meal refreshed and happy.
You leave the warmth and happiness of the villager's tree home to see a rather gray morning. There's a slight drizzle of rain now and then from the dark clouds overhead - it's warm, which makes it fairly pleasant, but it still doesn't bode well for later weather. You can see Si-Yi standing off near a large fire closer to the Demon's Maw pit, and you also see Sinathel being led somewhere by some native guide. No sign of Yala anywhere.
Olivius walks up to Si-Yi. He re-arranges his cloak and hood so that the water doesn't get to him. A day wet was almost worse than a day in the sweltering heat.
Have you seen Khano? I'd rather get this mountain climbing business done sooner than later.
"No idea. But you'll have to wait until I've eaten my breakfast anyway. No way I'm going to climb a mountain on an empty stomach," Si-Yi answers, then takes a bite from a large chunk of salamander he's holding in his hands. "Hmph. I'm fairly sure I wanted my salamander to be saignant, not à point."
Fair enough. I had breakfast with a local family. Good people. I kninda wish this job didn't include huge gulfs of time or I might actually learn to like it here.
As the two time-travelers converse over salamander à point, native tribespeople gather around you. After they all seat themselves in a ragged circle around you, one tribesman in particular steps forward.
He has been recently tended from grievous wounds. Though his injuries are clearly severe, even from this distance, you can sense a great stoicism in the man. His injuries do not impede his dignity in the slightest, and he holds his head high as he proclaims in a loud voice, "I have news for the outsiders!"
From behind, you hear a tent flap being pushed aside and Kano's massive frame steps forth. In his hand is his weapon, but held loosely; he is in his own domain, the seat of his power. The warboss speaks. "Share your news with one and all, wounded warrior." He approaches, and stands near Olivius and Si-Yi. He is far taller than the thief, looming over him, and close in height to the tall barbarian.
The wounded warrior takes a step forward, and reveals a bag that he had been carrying behind him. Opening the drawstring and upending the bag, the warrior drops the severed head of a brown-skinned islander. When the head hits the ground, parts of it revert to bug-form, falling off in parts and leaving the rest of the face intact in an expression of vacancy.
"I found him with two of his fellows on perimeter patrol," the warrior states solemnly, as the tribespeople draw in a collective breath of shock. "I killed him, but his two fellows escaped. Their closeness to Demon's Maw is a threat, but not more so than this." From the bag, the warrior draws out the severed trunk of an elephant. As he holds it aloft, small bits of it fall to the ground and shatter into beetles.
"Within sight of the sacred mountain these bug-fiends defile Ku's prized elephants!" the warrior roars. The trunk continues to disintegrate into beetles slowly that fall off his arm. He brushes them off in disgust, dropping the trunk to the ground.
Sinathel carefully stepped up onto the ramp before heading towards the door. It seemed so right that Boda would live in a hut this high of the ground. Teal on her shoulder she knocks at the entrance, and waits for permission before entering. So far, Boda was one deserving of her respect, and she would treat her with such.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" the warboss' voice booms. "Are these fiends approaching OUR lands? Where were these creatures last seen? They need to be dealt with as we make the journey to Numalayo." He grips the club tightly out of anger. "Battle has arrived on our doorstep. The luxury of preperation is over. We must move soon and strike at these things swiftly. You have done well young one. Go rest, the healers will take care of you. Their numbers will be driven back once more." Kano marches to the tents of the warriors as he plans his next tactic.
Sinathel: there is no response from within.
Kano: As your mind furiously seeks answers to use against the heretical bug-men, the island trembles beneath your feet. Numaloyo off in the distance lets out a mighty rumble.
An earthquake larger than any that has struck before rocks the village of Demon's Maw. Your thoughts are interrupted when you are knocked to your knees by the sudden tremor as the entire island seems to shake.
You hear a scream from behind you as the tremors dislodge a mighty totem that rises over several huts. As you turn, the totem topples, crushing two huts in a mighty crash. Several other structures also fall when the earth splits in some places, opening great tears in the earth.
The earthquake is over before anybody has time to do anything more than scream. Temellen the elf is curled up in a tight ball under an overturned table. Villagers run to and fro, checking on family members or staring blankly at the destroyed huts which stood tall just a moment ago.
Sinathel: when the island begins to rumble, Teal squeaks in fear and takes to the skies. The ramp you stand on wobbles dangerously.
"Seems the growing pains are getting worse. Be careful. I hope to keep this short." Sinathel enters into the hut, stepping carefully to maintain balance and be prepared for a threat. "Boda?" She senses out feeling for the spirits around trying to locate Boda. Her eyes scan the room, as she stays on guard. She looks under tables and beds, to the high places, and inside objects that could hide someone. Both for Boda, and for answers.
What happened here recently?
The inside of Boda's hut is a mess. Animal furs, feathers, and painted masks litter the walls and floor. Some of it is just general untidiness, but there are also signs of a struggle - some broken crockery lies in pieces on the floor. There is an open window on the far side of the hut, and talon-shaped scratch marks on the windowsill.
What happened here recently?
A bird, looking to be about the size of your Harpy Eagle "morph", left this hut through this window recently.
'Is... Boda... like me?' Sinathel leans out the window, searching the skies and the trees. "Teal?" She calls for her kookaburra friend, if he's still around. Perhaps he has seen this large bird.
Olivius staggers back and forth as the ground heaves. His superior dexterity keeps him from falling, but only just. He takes a moment after its over to make sure he's steady before saying. What. In. The. Hells. Was. That. If that was an earthquake, please tell me we are getting off this Island. Like Now.
Teal lands on the windowsill after a moment, glancing uncertainly at the large talon marks. "Big'un, that one is," he comments. When you ask him if he saw the big bird leave, he gestures with a wing in the direction of the volcano. "Saw it winging its way toward the mountain as we were being guided by that Tuvo two-legger, I did."
"Thank you, I need to go alert the other two-leggers that traveled here with me. We had planned to go to the mountain. Something tells me Boda is that way as well." Sinathel gives Teal a gentle pet and offers her shoulder to him once again. She heads out, aiming for the fire pit where she had seen the others before.
You emerge from Boda's hut to see the village in ruin. A massive crack in the earth has split the weaver's quarter in half, and there is dust and dirt thrown everywhere as a result of the earthquake. Many of the huts have collapsed. You see a woman clutching Tuvo's head in her lap and wailing inconsolably - the islander who nervously guided you to Boda's hut now lies dead and mangled from where a totem crushed his chest.
You arrive back at the center square of the village, near the Demon's Maw itself, and see Kano furiously giving orders and Temellen cautiously emerging from under the table. You see Hawke and Si-Yi looking rather unsettled by the fire.
Sinathel, spotting the others heads over there. Temellen was being as chicken as ever. "The growing pains of the earth are getting worse. If we are heading to the mountain, we need to go soon. Now would be better."
The wounded warrior who proclaimed the corruption around the elephants straightens his posture in respect as the beautiful elf approaches, then nods in agreement. He turns to Kano. "Honored Warboss! Regos accompanied me on my patrol, and can guide you there." the warrior glances over his shoulder to Ulani, who is watching him with a matronly expression of concern, her arms crossed and her face stern. "I...am forbidden from accompanying you myself, due to my wounds," he continues, barely keeping the growl out of his voice.
"You were attacked." Sinathel states fact, as she looks at the wounded warrior. "Boda was attacked as well. The signs were there in her hut, but the hut was empty. I have reason to believe that someone left the hut and headed towards the mountain."
Ulani starts forward in shock when you mention Boda's hut being attacked, then she shrinks back somewhat, thoughtfully, when you mention her leaving toward the mountain.
Regos has kept to the outside, as he often does, while Pahua reported on the men they encountered as well as the desecrated elephants. The earthquake has caused a lot of commotion, and the young channeler steps closer to the central fire as Pahua mentions him by name.
With the ground still rumbling from aftershocks, the then man steps forward -- the dark hair atop his head falling like a limp Mohawk to one side, and his beard and mustache flaring to red tips. He seems uncertain of his position within the current circle of men, but not uncertain of himself. His hands are held behind his back, and the fire flares slightly as the man draws closer. "I can show you, if Pahua is forbidden. What do you wish, Warboss Kona?"
The warboss' face is ashen as he takes in the devastation wrought to his tribe. He turns to Ulani. "We have run out of time. Have you prepared the boats, as I commanded?"
The woman nods grimly. "We prepared them yesterday evening. Some were planning to use today to bring some of their heavier possessions with them."
Kano shakes his head. "We never know when the island could suffer another quake. Numaloyo angers at this infraction!" his voice rises into a roar in anger. He turns back to Ulani. "Begin leading people to the boats in case there is more danger on land. Go to the mainland and trade with the Wakeen tribe of dwarves along the coast - if the worst happens. Lead them...if I do not make it back, Ulani." Ulani's eyes are bright with tears but she nods firmly and swiftly turns to see to the villagers without another word, barking orders.
The enormous cleric turns to the party. "Regos will lead us to the location of the bug-men's corruption. We will put a stop to it - and then, I will escort you all up to Numaloyo's caldera. Are you all prepared?"
"So the bug-men are behind this? Be warned, with most of the animals gone, the bug population has increased in the Jungle." Her mind was in several places. But she was ready. Something had told her from the beginning these bug-men were trouble.
The bearded young man turns his palms up in reply, half smiling with a shrug, as if to indicate that there would be nothing for him to prepare. All of his earthly possessions are either in his pack, or sacrificed to flame.
"Tell me when you are ready..." he adds, with a slight bow. Trying to cover his expression.
-----------------
As the group takes leave, Regos steps to the forefront as point (unless warboss Kano wishes that position). The young man keeps pushing foliage and underbrush clear of the path as they blaze their trail, trying to release the greenery quickly before it begins to brown or smoke. Certainly nothing would light, especially as green as it all is, but the smell is less than pleasing.
Temellen brings up the rear, in front of only whomever is designated as rear guard. He glances about himself nervously, commenting that the jungle is never this quiet when he used to fly over...
Teal, meanwhile, flits off Sinathel's shoulder from time to time to spear bugs on his beak, bringing them back to ride along as she moved effortlessly through the undergrowth.
Regos, you lead the party through lands familiar to you, lands that have belonged to the people of Ku since time out of memory. But now, on the trees around you, there are markings that are not of your tribe. The bug-people encroach ever deeper, leaving red signage on the local trunks.
When you near the site of your and Pahua's battle with the bug-men (feel free to describe details), you notice immediately that there are sounds of combat, shouts and struggling, coming from a few dozen meters up ahead. The foliage is too thick to see but you can hear what sounds like several men in battle. What do you do?
"As I said, most of the animals have left." Sinathel comments in response to Temellen.