Cai'nan exhales the breath he had held prior to the magic taking effect. As he reappeared at their destination, he steadied himself on his glaive until the room stopped spinning. All the while, he listened to the others speak. At the man's mention of a disguise, he smirked and reached up to touch the bit of cap hanging out from beneath his helm. His form shifts from the shining knight he appeared to be to that of a Mwangi man clad in bits of jingling metal adornments, his glaive now seeming to be a large bladed tribal spear.
"Will this do?"
Nieford looks Cai'nan up and down, frowning somewhat. "Sure. I'm sure that will be fine. It's very convincing. Just be careful not to touch anyone, using that magical disguise."
To Nicholas' question, Nieford hums. "Other factions... Yes, hold on, let me give you a run-down of what I know."
"I'm sure you've been told of the resident dangers of the Mwangi Expanse and the Sodden Lands? The Angazhan worshipers, the Sodden Scavengers, the marsh giants, the boggards and lizardfolk? Alas, our lands are plagued with many dangers."
"In any case, you are safe as long as you are within Nantambu. We are protected here by the mages of the Magaambya, the magic college that Old-Mage Jatembe founded. The city is a paragon of peace."
"To the north, however, we have the Gorilla King's forces. These are intelligent great apes who worship the demon lord of savagery and bestial strength. They are opposed by a human tribe known as the Jambala Jaeg, as well as Nantambu's militia. I have also heard of forest elves which live deep in the forest who fight the apes as well. The Aspis Consortium has also set up a few bases in the region, although they are not allowed within the city. Though they are merchants, they are not to be trusted."
"Within the Sodden Lands, there is little organization - Aspis agents and Sodden Scavengers raid ancient ruins, and Koboto cannibals, marsh giants, boggards, and lizardfolk eat them when they are caught. The resident races all war with one another over lands, food sources, slaves, and treasures. It is a constant struggle to try to encourage peace in this area."
"I represent the Pathfinder Society, and although I have no agents living here at the moment, our goal here at the Sharrowsmith Lodge is to rescue revered artifacts from the ancient past before they're defiled or destroyed by less-enlightened creatures. As a result, we often come into conflict with the boggards, the marsh giants, and the Angzahan apes. Does that answer your question about regional factions?"
Above, the trap door opens, revealing a young dark-skinned boy, probably about fifteen. "Sir," he says. "The last customers have left."
"Thank you, Hassan. Would you all like to come up?" says Nieford, indicating a ladder that leads up into the shop.
"Quite nicely actually. Thank you. It seems like we're going to be walking into a war zone"
Nieford shakes his head. "It is very dangerous, and you must be careful. However, it really is not so bad as that. The wars of Avistan are much more dangerous than the wilderness here. It's unlikely for you to run into any more than two groups at a time, depending on where you are."
Salla
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Already disoriented, the buzzing-bending-dropping-dissolving feeling of teleportation causes Unafe's knees to buckle briefly, but with Cai'nan's hand on arm she steadies herself quickly. Still, she lets her companions speak while she collects herself.
At the mention of Walkena, Unafe frowns. Seeing her companions' uncertain expressions she says, "Walkena is a child-god-king, powerful enough to grant his followers the cleansing powers of the sun. He protects the Mzali fiercely from foreign influence--understandable, given what the Avistani have done, or attempted in the Mwangi Expanse--but I'm not sure he's any better. Rumors state that he's undead; at any rate he's been a child since ancient days. You can recognize his followers because they sear themselves with fire to pledge their loyalty to him...and then rise from death more powerful than ever before in order to continue ridding the Expanse of invaders.
"We'll try to keep our heads down around them, but if we do encounter them, let me speak to them before fighting. I don't know how likely I am to be able to avert conflict but it would be much better to try."
At Nieford's invitation to climb up, Unafe smiles and steps forward. "Thank you. I'm Unafe Rua-Ngakau of the Goapeke. Have you...have you heard any word of my people?" she asks nervously.
"The Geopeke tribe?" he says, wrinkling his nose. "I have visited them before, some years ago, but I rarely send people towards those lands. They are remote, difficult to reach, and there is little of consequence there besides the saurians."
"I'm sorry, I don't have any word on them."
He climbs the ladder, leading up to a nicely-appointed two-story trade shop. It's filled with commodities of various values and rarities, like spices, grain, gems, crafted baubles, weapons, and more. The trade shop is on a busy paved street, as can be seen out the windows. It is bright and sunny in a cheerful way, and the other buildings which can be seen are constructed in an open, aesthetically-pleasing way. Murals are carved into the walls of many buildings.
Also in the trade shop is a young boy. Dark-skinned and bald, he wears a uniform with a sigil commonly seen in the shop, apparently the store's trademark.
Salla, now looks like a Mwangi woman wearing much the same as she already is, but with a local flavor.
She looks over the local goods curiously, actually studying the local carvings with real interest. Stroking and scenting the woods used.
Cai'nan climbs the ladder and looks the place over with curious wonder.
The store is filled with local goods, and the woodcarvings run the gamut from silly superstitious baubles meant to exploit a foreigner's biases to beautiful wood-carved art, whether they be maps on flat planes of wood or sculptures of various creatures. The wood types are relatively alien and different - mostly brazilnut and pine tree wood.
"I'll put on my disguise just before we go out. I have to use my own magic to change my appearance and it doesn't last as long, so I'd rather give myself as much time as possible." Nicholas follows Cai'nan up the ladder into the shop and smiles. "My, these are lovely. I couldn't keep much art back home, not properly at least. Maybe I should take one of these back with us. I'm sure it will liven up wherever I settle down."
"Yeah," Cai'nan says distantly, his mind wandering, "Nigel would love some of these for the museum..."
Ciervo listens attentively to Nieford and Unafe's valuable intel, cracking a grin when the former mentions the area's relative safety to Avistan.
"Do you have any spare garments lying around?" the dhampir asks Nieford, while glancing at Cai'nan and Salla's magical disguises. Even Nicholas had a spell that could reproduce the effect. Ciervo however, was used to using more mundane methods. Less convincing, perhaps, but it would hold up better under close scrutiny. In theory, anyway.
Without waiting for an answer he breaks out his disguise kit and gets to work. Passing himself off as a Mwangi native was out of the question, even with his considerable skills, but perhaps he could pose as a Lirgeni or someone else less conspicuous.
Nieford nods and eagerly fetches Ciervo a small selection of regionally-appropriate clothing, helping him to select something that screams "Avistani assassin" less loudly.
"Do let me know if you need anything," he says. "If you have a material need, Hassan can guide you or fetch you something. I have supplies to trade for at the riverside now, though." Nieford puts on a wide-brimmed hat and heads for the door. "Do you need anything before I leave? The trade shop is yours to roam when I am away. Do try not to attract attention back here if you leave, though."
Ciervo nods his thanks to Nieford and sets about adding copious amounts of makeup to his face, mostly concerned with concealing his deathly pallor. Once his complexion doesn't scream "undead abomination," he concerns himself with subtly altering his facial features. Some dabs of bronze gives him a finish that would not necessarily pass him off as a native, but at least made him considerably less conspicuous. Some loose-fitting garments colored in earthy tones cover the rest of his body, hiding the black leather stealth suit underneath.
"I take it that we will be needing a boat," he says as he adds the finishing touches, assuming anyone around had bothered to wait on him. Without magic, the art of disguise was a considerable time sink.
Nichalos carefully weaves an illusion over his body and alters the glamours covering his outfit. The black and silver robes shift to reddish brown and white, and taking a design more common in the Mwangi Expanse. He changes his face to that of a square jawed, shaven headed Mwangi man and his many tattoos change to angular tribal designs. "Better. Unless we have more planning to do, I suggest we also head down to the river and find someone who can rent us a boat." He also takes a moment to create a new tattoo on his arm in a peculiar design.
Leaving Nieford's employee to watch the shop, the group cloaks themselves in illusions and heads out into the city to pursue transportation. Nantambu is a beautiful, prosperous, booming city.. The buildings are mainly made out of stone and are generally covered in beautiful and artistic murals. The people seem happy, well-fed, and attractive. The city is filled with plants of all sorts, and birdsong fills the air.
Every now and again you notice one of the city's protectors - wood golems - patrolling the streets in a leisurely rumble. Twice you spot the Mzali fanatics, well-armored men and women with spears, shields, and midnight-black skin. Their necks and upper arms (and probably their chests as well, though it is not explicitly visible through their armor) are distorted with blotchy burn scars, and they eye everyone suspiciously. However, the group's disguises are more than good enough.
It's about a twenty-minute walk over to the river, where the group finds a lively riverside marketplace absolutely filled with boats, sailors, stalls for all manner of goods and a crowd stuffed with people.
Once there, the party investigates for awhile. It is generally found that north of Nantambu is a very dangerous place that few people go. There are Aspis Consortium agents that sail to their outpost at Nightfall Station but other than that the Vanji River leads few places to the north other than Usaro, the capitol of the intelligent apes' kingdom, and Dokeran, an old ruined city. Smugglers in fast ships avoid the dangerous apes and head to Jaha, much further to the north than the players are going.
Cai'nan stays near Unafe, allowing her to take the lead in any conversations with natives to avoid his own accent giving away his disguise, which he refreshes every hundred paces.
When no one is apparently paying them attention, he leans to her and whispers, "Perhaps you should find a boatman for us. One willing to give foreigners a ride, because I doubt we could maintain these disguises the whole time..."
As they first step out from Neiford's shop into the fresh, Unafe finds herself awash with familiar scents--food from street vendors, a tree in bloom--and feels a tension unwind in her jaw that she hadn't realized was there her whole time away from the Expanse.
Still, she reminds herself, These are not the Goapeke. The Mzali will not be kind to us...and as for the rest, it is in the hands of the Ancestors.
When they first see the Mzali Unafe does her best to point them out subtly, and then to just keep walking, looking forward.
She nods at Cai'nan's suggestion. "Agreed. I don't think either paste or magics will long disguise Avistani who open their mouth in the Expanse."
At the marketplace Unafe encourages her friends to stay behind her--or perhaps to sit and drink the local coffee--while she talks to sailors and others along the riverside in Polyglot.
Unafe ranges about the docks area, asking people here and there for information about sailing north.
There is a smugglers' ship captained by a man called Capheus heading to Jaha, a smaller city in the northwest corner of the Expanse. It leaves in two days, and the captain is usually willing to take on passengers, but only provided that they pay for their weight in goods that he is not going to be able to sell. Locals say that you can expect a price of about five silver per pound, and that the ship will reach Jaha in four days of nonstop travel.
There is a shipyard in town that sells a large variety of ships to prospective buyers. The shipyard is owned by an older man named Ngano. His ships are on the cheaper end, and he does haggle, but you can expect a price of between one and thirty thousand gold, depending on the type of ship you want. A smaller, swamp-going vessel will reach your intended destination in about 10 days and will run you between five hundred and three thousand, and a larger river vessel will reach the river's end in less than five days but will cost between two and six thousand gold.
The Aspis Consortium is always running ships back and forth between their outposts and the city docks, though you notice that their agents are not allowed to leave the dock district. They don't typically allow passengers, but maybe you could talk to their local leader Imani, a middle-aged female merchant you've seen standing in the Consortium's reserved space.
There are also captains who don't already have work, who you could hire out. You can expect these prices to be high, as you're booking a ship entirely for yourselves. However, you can also expect this to be the fastest way to reach your destination.
Unafe frowns as she thinks about the amount of time they have to get to Namane's tomb before Shadowcount Osir beats them to their prize.
"We must get there as fast as we are able. First though, give me a couple minutes to listen to the Wise Ancestors."
Unafe walks over to a Baobab tree, sits down with her back against it, closes her eyes, and enters a trance: whispering to the local ancestor spirits and listening to their replies.
___________________
A myriad of voices and whispers come to Unafe from all over the city, homing in on her with the power of her magic.
"...Shh baby, if the Mzali knew we sheltered an Avist..."
"...ow did you know to pierce my magic? Your eyes flashed and you just cam..."
"...ere's Captain Hormond again, jobless and buried in a glass of Mezcal..."
"...n't hold your breath for him, honey. Sodden Scavengers don't often come back from Hyrant..."
"...ou see that strange white man around the back of Sharrowsmith's? Wha..."
"..amn Avistanis haven't learned their lesson from the last time Jatembe hunted... think they can just walk around freel..."
Having taken Unafe's advice, Ciervo helps himself to a cup of exotically-flavored coffee as she busies herself with her questioning of both people and spirits. While he still did not understand how her powers worked, he could not argue that she wasn't the genuine article. He keeps an eye on her from a distance, ready to lend his aid if any trouble arises.
"Speed is important, but we are not exactly carrying an abundance of gold," he suggests once the shaman shares her information. A part of him regrets not saving more money for bribes and other expenses. "Perhaps the smuggler's ship would be our best bet. Our weight is fairly adjustable."
"I think I should have enough," Nicholas says. "I didn't exactly purchase much and I have the coin to spare on transport. Provided that the captain's rates are too extreme. But discretion is something that I'm willing to pay a little extra for."
"Discretion and speed," Cai'nan mutters quietly, "would be best. I have a little coin left. I'll gladly throw it in if it will help."
Cai'nan begins his own attempt at learning reliable information around the docks, all the while attempting to maintain his cover by mimicking how the locals accents.
Unafe ranges about the docks area, asking people here and there for information about sailing north.
There is a smugglers' ship captained by a man called Capheus heading to Jaha, a smaller city in the northwest corner of the Expanse. It leaves in two days, and the captain is usually willing to take on passengers, but only provided that they pay for their weight in goods that he is not going to be able to sell. Locals say that you can expect a price of about five silver per pound, and that the ship will reach Jaha in four days of nonstop travel.
There is a shipyard in town that sells a large variety of ships to prospective buyers. The shipyard is owned by an older man named Ngano. His ships are on the cheaper end, and he does haggle, but you can expect a price of between one and thirty thousand gold, depending on the type of ship you want. A smaller, swamp-going vessel will reach your intended destination in about 10 days and will run you between five hundred and three thousand, and a larger river vessel will reach the river's end in less than five days but will cost between two and six thousand gold.
The Aspis Consortium is always running ships back and forth between their outposts and the city docks, though you notice that their agents are not allowed to leave the dock district. They don't typically allow passengers, but maybe you could talk to their local leader Imani, a middle-aged female merchant you've seen standing in the Consortium's reserved space.
There are also captains who don't already have work, who you could hire out. You can expect these prices to be high, as you're booking a ship entirely for yourselves. However, you can also expect this to be the fastest way to reach your destination.
Cai'nan gathers some information.
Cai'nan returns and tells the others, "I think we should just get our own small boat. We could rest assured in our identities, and I could work the ship so long as someone feels capable about navigating us there."
"Hm. A pragmatic approach, but secondhand knowledge alone cannot compare to actual experience traveling these waters," Ciervo remarks contemplatively. "A small boat is not likely to be very fast, in any case."
Unafe finally rouses from her conversations with the spirits and becomes aware her living companions are speaking as well.
"If we find a small boat with a sail, I could call the Spirits of the Wind to keep our sails full...though Ciervo's council to travel with a guide does sound wise.
"If we want to look into renting a boat for ourselves, the ancestors whisper that Captain Hormond is jobless...and perhaps prone to drink.
"The spirits also brought me the sound of someone discussing a white man behind Sharrowsmiths...possibly one of us, or more disturbingly someone else. And I heard the voice of a mother nearby who harbored an Avistani recently. I don't know if they're related to our quest, but we should assume they are, and take it as greater reason to make haste. Given that, let me approach Captain Hormond first. Hopefully we can make him an offer he'll find acceptable."
With that, Unafe goes looking to see if she can locate a Captain Hormond.
"I don't like the idea of traveling unfamiliar waters without a guide in such a hostile area. But keeping it to few outsiders gives less chances for us to be exposed."
Unafe sets out in search of the drunkard Captain Hormond. Asking around just a little bit leads her predictably to a seedy bar. Nearly empty at this time of the morning, Unafe can see a man sitting at a round table in the corner. Wearing thick brown pants, well-worn leather boots, and a sleeveless, threadbare tunic, the man who must be Captain Hormond is mixed-race, and well-muscled.
A bottle of tequila sits on the table in front of him as well as a small tumbler. The bottle is three-quarters empty and the captain is asleep face-down on the table.
"I don't suppose anyone has a spell that can wake a drunk," Nicholas deadpans. "Or perhaps I should go buy a bottle of alchemist's kindness from the market." He goes over to the captain and touches his shoulder to see if he reacts.
The captain grumbles and rolls away with some irritation.
"I know a bit of magic for this," Cai'nan says as he takes the bottle, sniffs it, and pours a shot. He then throws the tequila from the tumbler into the captain's face.
Leaning against one of the corner walls, Ciervo responds to Cai'nan's brazen treatment of the captain with a low chuckle.
"Perhaps we would have better luck with a captain who won't be perpetually drunk," he suggests half-seriously as they wait for Hormond to wake.
"That's one way to do it," Nicholas says dryly, but he can't keep an amused smile off his face.
The captain sputters, coughs, and steps up, taking a half-hearted swing at Cai'nan with a fist before nearly collapsing against the wall. "Nitakuua!" he shouts, before taking a moment to squint at the party. "What the f~$% did you do that for?" he shouts at Cai'nan. "F+@*ing pricks."
"Apologies, friend, but there was a Stirge on your face, and I don't think you'd want me trying to stab it while it rested there," Cai'nan jests as he has a seat. He takes the tumbler and begins pouring another shot, before sliding it and the bottle back to the man. "But truth be told, sir, we'd like to talk business with you."
Nicholas chuckles. "We're looking for someone who can get us up river. We need to find something important and we're willing to offer gold to someone who can be relied on to get us there. And then we heard that you're skilled by in need of work. So I think we can reach a reasonable agreement."
Unafe adds in Polyglot, "If you aren't in need of work then my apologies, but if you are than please forgive my friend's...expedience in awakening you, and let's discuss options."
The man squints, wavering on his feet, before toppling into his chair. "Oh no, no no. Stick around, you're in the right place."
He looks bleary-eyed and definitely drunk. He possibly was crying before he passed out. "You say you want to go upriver? M'boat's the fastest around. We can get you upriver. Where are you looking to go? And how much have you got to give me for my services?"
"Two thousand gold pieces," Ciervo says curtly, having decided to start with a low-ball offer. If the drunken captain took the bait, great; but if not he was certain they could scrounge up a more impressive sum. In any case, it was important to get a better feel of the man's disposition.