With things settled for now, Kip left the priests to figure out their own lodgings and returned back to his home, leafy prize in tow.
Picking out a patch of dirt set away from the house so that the roots wouldn't disturb the construction as the tree grew, he spent the remainder of his evening planting the young sapling.
"Eh, I think people oughta 'ave a place ta live first, before we think of buildin' a tavern." Victrix shrugs. "Does anyone need some 'elp buildin' a new home?"
"I'm sure the carpenters would love having an extra pair of strong hands helping them out," Ramona says. "You should check with Daib Joiner tomorrow. He can tell you where your help would be needed most."
---
The night winds down, and you return to your house to rest. In the morning, you awaken and share breakfast, but before you can finish, you hear shouting coming from the center of the colony. A small crowd has gathered around Harcourt Carrolby and Luetin Calewick, who seem to be the cause of the disturbance.
"You are just one man. You don't need all that space for yourself," Harcourt argues.
"It's the closest house to the smithy. A blacksmith should live there. Are you a blacksmith? Didn't think so," Luetin counters.
"When my fiance arrives, we will need the space to start a family."
"Yeah, I got a family coming too. My son and daughter. What makes yours better than mine, huh?"
Harcourt sighs. "We also will be extending the Carrolby family's business interests to this island. A working class man like yourself wouldn't understand the demands placed upon people of business."
"Oh yeah?" Luetin snarls. "I think I understand enough. I understand that you're a coward! You only want this house so you can hide behind the safety of the palisade. 'Oh, save me from the scary monkey goblins! I don't want to break a nail!'"
Harcourt fumes, curling his hands into fists. Luetin sneers and cracks his neck. It looks like the two want to kill each other.
Ema rose early as usual the next morning and meditated while studying her spellbook and then ate breakfast with the others discussing speaking with Perrell and Carver their findings only to find out they had done it when she was asleep. While disappointed she was expecting the day to still be pleasant until she heard the shouting.
Rushing outside Emalliandra was glad she had gotten fully ready for her day before breakfast as she saw the gathered crowd. She could hear Harcourt and another man...Leutin, she realized as the term blacksmith was thrown out, yelling about housing arrangements and thought to herself, Not again! She began pushing through the crowd to get to the two men, using her elbows if needed to make space, and said to them both, "Calm down a minute, lets see if we can avoid violence please. Why don't you both talk to me and see if we can't resolve this?" She looked around at the crowd, "Preferably somewhere quiet and out of view of so many people?"
"Yeah, wouldn't want everybody to see what a whiny, entitled ass you are!" Luetin shouts at Harcourt.
"You, sir, are nothing more than an ignorant brute!" Harcourt counters. "Stand aside, Ema, so that I can put this ruffian in his place."
---
"Where's Ramona? Why isn't she stepping in?" whispers one of the colonists in the crowd.
"She went with Lyra to check out something on the beach north of the colony," comes the response.
Frustrated at the stubbornness of the two men Ema looked first at Harcourt and asked, "Do you really want to make him mad enough to strike you? Think about what he does for a living? Think about how badly that will end for you. Even worse think about what it means if he refuses to make horseshoes for you? I'm betting that you don't have your own blacksmith coming on the next ship do you? Think how long it would take to get one on the ship after that." She moved to push in between them and put her back firmly to Harcourt letting him get a view of her shapely figure while she spoke to Lutien, "And do you really want to anger the man who will be creating the herds of horses for the colony? Think about all the business you will lose if he brings another blacksmith in to provide all of those horseshoes and the other business you will lose besides to a competitor. Wouldn't it make more sense to try and be on good terms with someone who will provide such steady business to you?" She remained standing between the two hoping that by physically putting herself in the middle they would hesitate to escalate this any further. She turned then so she was sideways to both but still between them, "Now do you want to talk about this like grownups or fight like little boys who don't know any better?" She giggled slightly at the end to take the sting out of her words.
Luetin smirks, his eyes fixed firmly on Ema's jiggling curves as she turns back and forth. It doesn't seem like he's heard a word she has said.
Noticing his ogling, Harcourt snaps his fingers. "Hey! Eyes forward, you cur. Show the lady some respect!"
The blacksmith snarls. "Well, what does she expect, walking around dressed like that, giving me little giggles and all? If she didn't want me to stare, she'd cover herself up."
"It's a woman's choice to dress how she wishes."
"Yeah, and you know all about women, don't ya, pretty boy? Is your plan to make all of the girls on this island fall for you? Save some for the rest of us, will you?"
"The hell are you on about?"
"Oh please. I seen the way she looks at you. I saw her first!
"Who?" Harcourt seems mystified by the sudden swerve in the argument.
"You know damn well who!" Luetin yells, face starting to turn red.
In the crowd, Anya Sandstrider watches the confrontation with a dark expression.
At this point, Victrix arrives, rubbing sleep from her eyes and wearing her dress blues.
"Well, what does she expect, walking around dressed like that, giving me little giggles and all? If she didn't want me to stare, she'd cover herself up."
...and that's the moment when Victrix's temper flares up.
"OI!"
She storms up to the blacksmith, visibly fuming.
"'Ow about you shut the f!++ up?! She's allowed ta wear whatever she damn well pleases! It's not HER fault YEH'RE such a lecherous, arse-covering, childish prick!"
It's perhaps worth noting that she is, in fact, carrying her spear with her.
Luetin eyes the burly redhead, noting her bulging muscles and the sharp point of her spear. For a moment, he looks like he's about to say something, but then he grunts and raises his hands as he takes a step back.
"Alright, alright. No need to fly off the handle here. Don't worry, Harcourt, another lady's coming to your rescue. This whole thing here is stupid, anyway. Ramona gave me first rights to the big house to keep an eye on the smithy."
"There are living quarters in the smithy itself," Harcourt says. "I've been stuck in the barracks for the past two weeks!"
"And what do I get if I decide to give you the house, huh? You can't buy me off. Money don't mean much out here yet."
Ema was about to respond to Luetin's comment when Victrix entered the argument and snapped at him. The aracnist tittered again when the man was taken aback and nearly said something in response when they continued to argue, if in a more calm and reasonable manner, and said, "When she gave you the claim to the house Luetin did she say when that went into effect? Was it right now or once your family arrives?" She considered a moment and then asked the blacksmith, "Why don't you and I go talk over the problem for a while and see what we can come up with." She looked over at Harcourt, "Let me speak with Luetin alone for a while and see if there is a way we can come to an arrangement about this. If he still says no then I expect you both to let Ramona decide how to handle this situation." She arched one eyebrow at Harcourt, "Agreed?"
Harcourt looks at Luetin warily, but he nods. "Agreed."
Luetin crosses his arms but grunts his agreement. He follows Ema to see what she has to say. As they leave, the crowd starts to disperse. Anya moves to Harcourt's side.
"Are you okay?" the Shoanti asks.
"Yes, I'm fine. I've dealt with my fair share of onerous men like him," the former noble replies, straightening his shirt.
With the blacksmith's agreement Emalliandra led him away to find somewhere private to talk.
Ema kept the conversation light until they reached the smithy and let him lead her inside where she looked for a seat and used it. Crossing her legs at the knee as she normally did allowed her clothing to become even more revealing and she looked intently at Luetin and asked, "So is the problem really about Harcourt wanting to stay in the house promised to you or is this more about Anya Sunstrider?" She gave the smith a knowing look, "I saw your reaction near the end of the disagreement and it is obvious to me that you have some kind of an interest in her. Why is it that you think Harcourt would be courting her, particularly when he already has a wife and children who are coming here? I mean I don't think he's stupid, and he'd have to be if he expected his wife not to find out and exact revenge on him, arrogant I can believe but not stupid. Has he done or said something to make you think otherwise?" She gave Luetin a shrewd look, Or is it more that you aren't sure she would be interested if you approached her?"
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Simon had a restless night of sleep. The excitement of actually finding some Azlanti ruins and a still functioning magical public address system kept his tossing and turning until very late.
After just a few hours of sleep, he woke up again before dawn, and knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep anymore.
Not wanting to wake the others, he quietly got dressed and headed to the beach to walk and watch the sun rise.
After a time, he found a large piece of driftwood to sit against, and proceeded to listen to the surf and the sea birds for a while.
Simon was suddenly startled when looking to his left to find the raven from the woods the previous day perched on the driftwood quietly watching him.
"Ah! How long have you been sitting there?!"
The bird just cocked its head and looked puzzled.
Remembering, the previous day, Simon switched to Azlanti. "Hello, again... um... Bird. You couldn't sleep either?"
The bird shuffled a few steps, then declared, "Watch. Auguste's watch."
Startled once again by the confirmation that the bird spoke at least a few words of Azlanti, Simon paused a moment, then pulled out the watch by its chain.
"I suppose I did promise to share it with you. You're not going to fly off with it, are you? It really is a valuable tool. Maybe I could carry it around and let you use it whenever you want."
Simon started to pull the watch back. The bird flapped its wings angrily, then settled and nodded its head.
Laying the watch nearby on the log, Simon watched carefully as the bird hopped over, reached out a foot and flicked the mechanism that caused the cover to spring open. It watched the early morning sun glint off of the metal, then reached its beak out to close the lid, only to repeat the process a moment later.
"Well, Auguste, you certainly are a clever bird."
Having a willing audience, Simon began to talk while watching the sun come up, processing his thoughts of everything that had been happening in the previous weeks. After a short time, he dozed off again, waking up an hour later to find himself alone, and the watch tucked into his shirt pocket.
With a new smile on his face, Simon headed back to town just as the fight was breaking up. Joining Victrix, Simon waited quietly to see what was going on.
Kip slept soundly in his hammock while the others got ready and worked on breakfast. When the shouting erupted, he tumbled down, and hurried after the others, only to be too slow and too short to see what was going on within the crowd. Instead, he contented himself in miming out the action in ridiculous fashion on the outside edge of the crowd, drawing a few muffled chuckles as the near fist-fight resolved peacefully.
Afterwards, he hurried back to the house to grab some breakfast and took it down to the beach to meditate and prepare his spells before the waves.
Luetin nods as he walks with Ema. "Yep, my son is twelve and my daughter's ten. Apples of my eye, both. They'll be in the next wave of colonists whenever the company decides it's safe to send them over."
Once they're seated, his eyes can't help but drift down to the arcanist's exposed thigh, though he does make some effort to maintain eye contact this time. He bristles, though, when she mentions Anya.
"What's it to you, anyway?" he grunts. After a few moments of belligerent silence, he shrugs. "Yeah, I'm attracted to her. She's strong and powerful and freakin' gorgeous. I don't know if Harcourt's trying to court her or what, but a guy like that don't have to try. I've seen the way she looks at him. She likes him, even if he don't like her."
Luetin shakes his head. "I have approached her. Several times, in fact. She keeps saying no, but I gotta keep trying. Maybe I'll wear her down."
He grunts again and crosses his arms. "Look, I don't care that much about the stupid house. I was just giving that entitled prick a hard time. If he agrees to watch the smithy, he can have it. Oh, and I wanna horse when he gets his business started."
Once they're seated, his eyes can't help but drift down to the arcanist's exposed thigh, though he does make some effort to maintain eye contact this time. He bristles, though, when she mentions Anya.
Emalliandra noticed when the man's eyes went to her thigh after she sat and smiled in amusement at his reaction as he tried to keep his eyes on her face instead. She was rather flattered by his reaction actually, it was what she expected and asked him in amusement, "You like what you see do you?" Leaned forward slightly and said, "Despite what Victrix said to you out there I dress this way because I want to be looked at."
"What's it to you, anyway?" he grunts. After a few moments of belligerent silence, he shrugs. "Yeah, I'm attracted to her. She's strong and powerful and freakin' gorgeous. I don't know if Harcourt's trying to court her or what, but a guy like that don't have to try. I've seen the way she looks at him. She likes him, even if he don't like her."
Luetin shakes his head. "I have approached her. Several times, in fact. She keeps saying no, but I gotta keep trying. Maybe I'll wear her down."
Ema was pleased that she had guessed correctly about Luetin's interest in Anya, it certainly explained some of the tension between himself and Harcourt when the smith explained how he thought that Anya was interested in the other man despite his being married already. She considered the situation it put Luetin in a moment and then replied, "Ignore her for a while then, let her realize that Harcourt isn't going to be a good match for her and let me do some digging. Maybe I can find a common interest you two share so you'll have something else to talk about." She gave a little giggle, "If nothing else it might make her curious if you suddenly take no interest in her."
He grunts again and crosses his arms. "Look, I don't care that much about the stupid house. I was just giving that entitled prick a hard time. If he agrees to watch the smithy, he can have it. Oh, and I wanna horse when he gets his business started."
Giving him a rather large smile Ema said, "Good, I was hoping we could reach an agreement about that. He's been a real pain in the ass since he was made to live with the field hands and this will relieve a lot of his complaints I think, at least until he finds something else to be annoyed about." She looked at the smith with some sympathy and said, "I don't think he'll want to live there too long. Most likely he'll build a house outside of town once he gets pasture lands set up and the breeding stock for his horses and the house will be open again. I'll suggest to him that he make sure he does."
Glad they had reached this agreement tot eh issue Ema gave the smith an amused smile as she rose, "I'm glad we had this talk Luetin, and that you were such a gentleman, you could have taken advantage of me and you didn't." She walked over to him and leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek before turning and heading to the door taking her time and adding some extra swish to her steps as if daring him to do something about it.
"Oh yeah, I like what I see. Very much," Luetin says. He licks his lips, tongue darting out from behind slightly yellowed teeth.
He seems a bit surprised by Ema's kiss. As she goes to leave, he calls after her. "Hey, wait a minute." He stands up and runs a hand over his balding head. "Just cause I didn't try nothing doesn't mean I don't want to. You, uh, you seeing anybody? Maybe you could come by later tonight and we could have some fun together?"
Ema looked back at Luetin in thought as she said, "No, I'm not seeing anyone, but I also don't restrict myself to one partner. If I return I expect you to understand that I won't only be sleeping with you but with anyone else I please. If you are looking for something more of a girlfriend then I would not be a good choice for you teehee."
Luetin grins. "Friends with benefits, eh? Yeah, I can swing that. So I'll see you later tonight then."
When Ema returns to explain the terms to Harcourt, he agrees to them. He and Luetin grudgingly shake hands and go their separate ways. The blacksmith makes a point to ignore Anya, who glares at him the whole time.
With the feud put to rest for now, you meet up with each other again. Carver Hastings approaches shortly thereafter. "I am ready to head out when you are." He smiles at you, his smile widening when his gaze falls on Ema.
Ema nodded and said, "We understand each other then." Just before she exited she turned back to look at him and asked, "You aren't married are you?"
After letting Harcourt know that a deal had been worked out and meeting up with the others again Ema began gathering things for their next trip. In fact she had just finished when Carver showed up and smiled as the man approached them. She walked out to greet him and said, "It's good to see you again Carver." She leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek after her words.
"Not anymore," Luetin says, "and good riddance!"
"And it's always good to see you, Ema," the bearded soldier replies.
"Head out... where?"
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Simon rolls his eyes and sighs at the public display of affection, but keeps his thoughts to himself.
"Head out... where?"
"Carver wants to go see the ruins we found. I thought I mentioned that last night. Sorry if it slipped my mind."
If Carver does not have armor or weapons with him, I will remind him about the goblins and suggest that he be prepared.
Carver is wearing a breastplate and is armed with a longsword and crossbow. It seems like he's ready for a fight.
You lead him back to the location of the ruins. You approach the dais, but fortunately no goblins assault you this time. When the image of the speaker springs to life, Carver gasps in astonishment.
"That helmet! Do you realize its significance?" He glances around furtively, then turns back to you. "This man is wearing a powerful artifact called a decemvirate helm. At least, that's what we call it in the Pathfinder Society. The Decemvirate is a secret council that governs the Society, and the helms are enchanted to protect their anonymity."
He reaches into his shirt and pulls out a compass emblazoned with a glyph--a wayfinder, the symbol of the Pathfinder Society. "Yes, I am a Pathfinder. We suspected Talmandor's Bounty was located near Azlanti ruins originally explored by the founder of our organization, Durvin Gest. Seeing this image lends credence to our theories."
"We didn't know exactly where Durvin Gest had gone in his explorations. Keep in mind that he wrote what would become the first volume of the Pathfinder Chronicles four hundred years ago! Numerous Pathfinders have tried to follow in Durvin's footsteps in the intervening centuries, but up until now, all of those who have ventured to the ruins of Azlant have either never returned from the journey or didn't find anything relevant."
Carver smiles. "I am sure the Bountiful Venture Company didn't realize the significance of this island when they discovered it, but we can't let this incredible opportunity pass us by now. I'll have to study my notes and the maps of Ancorato to try to find some of the locations Durvin visited during his travels. I would like for you to help me if you are willing. In fact, if you'd like, I'm authorized to offer field commissions and make you full-fledged members of the Pathfinder Society."
Carver scowls and shakes his head. "No, you've got things wrong. The Society exists to discover knowledge and share it with the world. That's why we publish the Pathfinder Chronicles, so that everybody can experience our findings. We only archive objects that would be too dangerous if they fell into the wrong hands."
He looks at Ema. "You've worked with us, Ema. Explain to him what we do."
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"Oh? Is that so? Just who is it that makes the determination about what is too dangerous for the rest of the world to know?
The ability to read has been determined to be too dangerous for common people in the past. We are just supposed to take your word that your Decemvirate is better?
A free and open exchange of information is the only way to be sure that what we find is not harmful. If all people are aware of the dangers we can collectively work to find bulwarks against that danger. "
Simon turns an accusatory glare at Ema.
"Oh, so you are a Pathfinder as well as a magical dilettante? Probably a plant since the beginning, as well.
Please, do enlighten me."
Kip glances back and forth during the exchange. "Is something wrong Simon? You seem unusually agitated. If Carver has more information about the area, it seems useful to work together to keep exploring the island, no?"
At this point Victrix finally tunes back into the conversation.
"Wait--what're yeh gettin' pissy for now?"
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Simon throws up his hands in disgust.
"Nobody cares that this island has already been explored and that Carver and his Society have just been keeping all of the details from us, allowing us to stumble around blindly?
Nobody cares that they plan to steal all of our work out from under us and keep it hidden away inside of their facility in Absalom and never let the world know?
My entire purpose for being here has been rendered invalid, but I suppose that is irrelevant."
Simon will sulk off into the forest and start heading back to town. Maybe whatever Ramona and Lyra found on the beach will give him something more positive to think about.
Victrix watches Simon walk away, nonplussed.
"...*that's* what he's pissed about? I thought yeh called 'is mum somethin' nasty or somethin'." The berserker shrugs and looks over at Simon. "This whole Pathfinder thing won't interfere with my job protectin' the colonists, will it?"
Ema ignored Simon's annoyance at her "display of affection" and listened with interest as Carver began to speak of the founder of the Society having traveled here. This was news to her and the fact that Simon became angry about it shocked her. She looked at him carefully, trying to figure out what his problem was, but her thoughtful look turned to shock and then anger as he became accusing of her.
Ema narrowed her eyes at Simon's attitude and said, "Simon, calm down. This is news to me too. As for what Carver has said about sharing knowledge it's true, though this is the first that I heard of the society hiding anything deemed too dangerous. It doesn't surprise me and is probably a good thing." She sighed, "As for my art in this, no I'm not a member, but I have worked with them before."
It was about then that Simon began to walk away and Ems said sharply, "Simon stop and get your head out of your ass." She stomped her foot in anger as she yelled at him, "Don't you storm off into the woods when I'm trying to explain things to you!"
"Eh, let him go." Victrix sighs. "If he wants ta be upset about this, no one's likely ta change his mind."
"Still, this whole Pathfoinder thing's not gonna make it more difficult fer me a keep the colony safe, yes?" She asks Carver.
Carver shakes his head. "No, the safety of the colony is the number one priority. I think we can trust Ramona with this knowledge, too. I don't think it wise to keep secrets from our leader, and she can decide how best to make use of your services in pursuit of all of our goals."
Ema gave one final glare in Simon's direction and then her shoulders slumped. She looked at Carver with annoyance and said, "Next time please leave my associations for me to reveal. I didn't go telling them your associations after all." Looking back to Victrix Emalliandra said, "It should be a good thing. The Pathfinders are very good at exploration and figuring out how to handle tricky situations and such. I agree that Ramona should be told. At the very least she needs to know what resources she has at hand." She thought back a bit before continuing, "I also think that she should be allowed to tell who she thinks needs to know. I'm sure that she will be circumspect about it and not give away such information without reason," she looked back to Carver, "provided that she tell you who she notifies."
"I'm sorry," Carver says, abashed. "I thought it would help convince Simon. I guess I just made it worse." He looks at the illusion for a few moments longer. "Okay, I don't think we will learn much more here. We should go back to town and try to smooth things over."
When you get back to Talmandor's Bounty, Carver goes to speak to Ramona, leaving the rest of you to do as you will the rest of the day.
"Hey, Simon! How are you doing?" Lyra gives the half-orc a wave as she lounges near the colony's center. "We found some more of those weird tracks that you saw the first day--the rolling swarm or whatever. I think it's still roaming around the island."
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Not quite the mystery he was looking for, but any mystery is a good way to distract himself from his current depression.
"Hmmmm... that is fascinating.
These tracks were on the beach? If so, that must mean that these tracks were somewhat fresher.
If what I read is correct, these swarms patrol around important sites. If we were to assume that these new tracks and the previous tracks were part of a rough circle, do you think you could use your maps to triangulate where the center of that circle is?"
"I could give it a shot, but you kind of need three data points to triangulate something. If you find another set of tracks somewhere, it would help to narrow things down. For now, I could probably come up with a rough estimate of where the center might be," Lyra says. "Check back with me tomorrow."
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"I have faith in you, Lyra, and a rough estimate will at least provide us a place to start looking.
If we are lucky, finding the site that this swarm is protecting will also provide us some clues as to the whereabouts of the previous settlers.
You'll be a hero."
Simon will give Lyra a big smile and squeeze her arm before making his goodbyes and heading over to Ramona's office to see what her thoughts on the findings might be.
Ramona greets Simon and gestures for him to have a seat across from her desk. "Good evening, Simon. Did Lyra tell you about the tracks she found?" After confirming that fact, the bard continues. "They were a fair way up the beach, almost back to the grindylow caves. It looked like they doubled back, so I don't think the swarm will come close to the colony. Still, you should use caution if you explore the northern reaches of the island."
She pauses for a moment and studies the half-orc. "Carver Hastings spoke to me a little while ago. He told me who he really is and what his mission here is. While I don't like that he kept his identity hidden from us, I am glad that he has come clean now.
"I believe his goals align with our own, and I think we would benefit by assisting his endeavors. I understand you have some reservations working with a member of the Pathfinder Society, though. I would like to hear your concerns."
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Simon snorts.
"'Assisting his endeavors'. You said it all right there.
He should be supporting our endeavors, not the other way around. He certainly shouldn't be infiltrating the exploration party under the guise of a soldier and then announcing his presence and expecting to take over.
I could go on about the issues involved with trying to work in any area after Pathfinders have been there first, but Carver has already won over the rest of the team, so what's the point?
I'd rather talk about other things for now. The previous settlers, for instance.
It has been over a month, and no sign of them has emerged. We need to start looking for signs. For me, I think the robot swarm seems like a good lead to try following up. What are your thoughts?"
"I don't think he expects to take over here," Ramona says. "He understands that he is here as a colonist first and a Pathfinder second. As governor, Carver still answers to me, and I told him that I have final say about what information and objects he can send back to his organization."
She lets the matter rest for now as Simon changes subjects. "I think it's an excellent place to start. Lyra and Perrell have mapped out most of the region immediately surrounding the colony, but there is still much of Ancorato that remains unexplored. Perhaps backtracking this swarm's trail will result in some clues as to the missing colonists' fate. Our basic resources seem to be in good order for the moment, so tomorrow you can start your investigation."