"The most threatening looking of us is a tap dancer, if it comes to blows I think we can all get away fairly quickly anyway. Are you wanting us to get rid of these pirates?"
Tavros paddles out of the lake. Away from everybody else, he shakes much of the water loose of his fur. Grinning, he heads towards the rest of his group in time to hear the various comments spoken out loud.
He tilts his head in puzzlement over Lucina's comment. Surely, he was the dancer in question. But he wasn't scary, was he? At least, none of his siblings had ever seemed afraid of him. And the few people he remembered meeting before coming to Goodwin's demi-plane had been afraid of his axe and his companions, but not necessarily him exactly.
Shrugging, he turns to face Akluzzar, imitating Maks by both thinking and speaking out loud. "What kind of hatchlings? Are they more big turtles like you?" After a pause, he adds, "Also, we don't have a boat." Basic tactics would suggest that pirates with a boat should attack from afar. Although perhaps whatever island-like place they were going would be big enough to get out of their range. But even still, without a boat, the best they could hope to do was protect one island.
[b]"I am a simple turtle, there is not much to tell about me. I stay away from places with people, and I enjoy my time alone, but occasionally, I return to the islands of my birth and meet with others. There, eggs are lain, and new turtles are born. Many realize the value and the eggs are sold for food or the young as captives. This I wish to prevent. If I take action, I am seen as a monster, and it makes the situation worse."[/b
"So we get to protect turtles." she nods. "I like turtles so far. And there'll be people nearby to mingle with on occasion. Trade with, and the like. Do you know any names of the local cities and such? That will help if we're to put their minds at ease."
"I believe the name of one of the villages is Hei'war. I think it means Blue Waters in the tongue of the native people. You are not obligated to stand watch over the clutches of eggs, but I suspect you may find peace and beauty in these places, as I have. When you see such beauty you will naturally want to protect such a place, and protect those who make it their home. I know that those among you have a quest to find your lost master, and this may take you in that path, or it may take you away, but I believe whatever your destiny, all paths will lead you to it, regardless of your stops along the way. Why not make the journey enjoyable?"
"If you are all ready, I can effect the transport now. Gather in a circle and join your hands."
Miyu lofted a foxy brow at the suggestion, one ear perked, but moved into position with Maks. Maks grabbed one of Lucina's hands and placed her hand atop Miyu's muzzle.
"Will this work?"
Tavros puts his shed clothing back on and carefully picks up all the gear he had been carrying. He then moves over to join the circle.
Teniel holds Pamburu's hand, and takes care to make sure the tiger is included in the circle.
Lucina would try to finish the circle with Monkey NPC.
"Ready." She nodded.
"I will now transport us. echoes the voice.
As you join the circle together, something moves from the water, invisibly, as you see the water splash on the rocks. Wet footprints soak the flatter stones, and the circle seems to join. You hear a voice chant and the world rapidly changes around you. A brief moment later, you are suspended in water, and panic ensues while you realize you are underwater, you were not prepared and quickly hold your breath.
"One moment, I had to take us to the Plane of Water as an intermediate destination."
Another chant and you are whisked away, and appear ... somewhere.
"Hmm, well here we are. I will need to find out where that is."
The group appears to be on a beach, the weather is nice, tropical. A balmy breeze comes in from the water. Gulls circle overhead and a small army of them sit on a nearby sandbar, squawking and screeching. The sand of the shore is white, and about fifty wide before blending into dunes covered with tufts of tall grass and quickly spilling into a tropical forest of sorts. You see no signs of habitation, civilization or really anything other than the beach. A small sand crab scuttles by.
Maks panics in the sudden gush of water, squeezing Lucina's hand, while Miyu seems strangely calm with the change. His eyes scan the surroundings, even as his paws begin to paddle him instinctively upwards.
And then just like that, they're back to the material plane. Maks takes a sudden gasp of air, as she and Miyu drips steadily on the ground. Her tails are nearly dragging the ground and tucked, and one ear twitches with irritation. "I think that would have been amazing if I'd had any idea what was about to happen. How is everyone doing?" she says, restraining from shaking herself dry, and instead conjuring up her usual magic, to slowly dry herself and her companions.
Her irritation quickly fades as they move towards the beach. "I've never been to the ocean!" she acknowledges, tails swaying slowly. "It's so... beautiful." she says, still holding onto the others, though absentmindedly. She turned slowly to take in the view.
Lucina coughs up some water as they land on the beach."I Should have expected that, how far did you take us?"
She examines the surroundings and checks the gear gifted to the by the goatmen hoping nothing had been lost or damaged during the travel.
"Lucina you are on an island in the ocean off of the coast of the mainland. In your time, I believe it was called the empire of Vudra."
You all notice aside from the voice in your head, you are alone. You do not see a giant turtle anywhere. Although something invisible came from the water to plane shift you, you never saw a turtle.
"Hm. So... an illusion spell?" Maks asks, tilting her head. "No wonder you were so adamant about not speaking and not being touched." she lets her foxy tails swish in time, not pressing the matter further. "It helps to have hands if you want to be an artist."
"Not-a-turtle..." Teniel wonders aloud, surveying the scenery. "In the forests of my birth, not unlike this one, the elders would have considered it a crime to impersonate a sacred animal. How far we've come."
"In the forests of my birth I was a sacred animal." she said, swaying her two outermost tails, "How far we've come." she gave him a foxy grin as she knelt down in the sand to begin to draw absentmindedly.
Miyu, meanwhile, broke off to pounce upon the crabs as they scuttled about the sand. He wasn't hungry, so he had no intention of eating them, but he did find it entertaining.
Tavros looks disappointed. "You're not a turtle?" Glorious thoughts of tap dancing on top a giant turtle disappear. But after a moment's pause, his smile returns. "Can I still call you Mr. Turtle? ...or are you a Miss Turtle?" As he talks, he starts to play with the sand, quickly attempting (and failing rather badly) to build a sand castle. "I could climb a tree to get a look around if we want." He glances at the trees in question, hoping to spy a coconut. He had never tried one before.
"I am not a turtle, but Akluzzar is real. Akluzzar and I work together as a team. It was my voice all along who spoke to you. Akluzzar merely plays the visual role. I am sorry for the deception. I normally remain invisible, but I was drawn to the artistry your group exhibited. After discussion, Akluzzar and I decided we would engage you in this endeavor. We could have revealed the truth, but people have a funny way of reacting as it is to a dragon turtle, much less one of the Marida."
At that, a large woman appears, shimmering into view. Her eyes are deep blue, shimmering like the sea. Her teeth are like pearls in her broad smile. Among those who consider the human and similar forms attractive, she would be considered beautiful. Long bluish-green hair flows from her head. She towers over you at sixteen feet tall, and her body is muscular and lithe like a swimmer's body. She holds her hand palm upright, and a jet of water shoots straight up into the sky sixty feet and then plummets back to the earth, raining down like a small fountain, splashing on the shore and spattering the group with droplets of water and sand. She laughs heartily.
"A dragon turtle?" Teniel muses. "Well... perhaps it's lucky that most of us can't seem to tell a regular large turtle from one that breathes fire and sinks ships, outside of ancient sailors' tales."
"Still... where I come from, there is more to fear from the human hunters and pirates who stalk the waterways in daylight than from any spirits of shadow or element—and I believe some of the others have similar life experiences. It is, of course, an honor to meet one of your kind, though I worry what we might accomplish that someone of your apparent strength cannot."
And, to the others, "I've heard of Vudra. Tall tales told by those who dreamed of proper sailors' stories, but my village was far from the rest of the world. Still, it places us less than a thousand leagues west of Wayang lands, and that means I may not be the most unusual person in these parts."
Maks bounces and applauds when the beautiful planar woman makes herself known.
"Amazing! I had no idea what to expect when I realized you weren't a turtle. I certainly didn't expect this. What should we call you?" She split her focus to Tavros, "Now that she's wet the sAnd, you should be able to work again.
Miyu returned, showing interest in the woman once more, head cocked.
"You may call me Darula."
You know that the Marid are outsiders, affiliated with the elemental planes of water, a type of geniekind with potent powers.
"I am happy to be able to speak a bit more freely. Though I possess many powers and am capable of accomplishing many things, I am not fond of harassing mortals and babysitting their actions. Though I expect you are not particularly interested either in dealing with petty thugs and other dregs, I would hope you could integrate easier. Many societies see my kind as something to either worship or exploit. Both roles are tiresome. I would rather be free."
Darula stretches in the sun and wades out into the water ankle deep and sighs happily. She wears a significant amount of gold, silver and precious gem encrusted jewelry, which sparkles and glitters in the clear sky.
Tavros immediately perks up, pleased to hear that Mr. Turtle was really truly a big turtle. He completely forgets about his sandcastle, thoughts of dancing on the back of a large turtle returning, this time accompanied with finally having a dance partner big enough to dance with him. Sure, her height would make turns a little difficult. But from what he knew, there was rather little of that in paso doble anyway.
He completely misses the part where two large creatures dancing on a huge turtle probably wouldn't work very well. Clearly they would just need to find Mr Turtle's grandpappy. Grandpapi?
He gives the new woman one of his most elegant bows. "I'm Tavros." He pauses, clearly trying to think of something to add to that. "The minotaur." Just in case that wasn't obvious. Then, brightly, he adds "I dance." He seems pleased enough with his introduction.
He makes an unusually large, very pronounced sweeping gesture with one arm as he points towards the nearest tree. "I will go climb yonder tree to see what might be seen." He marches off in an oddly rhythmic, stompy way towards the indicated plant.
"Tavros? Is that your name? I cannot speak your language, but we can communicate telepathically."
The large blue woman bows back to Tavros. She eyes him quizzically as he stomps up the beach to a tree.
Tavros you see smoke from far off across the island.
"Amazing." Maks says as she watches Tavros gush and then head off towards the trees. "He seems so happy with everything as it is right now." she says, her tails swishing.
Tavros scurries down the tree and with a graceful leap, he nimbly launches himself in to the air when he's 10 feet up. He does a beautiful twirl mid-air before landing in a dramatic crouch in the sand. After a moment's pause he rises. And then breaks all sense of solemnity by dashing back to the group, his demeanor very much the small, excited child eagerly asking his mother 'Did you see what I just did!?!' He does, however, have at least enough sense to avoid asking that question out loud.
He takes a breath, attempting to return to his former, dignified state. He is mostly successful but does seem to be shifting his weight quite a lot. "There appears to be smoke on the other side of the island."
"That's our cue, right? Heroic investigation?"
Lucina watches with interest as the woman takes form, she'd grew up around people that were much taller than her but this was new, she wasn't found of rain but dismissed it due to the distraction.
"So you are the one worried about being viewed as a monster if you attack them."
Lucina tried to figure out if she was giving them any other lies.
"This one has quite the flair for the dramatic." She laughs and there is a sparkle in her eye as she observes Tavros' antics.
"Smoke may very well mean the habitation of some islanders. This is good."
She wades out further into the water and begins to swim, moving with an unearthly grace through the water.
"Lucina, I am not so much worried about their views of me, but the responsibility of my power can be tiresome. I wish to enjoy my existence."
"Anyone care for a swim? The water is amazing!"
"If you think we should... but we've got to get our bearings here, right? Find someone to tell us where we are? Any tips you could give us on the local words for that?"
"Sadly I know little of their language. These islands are a loosely allied federation of independent tribes or clans I guess you could say. They each have a leader and the leaders meet regularly as a Council. They are an emerging group, aware that the islands possess rich trade resources that other nations seek to exploit. As time goes on this may get worse. The trade that already exists is preyed upon heavily by piracy and there are many who come to the islands to take what is not theirs, taking rare plants and animals, chopping down trees, or capturing and enslaving the people. The waters are filled with fish, turtles, birds, whales and other sealife. Other nations hunt these creatures. Akluzzar is of course concerned about the turtle life, and some of these islands are where the dragon turtles lay their eggs. They lay them in secret nests, and leave them so that they do not draw attention. Apparently this is why Akluzzar has requested that I ask for your assistance. But back to the locals. I believe they call their lands Ko Pra, although many of the people have additional names for their islands or parts of them. "
"If were going to stop so many people we'll need a plan that lasts much longer than one group, a small group of pirates can be driven off fairly easy but making sure others don't return will be difficult."
"So... we should avoid hunting, fishing, or gathering until we have met with the locals. That is helpful to know. And if they are used to traders, perhaps they will allow us to cast a translation spell."
Tavros grins, pleased. He nods along as people speak. "If we go talk to them now, perhaps we can avoid getting attacked at night again. And perhaps they will have their own ideas for dealing with the pirates."
"Do you know how they feel about magic? What of skin tone and the like? If I am to approach it's likely best that I approach while appearing like one of them as opposed to like the pirates." Maks requests, then offers. "I may swim later, but at the moment, I really want to meet some new people."
"The people of the islands have a rich olive skin tone, and dark hair with dark eyes."
Darula begins to shimmer before you and takes shape and form like one of the supposed islanders for you to mimic. After a short while she transforms back into the giant blueish skinned woman she first appeared as.
"Does this form belong to anyone they would know, to your knowledge? Maks asked as she slowly took on the form.
"No, I am not able to imitate specific people. It was merely an image I had in my mind."
"Great. Because I can... and while I do it pretty often, I... try to make sure that I only use it with people who wouldn't know the person. Which means I have a lot of faces I can use as I need to. I'm sure you understand." she gives her a small smile with her foreteeth. "Can you become other things?"
"I can take other shapes yes. Such abilities are useful, and even fun."
"Hmm. Shall we, then? I'll see if I can keep Pamburu from looking too threatening. Makoto, how's your pantomime?"
"If you mean 'can you pretend to cast a silent image spell, while I'm actually doing it, so that I can make them see the point you're trying to get across... great! Otherwise, I'd say 'so-so'." Maks flicks an ear as she looks up to the sky, in the direction her friend had said there was smoke.
"Should we try to stay hidden until Maks can communicate with them and tell them about us?"
"I can hide! I am quite sneaky." Tavros nods vigorously. From past experience, you know that he actually is surprisingly sneaky for such a large guy. But that isn't exactly The same as simply being sneaky. He seems quite convinced that he is a master of the shadows though.
"Just be careful they don't mistake you for something big and scary in the bushes..."
"Is there anything specific that you request that we do?" she asks Darula, before reaching down to scratch between Miyu's ears; he doesn't act as though he minds, though he does look towards the sea and Darula as she does so. "Do they have spiritual practices, a specialized faith, anything like that that you know of? Suspicion of magic?"
"I have not interacted with them to a great extent, merely observed, but although they may not have access to some of the innovations of the mainlanders, they do trade for some of the resources they need. They are not suspicious of magic, although anything out of the ordinary would cause them to be cautious immediately. They do worship a variety of various gods, which ones, I never bothered to learn or keep track really. For the most part they are hard working people who are just learning and realizing the potential these beautiful islands have. I hope they are not despoiled.
"Mainly I would ask that you find the turtle hatching areas and see to it they are safe for a bit, it would comfort Akluzzar. Akluzzar was fond of tipping over ships, mainly pirate ships and other nasty folk. While I do not expect you to put a stop to all piracy in these waters, setting an example for a few might give pause to some of the more weaker ones, and perhaps they will reconsider a different place to prey on these areas, and stop attacking villages, poaching the natural plants and animals, and of course the turtle eggs, which fetch a very high price in various markets. Sadly many of the eggs never make it to their destination, fewer hatch, and even fewer still live to any appreciable age. It is really a waste."
Darula steps from the water and suns herself on the sand a strange mix of concern and indignation over the plight of the people, and wildlife, yet enjoying herself and feeling as though laying in the sun at the moment is the most important thing.