The ship from Mordent Spire started as the least relaxing Urram had ever experienced. The weather was terrible, the going was slow, and Urram was unable to concentrate. To the crew, this was just another of the many journeys they would make to the Shattered Continent this year. Urram had made this trip before himself, yet something about this journey was very different, and that idea was unsettling.
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"Seeker." a young cabin-boy raps on your door. "īlon emagon ūndegīva se human lōgor. Pōnta sōvegon se flag hen Andoran, hae ao vestretan. Ao kostagon jikagon skori ao issi konīr."
Seeker. We have seen the human sea-craft. They fly the flag of Andoran, as you said. You may disembark when you are ready.
Urram nods, somewhat distracted. Five was demonstrating some erratic flight patterns and, unable to focus on his more important work, Urram was attempting to decipher their meanings when the cabin-boy rapped on the door.
"Convey my thanks to the Captain. I will depart shortly."
Our information is good Five. This is a strong start. Urram's communication with Five is almost unconscious, a rush of images and feelings rather than words - refreshing after so much time in the company of carefully spoken Spire Elves.
Adjusting his mask Urram collects his small bag and heads up onto the deck, suppressing his desire to stretch - it would not be seemly for a Seeker to give in to such base pleasures in front of his crew.
The deck was bright on deck; the sun was high in the sky. Even behind the mask, it took a long moment for Urram's eyesight to adjust from weeks below deck. The crew moves about the mid-deck swiftly. Captain Ossevan's stern commands meant to make for a swift departure. He nods at Urram when he sees the Seeker, and shoos away the crew around him.
You have sailed this journey many times with Captain Ossevan. He is considered one of the foremost authorities in sailing between the Spire and Ruined Azlant. His assistance in Neomara’s plan should prove instrumental.
”Ilon issi departing aderī, Seeker, the captain liked to walk the deck as he spoke. “Elī elvas vestragon se human lōgor emagon issare kelitan, yn mērī nykeā single lōgor emagon māzigon naejot tegon. Bisa rāenion iksos tolī sōnia than pōja lentor.”
As they found a moment away from the rest of the crew, Captain Ossevan leaned in. ”Neomara’s udra issi gīda: īlon līs return naejot se Spire adhirikydho, mijegon ōdrikagon naejot se humans. Aōha brōzi jāhor daor appear va īlva lōgor’s paper. Hae daor hēnka hae nyke find bisa, īlon jāhor ūndegon ziry gaomagon, yn nyke līs urge ao sagon ȳgha.”
”We are departing soon, Seeker. Scouts say the human ship has been anchored since before sunrise, but only a single boat has come ashore. This bay is further north than their buildings.
“Neomara’s instructions are clear: we must return to the Spire promptly, without interference to the humans. Your name will not appear on our ship’s manifest. As strange as I find this, we will see it done, but I must urge you to be cautious.”
"Bless ao Captain. Nyke jāhor henujagon aderī." Urram responds, scanning the shore from behind his mask.
When he and the captain have a fraction of a seconds privacy he nods. "Sȳz. Iksos konīr mirros nyke should gīmigon gō nyke henujagon?"
"Good. Is there anything I should know before I leave?"
”Skoros ao jāhor gaomagon,” he sighs, ”ao jāhor daor emagon dohaeragon hae ao emagon isse se gō. Nyke pāsagon ao se Neomara emagon nykeā kȳvanon.” With that, Captain Ossevan bids you good luck and continues to ready the ship for departure as you are led to a small canoe.
What you have planned, you will not have support as you have in the past. I trust you and Neomara have a plan.
While Urram has visited the shores of the Shattered Continent, this is the first you have set foot on this particular island. The two scouts row on silently along the northern coastline. They row ashore just as the western edge of the forest comes into view. They direct you toward the human ship, which is no more than two hours hike around the edge of the forest. There, they say, is where the humans have gone ashore. They hustle you out of the boat and are promptly away.
"Ziry jāhor sagon sȳrī." Urram tells Ossevan, before entering the canoe.
Urram waits until the scouts are out of sight, before throwing his head back and stretching, long and luxuriously. That done he gathers his bag and sets out, skirting the edge of the trees and keeping a sharp eye open for signs of humans, or anything else.
The hike through the coastal hills of the Azlanti island. Plenty of familiar signs of monkey goblins in the deeper forests are seen and heard, but Urram doesn't bother the animals and they don't bother the Seeker.
It is mid-day when Urram comes upon the humans the scouts described earlier. The boisterous creatures can usually be heard from quite a distance, but as Urram crests a hill, he sees a quiet trio of humans. Two of them carry spears and have matching helmets, but the third has a deep red tone you can see from a distance.
Deciding that discretion is much the better part of valor, particularly now Ahrent is not here, Urram keeps his distance and simply observes the humans for a time. The two with the helmets cause him no undue concern - but the red tinted one makes him curious...
Five, see if you can get closer...
Five moves closer to the human encampment, stopping about 70 feet away in the grasses. You get a impression of this woman (link). Almost like clockwork, Five feeds you a visual impression of the campsite every few minutes.
You don't see much more than the movement of the humans as they stand around a spot on the beach and speak to one another.
Seeing the humans not doing much Urram abandons his cover and walks down the beach towards the humans, hands held wide to show that he means no harm. Before going he conjures his trusty armor, just in case.
"I speak your human tongue but not well. Can you speak elven? Nykeā bisa?"
The two humans with helmets spin in your direction when you speak, and ready their polearms. The woman holds her hand out wide instead.
”Ni care- quet- moriquende-lambe,” she speaks very loudly at you. ”Tye are an moriquende -o i imeára tirion, na- sina sanda?” her elven is decent for a human, which is still quite poor. She looks at you, but her eyes dart into the distance, searching for anyone you might have with you.
"Ni am -o i Spire, sanda. Ni morco tye lala laiva indóme. Mime purpose na- simplime ana aid vamme fight." Urram replies, taking care to speak slowly and clearly to help the humans understanding. "Ni am er. Sina na- lala neuma."
Seeing Urram, Five floats from behind the rocks it had used for cover, settling into its accustomed position hovering above Urram's head.
"I am alone, there is no trap here."
The woman waves off the guards and approaches. She eyes Five as he approaches, but nods in understanding as she gets a closer look. She smiles as she speaks.
”ni am Ramona Avadnth, -o Andoran.” she extends her arm to shake your hand. Emme’ve put our lunte símen, ar await i péle- -o our minya merendi. Care- tye care an a póre?”
”Nimeár- me tare ana care- as anne- us kamba. Care- tye cui- on sina lóna?”she asks. She is an inquisitive woman, and is very interested in you, but speaks vaguely when asked about the ship or why she is in Azlant.
”I am Ramona Avadnth, from Andoran. We’ve anchored here, and await the return of our scouting party. Would you care for some food?”
”Tell me more about aiding us. Do you live on this island?
"Ni cen- tye Ramona Avadnuth, Ni maure lala apsa, mal ni thank tye an i anna." He switches into common, trying to let the guards know he is no threat. "No, I do not live here. None of my people do. But there are many re.. rel... old things of Azlant here. They can be danger. I know things about them, so you will not be hurt." When Ramona fails to open up about her mission Urram ceases to trouble himself with conversation and simply waits to see what his new conversation partner will do next.
As you and Ramona speak, the guards grow more relaxed. You see their small skiff pulled up onto the beach, and what looks to be the remains of a bonfire they snuffed with sand from the beach. A few minutes row from the shore, a large human sailing ship sits, alive with activity.
Ramona makes several attempts at small talk, and is insistent that the ship’s scouts shall return soon, but is not sure when they will return. When it’s clear you want to talk about your purpose here, she begins to mete out small details, surrounded by long meaningless sentences which the Taldane tongue is full of.
You learn that the human ship was the second to come to start a colony elsewhere on the island, and that the ship sailed from Almas six weeks before. She insists that the second ship is anchored here as a necessary precaution, but when the scouts return, she plans to head for the human colony, in the bay south of here. She seems friendly and forthright, but not very trusting.
After a couple hours of awkward silence broken up by bits of Ramona’s efforts at small talk, Ramona spots something down the beach. As you look you see a human, a small creature, something like a halfling or gnome, and a large canine walking up the beach.
”Our scouts are here,” she beams widely. ”I hope they have good news for us.”
As they draw close, Ramona takes a few steps out to pet the canine, a wolf you can see. She whispers something to them as she pets the wolf. The small creature with the wolf appears to be a gnome, while the human appears to be only half-human, with the pointed ears of an elf.