It’s a sunny New Year’s Day as the Alceste pulls into port - an auspicious day for new ventures, or so tradition holds.
As the captain settles matters with the harbormaster, the crew begin unloading goods they’ve carried over from Seeheath, Veda: Pefield wines, livestock from Ampdale, books from publishers in Rhaley and Ustone, and even a few mercenaries from Beadon.
Many passengers disembark as well. Mostly people from humbler walks of life, looking for a new start in the colonies, but a few well dressed passengers get priority treatment: sailors lay down a sturdy gangway and carry their excessive luggage for them to the end of the docks where porters await to take luggage and passengers up the road that runs first to the East, then switches back to the West, the finally East again as it climbs the steep hill away from the Harbor district up to finer lodgings in Carisport propper.
But of special note on this voyage is a small group of passengers who are arriving here in Carisport for a peculiar new venture. A brave crew of intrepid young scholars, sent by The Blue Lantern Society to dig into Orona’s history. Led by old maps and old knowledge, adventurous explorers have pinpointed the remains of ancient town. The explorers confirmed and sold the claim to the Colonial Explorers’ Guild, who then sold it to The Blue Lantern Society, and now the young scholars, along with their escorts, have arrived to begin the journey by foot to these old ruins to see if they can find enough to inspire the imaginations of readers of The Blue Lantern.
Eevi Greengallow
Eevi has never been in Carisport before, even though it’s not terribly far from Riverhall - about four and a half days. Her upbringing, as is not uncommon for her clan, involved plenty of travelling with various family or clan members between the villages and many farms in the North East parts of the colonies.
The recruiter, a green eyed blond bearded man who visited the Greengallow clan in Riverhall, did not specify when exactly the expedition would arrive in Carisport, so she arrived a couple days ago and has been staying with her cousin’s family. What was that visit like?
Eevi stands at the top of the steep hill overlooking the harbor to the South where she recognizes the flag of the Alceste. Moments ago a runner arrived with a message that the expedition has arrived in port. Her backpack slung over her shoulder, she takes in the scene, takes a deep breath, and readies herself to head down toward a whole new kind of adventure.
Dryad
in progress...
Caiorus
in progress...
Tura Flamescale
in progress...
[Dotting for later]
"Finally! Uh, Lem, I'm leaving! "
Eevi was relieved; she had started to wonder if these Blue Lantern people were gonna show up, or if this was some elaborate prank. The past few days had been nice, the calmer disposition of the Carisport Greengallows being a relaxing break from her siblings. After walking the city more than a few times, she had gotten bored. But now that the rest of this group had finally arrived... she ran a hand through her hair, still a tangled mess despite Lem and Sashi's efforts. At least it wasn't as dirty as before! She hoped it looked okay.
Well, hopefully they aren't too tall, or grumpy.
Eevi sprinted down the hill, towards the docks, dodging between legs and laughing as she went. By the time she had reached the ship she had reassured herself, a big, toothy grin on her face.
"Hello! Hellooooo!!!! You folks are the explorer ones I'm supposed to meet with, right? I'm Eevi! We're gonna have a great time!"
She shouted, jumped, and waved, trying to get a catch the attention of whoever was coming off the boat; but if they weren't paying attention, they'd probably miss her.
Wait! What if they got off the boat already? Stupid!
Dryad is looking around making sure he has all his stuff with him. It will be hard to document everything without extra books and writing materials.
As he is looking around he hears someone shouting. I follow the noise and look down and see her. He says "It sounds like you are going to be with the Blue Lantern group?" While looking down on her, because he is 6'6", he pulls out a book and makes a few notes in it. He says, "my name is Dryad and I am here with the group as well." I reach out to shake her hand confirming her name. He takes another note in his book. He then asks while handing her his book, "can you please sign here confirming your name, that you are part of the group and the date and approximate time that we met here?"
Afterwards, he goes to make sure his stuff is offloaded and brought to where we are supposed to be meeting up with everyone else.
What is the name of Dryad's elf clan? Seser?
Caiorus Tanase
Caiorus has been up since 5:00 am, eagerly scanning the gradually brightening horizon for signs of the great, vast continent of Orona. Named of course for the old human empire that once spanned most of the continent, few know it by its historically correct name, Morarae. Few also know that Carisport was built on the foundations of a ruined port town, Karborus, an independent town from before Fall of Orona. Karborus was scattered stone ruins in a coastal forest when the first colonists, in the second century of the modern Vedan calendar, arrived. Veda was too embroiled in its own internal conflicts at the time to help the first colonists to fend off the beast men that came out of the woods and attacked the fledgeling colony. The 10 years the first colony lasted was twice as long as the 2nd colony which was smashed by some unknown type of giants. The third and present colony decided the name Karborus was bad luck, and named it instead after Captain James Caris. A little more than a century, and that luck seems to be holding.
The Blue Lantern’s expedition to the continent is to be quite the affair. Caiorus worked long and hard to convince the editor of the Rhaley branch that continental exploration would be beneficial (and profitable!) to The Society. Caiorus won’t be getting all the glory though - he’ll have the opportunity to be published, but there will be several other expeditions heading out to various sites. If Caiorus wants to make the most of this, he’ll need to really bring what he finds at the site to life to dazzle the readers. His love of history and cluture, his wordplay, and if he can find a decent artist before heading out, should really put the shine on his journal to get him noticed.
He can just feel deep down that something big is just waiting to unfold - a thousand years waiting. Now to get the expedition ready. He has a small escort of green recruits from Seeheath (five of them), a young (relatively speaking) elf, Dryad, who will be assisting him in researching the site, and a young half-orc woman who was picked up in their stop in the Fell Tusk Isles - she seemed so desperate to get away from her island, and curious about the expedition, Caiorus had a good feeling about her and invited her on the expedition. Lastly, he’s waiting to pick up a halfling from one of the famous outrider clans of Riverhall. Her scouting should prove invaluable on the expedition. Perhaps that’s her speaking to Dryad on the dock right now.
Oh no, he's not tall, he's a damn tree!!
Eevi smiles to the Elf looming above her, and studies his expression.
Well, he doesn't seem so bad. Doesn't seem to care. Thats nice.
Eevi stands on her tip-toes to shake her new acquaintance's hand. She sits down to write in the book, finding it difficult to write in it while standing.
"So, right. Eevi Greengallow, yep, first day of the year, aaaand... mid morning? That sound about right? Sure, lets go with that."
Eevi waits while Dryad's belongings are unloaded, then begins to follow.
"Wait, where's the rest of you folk? Shouldn't we wait? Or are they up ahead?"
What is the name of Dryad's elf clan? Seser?
Yes.
Tura comes down the gangplank laughing. Her weapons save her Trident were all on her body strapped to it with various belts and straps, the barely clad orcish woman flipped out her patchwork cloak its many colors showing through on both sides. Underneath her torso and hips were covered in crudely stitched together hide of reptile and fish, its toggles a simple worked metal that held the laces of the front in check.
As for why the woman was laughing, well she had challenged a few men to arm wrestling and won more then she had lost. On this journey, she had fished cooked and wagered her way into the crews family. This was all despite her intellect, for her innate force of personality carried her through. Granted she did have a few touchy days, that resulted in a fist fight, the two would later reconcile over a nice warm mug of rum.
As she stepped onto the solid ground, her bare toes wiggled and she quickly dropped to one knee. With words in Orc she uttered a prayer to her ancestors for delivering her safely and to the spirits of air and sea for guiding her safely After that she rises and looks around.
Seeing one of the others she noted coming to explore the ruins and what not she heads that way."Hi, I'm Tura" She says waving her accent thick and thanks to her oversized teeth slightly drooly.
Before just heading straight out of town and heading to the expedition site, the group leader will need to make a few arrangements.
While they will be going on foot (unless they pay out of pocket for a mount), Caiorus has a few promissory notes from the Blue Lantern Society that can be traded for carts and draft horses, tents, food, and tools for the expedition. Someone will also need to stop by the Colonial Explorer's guild to pick up the charter for the
The other expedition groups will be arriving tomorrow, four others. The plan is to head out tomorrow going North along the main highway to Lake Merrow, just North of Merrowfort, where the groups will split off from each other. Caiorus' group will head East, past Riverhall, past the easternmost settlements and farms, towards the foothills of the Red Crown Mountains. Their charter is for the ruins of an old trading town part way to those mountains.
There are inns in the harbor district, a mix of fair to nicer inns up in the walled in districts, and several scattered country inns outside of town along the rural roads. There is even rumored to be a cluster of massive oaks transformed into an inn by some clever druids somewhere overlooking the river just outside the West wall of town.
Tura Flamescale
The trip has been great for Tura. Honestly, it's been great just to escape all the backbiting and politics of "home". Tura is used to people not sure whether to treat her like royalty or like a pariah thanks to her sister's malicious manipulation. It's been great being treated like just another member of the crew. If she weren't committed to the expedition, the thought of joining a ship crew would be slightly inviting.
The sailors wave their friendly farewells as she debarks from the ship; she's sure at least a few will miss her, and she experiences a warm feeling as she realizes that.
Feel free to look around Carisport in the meantime.
" I can't believe they actually picked ME to lead this entire expedition ," Caiorus thought to himself. "Without Dryad's assistance in organizing men and supplies, I am not sure we would have even made it this far..."
Caiorus's mind focuses back in as he unfolds the Blue Lantern Banner and attaches it to his trusty longspear. Sure, he has almost never had to use this longspear but it hadn't failed him of yet. The banner, he hoped, would help to secure his place in others minds as a legitimate representative for the Blue Lantern Society.
:Now let's see, ah yes. We need to go and collect our guide Eevi Greengallow. Hopefully her skills of navigation rival Dryad's organization skills." Others, Caiorus had noted, thought she was perhaps a bit too young for their group to rely on, but Caiorus believed there was much more to her story than met the eye.
Walking off the boat and into the harbor Caiorus noticed that Dryad, and the hulking half-orc woman Tura, seemed to be having a conversation. Ensuring that the banner was free to dramatically sway in the wind as moved, Cairous walked up to the two of them. As he approached, Cairous realized they were actually having a conversation with a much small halfling woman on his other side.
"Good morning, friends! Good morning, stranger. Ahh, you must be Eevi Greengallow, pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Caiorus Tanase."
Have begun reposting this thread on my Discord server