"Sometimes I just don't understand big people, Harriet," Pril says softly as she looks back to the village and continues to scratch behind the lioness's ears.
"It was an honest question. Master Wickt told me one time that in Irori's writings it says 'There is no such thing as a stupid question. For within every question is the desire to know, the desire to improve one's knowledge. And the desire to improve oneself is the most noble desire of all.'"
"Ok, fine. If that woman wants to get bent out of shape because she doesn't want to answer my question, that's her prerogative. But ..." She trails off and clears her throat, brushing at her eyes. "But the way that Allandír looked at me ..." Her voice breaks a bit. "... like he was disgusted with me. No one that I ... I care about ... has ever looked at me like that." She sits for a while, collecting her emotions.
"I guess he's right. I don't really know him very well. Maybe we're just too different. I could try to change who I am, but that feels wrong. I like who I am. Sure I want to be a better me, but still me, you know?"
She looks down at the lioness who, besides purring heavily, is showing no indication that she's paying any attention at all.
"I like you, Harriet. You're just as easy to talk to as Mister No-F&!$s," she says with a small laugh as she wipes her eyes again.
The gnome bids farewell to the purring lioness and heads back into the village to find the Cardinal.
"So are we just going to hang around here?" she asks the man. "I'm sure there are lots of interesting places in the jungle. How do you feel about exploring?"
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"It is not my favorite place." The Cardinal says with a slight wince. "I had an unfortunate experience when I was many years younger. We should speak further to our hosts, if there is no other purpose to being here then I would prefer to return to the keep, especially given the incident in the passageway..."
Overhearing the conversation, Nketiah interjects. ”If you wish to see more of the jungle, perhaps you would like to join the hunting party to gather meat for tonight’s feast? You should speak to the hunt leader, Akosa, about joining him to ensure that he catches something you find appetizing. Akosa takes some time to warm up to strangers, though, so you should be patient with him.”
Allandír gives a rueful smile as the issue of comparative theology rears its ugly head again. "I think the issue is that the word 'civilisation' means different things to different people. There are many in Kyonin for example who think human civilisation would be an excellent idea: they are truly interested to see what it will look like, if it ever arrives."
He brightens up as Nketiah mentions a hunting party "I am definitely interested. Perhaps you could introduce us to Asoka?"
Nketiah brings you to the hunting party. Akosa is an elf with striking hazel eyes and twists of dense curly hair that falls around his head like a lion's mane. He glares at you with a sour look on his face as you approach, and his demeanor is tense.
"This is Akosa of the Hawk Clan. His mother is of the River Clan," Nketiah says by way of introduction. "Akosa, our guests wish to join your hunt."
Akosa grunts. "If that is their desire, they may come along. If they can keep up." He continues to stare at you.
Allandír grins, showing a mouthful of his broken teeth as he meets Akosa's stare. "Try me."
This is the first Ekujae they've met who seems to be actually unfriendly, rather than simply wary. He wonders why.
"I mean no offense. You’re all just too pretty to take my eyes off you," Akosa says dryly.
Allandir gets the sense that the hunter is not acting out of malice. His bad mood is likely unrelated to your presence, though the elf's lips do curl up in a slight smirk at Allandir's extreme bluntness.
"If you can outrun me, Long-legs, then I deserve to be left behind," Pril says, refusing to completely muzzle herself. She avoids looking at Allandír, not wanting to see his reaction.
"What are we hunting?" she asks.
"Your best bets are the red river hogs and the waterbucks. Otherwise, there’s river turtles and bats, if you like to work for your food. Or crocodiles, if you like fighting to see who gets to bite first."
"It's your hunt, so you get to call the prey" Pril says. "I won't be much good on a hunt for bats, though. So if your goal is simply to make me look foolish, that would be a good one." She mimes waving her hands over her head helplessly.
Allandír nods in agreement. "Turtles and bats sound like more work than the reward merits. River-hog and crocodile both sound entertaining - and tasty."
Akosa shrugs. "It's your choice. Are the humans coming with us?" He eyes Ervan and Lucius with a raised eyebrow.
While Ervan and Lucius elect to remain behind, Allandir and Pril accompany Akosa into the jungle to hunt for dinner.
You help the elven hunters look for signs of animals. Attempt a DC 17 Nature or Perception check.
Critical Success You make an impressive and potentially dangerous find, such as a large pack of particularly healthy (and thus cranky) red river boars or a large waterbuck with razor-sharp horns. You also find signs of animals that are safer to hunt than your impressive and delicious find.
Success You discover signs of animals that are safe to hunt.
Failure Your efforts have scared away the best game, and the hunting party must set their sights on river turtles and bats.
Critical Failure Your efforts have scared away too many animals, leaving the hunting party with a sparse amount of game to catch. The party loses 2 IP.
POSITION THE HUNTERS
With the target game animals located, you must move to an advantageous position without startling the prey. Attempt a Stealth check. Against an impressive and dangerous find, the DC is 25. Against standard game, it’s DC 20. Against river turtles, bats, and lesser game, it’s DC 15.
Critical Success The animals have no indication that they are in danger, and you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to rolls made during the hunting phase.
Success You position yourself well and take no penalty when Hunting.
Failure Your loud and clumsy movements alert the animals to your presence, and you take a –2 circumstance penalty to rolls made during the hunting phase.
Critical Failure You stumble loudly and startle the majority of the animals, which escape and leave the party with very few animals to catch. The party loses 2 IP.
HUNT THE ANIMALS
When the hunt begins, the Ekujae elves and the PCs work together to bring down the game. Against an impressive find, each PC actively participating (and not just Aiding) attempts a DC 25 Survival check. Against standard game, the DC is 20. No check is needed to hunt river turtles or bats—hunting such game is automatically successful (but can never be a critical success).
Critical Success You help take down the animals quickly and relatively painlessly, showing them mercy.
Success Your participation in the hunt helps the hunting party take down the animals quickly.
Failure Your involvement complicates the hunt—one or two animals even escape uninjured. Each PC takes 2d6 damage from animal attacks (or 4d6 if the animals were an impressive find).
Critical Failure Several of the animals die poorly, and many escape with mortal wounds. Barely enough animals are caught for the feast, but the fact that they died in pain or escaped with injuries shames the Ekujae— the party loses 2 IP. Each PC takes 2d6+6 damage from animal attacks (or 4d6+12 if the animals were an impressive find).
In Akrivel, the wizard and cleric are left to their own devices for a few hours. Eventually, though, Nketiah seeks them out. "The rulers of the Leopard Clan have instructed me to escort you to them for a meeting. Please, follow me."
The rulers are identical twins. They have no fancy throne room for this audience, simply occupying an empty platform made from woven tree branches. “We are Ose Panin and Ose Atsu of the Leopard Clan. Our mother is of the Heart Clan,” they say. Ose Panin wears a patterned green dress and copper jewelry studded with uncut gems, while Ose Atsu wears a dark blue tunic covered with amulets wrapped in copper and green cloth. Both twins wear black leather sandals decorated with copper amulets and have long hair arranged in thick locks.
"We wish to know more about our honored guests. What are your occupations? Do you have many friends and family members? What are you most proud of about yourselves?"
While unfamiliar with the complexities of the jungle environment, Pril is still able to find tracks of something to follow.
Her lack of armor and small size give her an advantage in the dense undergrowth and does a passable job of getting the elves into proper positions.
The gnome makes a fair showing in the efforts to bring down the prey.
Allandir and Pril prove competent hunters, successfully tracking and taking down several hogs and bucks. Akosa grunts in acknowledgment of their skills. "Not bad," he says.
Allandír works with the group, providing his expertise as required. The forest is his natural environment, and he is virtually a ghost.
Pril gives a slight bow in acknowledgment of Akosa's hard-won praise. "Happy to help provide food for the village," is Pril's only verbal response.
The Ekujae applaud the hunting party’s return, impressed by the quarry they return with. They quickly get to work preparing the meat for the evening’s feast.
Nketiah invites Allandir and Pril along to meet Ose Panin and Ose Atsu. The elf and gnome join their human companions as the leaders ask to learn more about them.
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"I am a cleric." Lucius says, leaving his precise alignment vague. "My role has been one of travel, arbitrating trade disputes and other such issues. That work has been my life's calling and one of which I am proud. Most recently we recovered a fallen keep from the various animals and other dangers inhabiting it and I have supervised the rebuilding effort. It will take time, years even, but it is a most worthwhile endevour and one that will benefit the whole town and region when it is done. I am proud of what we have achieved together. My companions are honorable and brave, if somewhat rash and given to enthusiastic actions." He smiles gently, understandingly. "They have made my life more exciting and interesting than ever, and have led me here. I am grateful to them for that, and to the Leopard clan for its hospitality."
"You are welcome here," Ose Panin says to Lucius, bowing slightly to the cleric. The twin rulers eagerly look to the rest of the group, waiting to hear what they have to say for themselves.
Pril frowns to herself before gathering her courage and replacing the frown with a neutral expression. She steps forward and bows to the two sisters.
"My name is Pril Piddwiemog. I am a student of ..." She trails off as a realization finally settles upon her. She swallows and then continues. "I am the sole surviving student of my master, Erodie Wickt, Senior Teacher of the Temple of the Golden Dragon. My goal in life is to learn more about the world and improve myself, physically, mentally, and spiritually." She bows again and steps back, attempting to keep her emotions in check.
Allandír tries to shake off a weird feeling of deja vu as he regards the twins. He gives a bow of his head.
"I am - actually, I am unsure how to introduce myself. I have been a soldier, a killer, a craftsman, a wanderer, and now... I am still working that out, I think. The one constant in my life has been my bow - I am proud of my ability to shoot, even if I am not always proud of the targets I have chosen. But what am I most proud of? Hmmm."
There is a long, long pause.
"I would like to say that what I am proudest of is of my choice of friends, but that would be sheer vanity on my part, I think. The word I should probably use is... lucky. I am fortunate that they have chosen to be my friends. I do not make it easy for them, on occasion."
”Perhaps you would care to show us a demonstration of what you are proud of?” Ose Atsu produces several clay targets, while Ose Atsu gestures to the raised platform.
Pril steps up but looks reticent.
"If you ask this of me, I will concede to the wishes of my host. Master Wickt always reinforced in us that pride in one's skills is a house built on sand. It will lead to a downfall eventually. However, in response to your request I will humbly demonstrate what he taught me."
With a leap and a spin, one of the targets shatters at contact with her foot. As the pieces of clay bounce across the wooden floor, she turns and bows in respect to her hosts. She then steps back to join her friends.
"What I'm proud of?", the wizard asks himself whilst running an index-finger through his mighty mustache. "Hm, my ability to mend and create with stone. Here," he says as a hand reaches down and rummages through the satchel hanging from his side. The wizard pulls out a sketchbook and moves to the platform. "These drawings outline my plans on repairing the portal - yes, the portal on our side was damaged, but I managed to repair it - whilst keeping the cultural integrity of the gate intact. Elven architecture is not my forte, but I do think the repaired portal is still very much elvish in design and functionality."
He also elaborates on some of the more intricate details of repairing a magic portal, but blessedly so keeps his story (somewhat) short.
The twin leaders of Akrivel nod in satisfaction at your demonstration of skills. When it's Allandir's turn, the elf fires an arrow at a clay target that Ose Panin throws, splitting it cleanly in half! The Ekujae seem especially impressed.
"How about a bit of a friendly challenge?" Ose Atsu asks. She hands Allandir a padded and blunted arrow and points to her sister. "See if you can strike her!" Ose Panin laughs and nods retrieving a wooden shield and holding it in front of her as she ducks and weaves.
Allandir takes aim again, firing an arrow right into the center of the shield! The sisters applaud excitedly.
"Your skills are impressive indeed! Please, accept this gift." They hand you a gleaming cold iron dagger.
"Thank you for showing us what you are capable of. We will see you at the feast!
Nketiah seems quite impressed by your handling of the situation, especially by Lucius's diplomatic prowess.
Allandír looks gratified as the arrows strike home, as if guided by some unseen power. He expresses gratitude as the twins present the group with the dagger. "My thanks, this is a queenly gift indeed."
After another hour or so, the feast begins! The Ekujae bring out food and palm wine for the celebration, including the meat from the beasts you caught during the hunt. The mood is jovial, with laughter and animated conversations all around.
Early into the feast, three younger elves approach you, a smirking Nketiah in tow. "These children have heard that northerners can't handle anything with spice," the linguist says. The elves produce a number of brightly colored peppers. "They say they have been growing some of the best, most delicious, and spiciest peppers in the city! They wish to challenge you to compete with them to see who among you can eat the hottest one!"
You can spend a single action retching in an attempt to recover, which lets you immediately attempt a Fortitude save against the DC of the effect that made you sickened.
On a success, you reduce your sickened value by 1 (or by 2 on a critical success).
Pril's eyes light up for the first time since entering the village. "I love spicy food! Can I try some?" she asks, clapping her hands together.
The gnome eagerly downs each of the first three peppers, savoring the various flavors hiding under the increasing heat. The forth one, however, seems to catch her off guard and tears begin running down her increasingly reddening face.
Grabbing the water skin out of her pack, she attempts to douse the fire in her mouth.
Gasping for air with a huge grin on her face, she reaches out for the final pepper.
"Oh, that is so good," she says, still fanning her face with her hand. "Is there a chance that I could get some seeds for those? I'd love to grow them back at the keep."
The laughable intellectual level of these affairs is almost insulting to Ervan, but out of nicety, he follows along. He does, however, refuse to be made some sort of laughing stock by entering an eating contest that involves spicy torture. As the gnome stuffs her mouth with suffering, Ervan's face contorts into expressions of disbelief, disgust, regret, and pity. The poor thing!
The elves try to keep pace with Pril, but first child drops out after the second pepper, and the other child after the fourth pepper. The crowd has a good laugh at Pril's discomfort, but are rather impressed when she recovers and downs the final pepper without breaking a sweat! The children applaud and hand Pril some seeds, as well as four bottles of hot pepper oil that have been specially distilled from their garden.
Allandír warmly applauds Pril's efforts, making no attempt to even try and outdo the gnome. By elven standards he is considered hardy, but some endeavours are best left to others.
The feast continues after the pepper eating contest. After an hour or so of merriment, Nketiah seeks out Lucius. "Cardinal, I have a favor to ask of you. And your friends as well." She indicates the rest of the group.
“See my father and his friend Akosa over there?” Nketiah gestures her staff toward where the two elves are speaking quietly to each other. “They’re both clueless. They have been friends since childhood and been in love for the past ten years, ever since my father helped Akosa recover from his time with the Aspis Consortium and Akosa helped my father recover from my mother’s death. And neither of them will do anything about it! They both have too many concerns invented in their own minds, and they both worry what my mother would think. I know precisely what my mother would think, she would also think they are both being clueless!
"I have let them dance around each other for years, but today I have decided that life is too short, even for elves. Maybe even especially for elves.” Nketiah seems pensive for a moment, before she shakes her head and scoffs slightly. “The elders here always say it isn’t our place to interfere in other people’s personal lives, but I am a half-elf, so I don’t care about that! Why don’t you help me turn this festive atmosphere into a romantic one to see if those two can catch a hint?"
Allandír almost chokes on his wine, and spends several seconds coughing and spluttering as he tries to find a polite way of saying Are you f***ing kidding me?!
"Ah... I certainly wish you all the best with that, ah, endeavour, but you will almost certainly fare better in your efforts without my aid. I have not been so successful in that area of my own life-" his green eyes flick almost imperceptibly towards Pril "-that I can intervene in someone else's."
No, you just throw a tissy-fit if someone asks you an honest question.
Pril sighs and closes her eyes to focus on breathing.
'When everything else is out of control focus on your breathing,' Master Wickt would tell me.
"I'd like to help," the gnome finally says in an attempt to temper her annoyance at the half-elf. "I don't know what I can do, but love should be encouraged."
The tall elf raises one eyebrow as Pril pledges her support for Nketiah's endeavour, giving the half-elf a 'be careful what you wish for' look: "Well, if you wanted a blunt instrument, you've certainly got one!"
"At this point, perhaps bludgeoning both of them over the head might actually produce results!" Nketiah chuckles.
With a soft sigh, Allandír commits himself to a cause which he will almost certainly end up regretting. The first step of course is to try and determine whether Nketiah's assessment of the situation is accurate: do they really have some strength of feeling for one another?
He watches the two of them as they converse, trying to get a read on their expressions and their body language.
Allandir can tell by the way Jahsi looks at Akosa that the warrior is uncertain of his current feelings towards the other men. Based on what Nketiah says, this is likely due to his long friendship with Akosa and reservations due to feeling unfaithful to his deceased wife. If he could be talked through his guilt, it may set him at ease.
"Well, if you wanted a blunt instrument, you've certainly got one!"
Pril turns to the elf, the flash of anger on her face quickly smoothed over. "I would appreciate it if you would keep your opinions of my abilities to yourself. I may be just one big disappointment to you, but I do know what love is."
Without another word, the gnome turns and stomps off to observe the two elves from another location.
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Lucius laughs aloud at the request and accedes with a smile. "Certainly. Love is to be encouraged where it blooms."
He goes for a slightly more direct approach and moves closer to the two elves. "Excuse me, Jahsi, is it? I was hoping to speak with you. Your daughter mentioned you to me. Nketiah seems like a lovely girl, you are fortunate to have such a daughter. Does she take after her mother?"
Pril observes Akosa's behavior. Based on his guarded body language, it's clear he's still dealing with emotional turmoil from his past trauma. He grimaces slightly at Jahsi's friendly demeanor towards him, as if he's secretly yearning to be treated differently, as something more than just a friend.
Jahsi smiles at Lucius and steps aside with him. "Thank you! Yes, Nketiah is very much like her mother, Hiruth. She was a Lirgeni astrologer who had petitioned and gained access to Ekujae lands in the hope of researching a means of ending the Eye of Abendego’s devastation. I was the keledi who volunteered to accompany er between the clans. We fell in love and soon Nketiah was born.
"Alas, a marriage between an elf and a human is never destined to end happily. She grew old, and eventually, she passed away. I still miss her dearly." Jahsi's smile fades as a wistful expression crosses his features.
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"But you lived a full and happy life together." Lucius says gently. "That is what you must remember, a life well lived is a great treasure. It is also important to live afterwards - I have counselled a number of people through grief and the loss of loved ones. It is so easy to retreat from life and let it pass you by. Don't let it. Hiruth would not have wanted that. Nketiah does not want it either. You deserve to be happy Jahsi."
He smiles gently and pats the elf on the shoulder.
Jahsi’s smile returns. ”Yes, you are right, of course. Hiruth would want me to be happy. Thank you for the kind words.”
As Lucius departs, he notices Jahsi looking thoughtfully at Akosa. So far, so good...
Pril watches as Lucius walks away.
"It still hurts, doesn't it?" she asks of the elf quietly. "Her absence? I've been told that it gets easier over time and I guess it's true." She shrugs. "It's still never easy."
Her eyes look out over the trees.
"What I've been asking myself ... what you have to ask yourself is what would she want. Would she want you to spend the rest of your life alone or would she want you to find someone who makes you happy." She snorts. "Of course even then the challenge is to find another someone that does that. Someone that you want to spend time with. Someone that wants to spend time with you. Someone that can look past your shortcomings."
The gnome looks at Jahsi and then pointedly at Akosa.
"At least that's the hard part for most of us," she adds with a sad smile.
She then takes her leave to seek out Harriet. Something about the lone lioness seems to stir something in the gnome.
Jahsi seems to take Pril’s words to heart. Now you just have to convince Akosa...
Unable to locate the lioness, Pril returns to find the love-lorn Akosa. She watches him for a bit before catching a wayward eye watching Jahsi.
Once she sees that, she steps up to the elf and gives him a shoulder-jostle. "I know you elves live, like, forever - or at least think you do. But that's not an excuse to drag your feet for decades," she says. "To just stand there and procrastinate when love's right there in your reach really ticks off those of us who haven't had it. Or had it and lost it."
She looks up at him with a glare.
"Dude! Get off the pot!" she says finally before giving him a shove in Jahsi's direction.
"Excuse me?!?" Akosa declares angrily. "Who are you tell me what to do? You do not even know me!" He stalks away from Pril, clearly annoyed.