"Alright, let's take down these pillars, take the little big boy over there home," she points to the young elephant nearby "pick up the kobolds, and head to Ekujae and Renali to arrange a safe passage to..." she pausses shrugs at Hezle "...wherever it is that you want to go."
Yasami scans the rest of the group. "Sounds good? Anything else you want to do before we leave?" she asks casually as she stuffs the nuggets of gold into the bag of holding. As she is putting the last one in, she looks at Hezle. "Hm. We have time, we'll all talk on this tonight. I just want to get out of here."
Caiten agrees, "Leaving before more enemies arrive would be prudent."
Yasami just nods, puts her gear on her back, and waits for others to finish packing. "Allright, then. Let's head out."
She gives her arm a quick sniff, makes a grimace, and looks at Caiten. "Taking your word for the cleanup tomorrow. It can't come soon enough."
The group takes a final look at the mine camp and starts moving West through the jungle, putting some distance between themselves and any cultists who come to investigate the attack on the mine. As you walk, Hezle comments to Yasami, "My preference would be that you leave me with the Thornscales while you work out matters with the Ekujae. It would be terrifying for me to go to their village. Also, I would rather not know exactly where it is or anything about it -- that might make the elves view me as more of a threat. Once the Ekujae assure you they will let us leave their lands unharmed, we will be on our way and never return."
"Between what we are doing for the Ekujae, and my connection with them, we might not have much trouble getting the assurance that they will leave the kobolds alone," Catalina says as they walk, idly shuffling her Harrow deck as they walk. The Ustalavian's accent has lessened quite a bit, but despite that, she still pronounced her s's with more of a 'z' sound.
"Maybe we can get a real bath at Akrivel, too."
Caiten nods in agreement with the various women. Looking at the map of the area that they have, he comments, "It looks like we could raft down the river. That may be faster than walking. Though I am not confident that the elephants would fit well. But walking is fine with me. Perhaps we should stay in areas that we are familiar with while we have the elephants with us. I do not want to have to track them through the jungle after they flee. Nor do I want to unexpectedly encounter terrain that they are not suited for traveling through."
The river flows slowly to the West (the direction you are traveling), so river travel is possible. (It's slow enough that it would also be possible to raft upriver against the current, but would be harder with two elephants.) It would take a day of crafting to build a raft and it would be harder to build one that is elephant-sturdy (), but not impossible. Ultimately, a raft would allow you to travel twice as fast on the river as compared to through the jungle -- although in this situation it will take three days either way (given the crafting time).
As Hezle hears Caiten musing about the possibility of building a raft, Hezle comments, "Building a raft may be the fastest and most secure way for me and the other Thornscales to get out of the Ekujae lands. I can help you build a raft, but I'm also ok going through a jungle and building one with my kin while we wait for you to speak to the Ekujae."
"It would be nice to relax on a good raft. Let's give it a shot?"
The thaumaturge begins to collect what's needed for the rafts, collaborating with whoever else wants to help. Measurements are taken, baby elephants are snuggled, and rafts begin to come together.
"My last attempt at this was lacking," Caiten comments to Catalina as he works with her on the construction. "But you seem to have a better understanding of what is needed than I did at the time."
While the raft is being built, Yasamina watches for potential dangers coming from the treeline. In the meantime, she approaches Hezle.
"If we are to talk to Ekujae on your behalf; are there any conditions you have in this negotiation? Also - can you make use of one of these nuggets?” she asks as she produces one of the gold lumps pulled from the totem pool.
"Also, I would need to run this by the others, but we can offer you a place in the citadel we are rebuilding back in Avistan. Assuming you can earn your keep. There are two kobolds living there already. A little weird, those two, but we made it work."
She leaves the question in the air. "Think about it, talk to your people, and let me know. When we return from Akrivel, you can give me your decision and mark the totems on our map. Sound good?"
"that's not a bad idea, Yasami. Hezle, if you are comfortable relocating to Isger, we have a place for you, and work to do." He smiles. "You could build things."
Hezle declines the offer of the gold nugget: "you might need it to get supplies if you're going to take on Belmazog." She seems surprised and even subtly moved by Yasami's offer to eventually return with the group to Isger, and Lisi's support for the idea. "That's a really interesting idea. We were driven to leave our village because there weren't really any opportunities there. I felt like my intelligence went wasted and disrespected by our chief, and the other Thornscales who left with me were tired of the chief bossing them around. Things weren't great at the mine, of course, to say the least, but your citadel sounds interesting. Can you tell me more about it? Would we be safe? It's certainly encouraging that there are other kobolds already making a home there."
Regarding the Ekujae, Hezle states, "I don't feel I'm in much position to set conditions. All I want is safety for us Thornscales and to be allowed to remain encamped by the river to wait to leave with you to Isger, if the other Thornscales like that idea. If there is any work I can do for the Ekujae while we wait, we would be happy to do that. I know we have done them wrong and I just hope you can convince them to let us leave with you in peace. Again, if the other Thornscales agree." You can tell Hezle already seems pretty taken by the idea of going to Isger with you.
Catalina and Caiten very efficiently build a sturdy raft. Hezle helps, although it is clear she has not built a raft before. Nevertheless, Catalina and Caiten can tell she is very skilled.
"The Citadel was used, or perhaps even misused, by Hellknights--a group of rather strict warriors from Cheliax. We don't enjoy Cheliax much in Isger," says Lisitsei conversationally. "It was abandoned, and a group of goblins that we are friendly with have occupied it, although they were driven out at one point. We reclaimed the Citadel for them, and we have visions for it as a place of training, gardening, and safety for peoples near our home town. We can certainly vouch for you. As for safety--with Dahak on the rise, nothing is safe, but it's not currently being overrun."
Caiten listens quietly to the discussion of how and where to send the kobold tribe. The idea of having the citadel populated with semi-civilized goblins, kobolds, and wargs would certainly add to Breachill's reputation of being a destination for only the bravest of people wanting to get a start to their career as adventurers.
"I mean..." Yasami follows up Lisi's description "It's a big stone fort, so I suppose that's as safe as it gets. Assuming we are talking about a military campaign or a siege. With structures like that and enough supplies, you should be able to hold against a force eight to twenty times larger, depending on the fortifications, as far as only raw manpower is a factor. So - pretty safe?" she shrugs and looks at others. "Anyone objects to Thornscales having a foothold in Altaerein? If anything, we can help them get back in shape and then they can be on their merry way if that is something they want to do."
In the meantime, observing Caiten and Catalina build a raft, Yasamina can't help but be impressed by the raw efficiency. And while the thing doesn't look too fancy, function over form.
"Honestly, guys, it seems like you could make it catch fish on the way for us to eat if you wanted to. Well done! And I'm just here gathering firewood." she adds sheepishly. "So what do we call it and when do we do the maiden voyage?"
She tries to remember whether there were any whitewater sections visible while they were travelling upstream.
Starting the next morning, Yasami bothers Caiten every morning for prestidigitation to be available. She just poured some rubbing alcohol on her clothes but wasn't sure whether that made the smell of death charau-ka on her better or worse. She would discreetly sneak away to wash the clothes a few times downstream, using a lot of soap in the process. But time spent doing that could be used elsewhere, helping with whatever preparations needed to be done. As beautiful as Mwangi might be, she is obviously fed up with the damp jungles, the everpresent sweat on her skin, the annoying insects, you name it. But her drive for vengeance for her friend, possibly friends, keeps pushing her through the days as the raft is being made.
As they all sit by the fire, nibbling on some grilled fish, she looks around. "Folks, I won't lie - I would kill for a hot bath and a proper bed right now."
She perks up - "Catalina! Do they have those in Akrivel? Or - can we strike this deal with the Ekujae, and go escort the Thornscales to the citadel, maybe stay the night before we go back? How's that sound?"
Her eyes dart around the faces next to the campfire to gauge reactions to the suggestion. She specifically looks at Catalina and smiles. "Ooooh, you've never been! Well, to be fair, it's not, well... finished. When we found it it was in a bad state, but we got to work on it. Cleaned it up, had people renovate and whatnot. I wonder how it's going. But we have big plans. Hopefully, we live long enough to make all of it happen. Garden, library, aviary, medical ward for injured locals, an artisan workshop to make goods for trade... Self-sufficiency and all."
She looks into the fire and takes a bite, her tone getting less and less cheerful - "One can hope for a better, safer future of Breachill. And the world."
Starting the next morning, Yasami bothers Caiten every morning for prestidigitation to be available.
As promised, Caiten makes room in his spell selection for prestidigitation. He offers to clean anyone's clothes who asks.
"Baths would be nice. We could probably wash in the river too, though that may be less effective. And we will want to keep it to a minimum. I do not know what creatures would be in the water."
"I mean..." Yasami follows up Lisi's description "It's a big stone fort, so I suppose that's as safe as it gets. Assuming we are talking about a military campaign or a siege. With structures like that and enough supplies, you should be able to hold against a force eight to twenty times larger, depending on the fortifications, as far as only raw manpower is a factor. So - pretty safe?" she shrugs and looks at others. "Anyone objects to Thornscales having a foothold in Altaerein? If anything, we can help them get back in shape and then they can be on their merry way if that is something they want to do."
In the meantime, observing Caiten and Catalina build a raft, Yasamina can't help but be impressed by the raw efficiency. And while the thing doesn't look too fancy, function over form.
"Honestly, guys, it seems like you could make it catch fish on the way for us to eat if you wanted to. Well done! And I'm just here gathering firewood." she adds sheepishly. "So what do we call it and when do we do the maiden voyage?"
She tries to remember whether there were any whitewater sections visible while they were travelling upstream.
Catalina grins at Yasami and gestures at the firewood gratefully. ”We’re all playing important roles. Maiden voyage in the next day or two…Some things need to dry out…name it the Highwind.” Catalina suggests decisively.
Between breaks during building, Catalina notices Yasami’s efforts to clean her clothing and digs into her bags for her extra set of clothes. All black and a bit too long for the shorter woman, but serviceable. ”Would this help at all until we can get your things cleaned?” Catalina offers, holding out the parcel of clothing to Yasami. Despite spending some of her formative years in the jungle, the thaumaturge felt much the same way about the climate. She wanted to feel truly dry and her skin to calm.
”They do have baths and proper beds,” Catalina says, glancing at Caiten as the android pipes up. ”Yes, that is probably a safe bet. The jungle holds many threats.” She trails off as Yasami mentions their citadel. ”I haven’t been anywhere near Breachill before. I’d love to see it. Didn’t you all say it was pretty dangerous going through those gates, though?”
Catalina stands by the creation alongside Caiten and Hezle and grins proudly at her building partners. "Done! Finally! It looks great. Might be tricky to get the elephants on, but..." She glances at Lisi, raising her eyebrows meaningfully at him. "Maybe you can be convincing?"
Hezle listens carefully to all the comments about the citadel, but you can tell she does not really have enough of a frame of reference to visualize it properly. Nonetheless, she seems convinced that she would like to give it a try and indicates she will talk to the Thornscales about it. "We took the big risk of accepting Belamzog's offer because we wanted a different life than we could have in our village. If there may be a better life for us in this citadel of yours, I think the other Thornscales will agree to take the chance. And you can trust that we will do our best to contribute however you need us."
All things considered, the group spends a reasonably relaxed day near the riverside. The weather even clears a little, so there is not too much active drizzle and there is even some sun, especially at the river bank with less tree cover.
Catalina, Caiten, and Hezle lose themselves in crafting the raft and are satisfied to end up with a pretty large and serviceable float at the end of the day. Lisi loses himself in mindful task of taking care of the elephants so they trust him for the unusual boat ride. Both Lisi and Oren wrestle with the worg puppies, and find it's impossible to worry about anything other than a puppy accidentally getting overly enthusiastic and drawing blood during those wrestling matches. Lisi gathers food for both the elephants and the party for the river journey. Yasami is able to thoroughly wash herself and her clothes at the river, and her clothes dry well in the relative sun. Oren and Yasami also take turns keeping guard, but nothing other than ordinary jungle animals approach the camp during the day's work.
The night also passes uneventfully, although the group is careful to set up a thorough rotating 2-person watch, because of the possibility of cultists in the area. Hezle volunteers to join in the rotation, and Caiten finds her to be an alert and reliable watch companion. Early in the morning, the elephants are urged onto the raft by Lisi, and they are only the expected amount of nervous, having come to thoroughly trust the druid. The party pushes out into the river in its large, makeshift raft that nonetheless feels pretty solid.
The river that flows through this portion of jungle is an unnamed, slow-moving (no white waters!) tributary of the much larger Vanji River—the river flows from the east downstream to the southwest (the direction you are going). The river has an average depth of 30 feet and its width varies from 200 feet to half a mile.
The two days on the raft pass without incident. The flow carries you towards your destination, so rowing is not really necessary, although Oren spends a fair amount of time rowing to relieve the boredom from lack of physical activity, and it is helpful having him make sure the raft stays in the center and does not get stuck in any shallows or damaged by underwater tree roots near shore. Lisi spends nearly all of his time keeping the elephants and puppies in line, but there are no major incidents. Hezle seems mostly lost in contemplation, although she will readily answer any questions or engage in conversation.
For reasons of safety, you started the trip further West than the area where Belmazog's fortress lies, so you do not pass it during your trip. You don't see much of note on the trip -- just thick jungle on either side, many birds and monkeys in the trees, insects buzzing all around, fish and even crocodiles in the river -- but none large enough to to bother a raft as large as yours.
The scenery and flow is similar, but otherwise the trip is gratefully nothing at all like this!
Catalina offers Yasami her clothing. She takes the offered clothes, and smiles. "Time for a little catwalk! Thank you! Back in a bit..."
The fire dancer runs off behind some bushes. A few short minutes later, she comes back into view. Her clothes usually emphasise her curves. This time, however, Catalina's attire is a little... loose. Not so much the width, but she is pretty sure she drags a good few inches of cloth behind her feet, and can't see her fingers.
She walks up to Catalina and Caiten, handing her smelly-after-several-rounds-of-washing clothes to the witch. "Thank you, Caiten. I tried, but it didn't help much."
She turns over to Catalina, and gives her a little giggle as she spreads her arms and does a turn. "I mean, these definitely suit you more. I like mine with a lot more colour. But it's comfy, I'll give you that."
While Caiten does his thing, Yasami goes through her backpack and medicine kit to reorder whatever is out of place.
After Caiten and Sulee are done, she takes a nice whiff of the clothes. "Amazing! And the blood stains are gone!" She rolls up the sleeves and runs off into some bushes to change again.
"All aboard the..." Yasamina pauses with a sudden realisation, and checks the raft for a sail. Seeing none, she makes a little smirk - "... Highwind."
While the raft is moving down stream, bow in hand, she has her eyes focused on the riverbanks. Just in case. Once they arrive to their intended destination, she takes a rope and jumps off to tie the boat to a tree while they unload the elephants. When she feels the rope is secure enough, she stands up straight and looks at the rest of the party. "Alright, guys. Shimmy across! I got this end nice and secure."
"All aboard the..." Yasamina pauses with a sudden realisation, and checks the raft for a sail. Seeing none, she makes a little smirk - "... Highwind."
"An interesting choice of name for a raft," Caiten comments in reply as he walks aboard. He watches with a critical eye as the elephants are loaded - making sure that the structure of the raft has no unexpected problems and that the calculations of buoyancy necessary are correct when put to the test of reality.
The group arrives at the camp of the elephant people, which stands out clearly due to the scorched forest in the area from the fires set by the cinderclaws. As you approach, you see perceive signs that the elephant people have returned -- smoke from campfires rising above the trees, sounds of human activity.
As you land the raft on the shore, you notice a young girl who was distractedly keeping watch from a hidden location in a tree shout out in surprise and alarm, and she jumps down and runs in the direction of the camp.
Caiten is happy to see signs of the villagers returning. He watches impassively as the little girl runs off, expecting that word will get back to the villager that they left here previously before too long.
Catalina smiles with some amusement when Yasami emerges, almost drowning, in Catalina's clothing. "Not bad, even with the extra length. I am...quite a bit taller than you!" She replies with a grin and then giggles as well, hiding her smile behind her hand while the dancer shows off her 'new clothes.'
Thankfully, Caiten is able to handle Yasami's original clothing without much of a fuss, and Catalina tucks the clothing away for later.
Catalina spends most of her free time alternating between organizing her esoterica, shuffling her Harrow deck, and cleaning her pistol carefully. The lessons Dario had taught her about care and handling of her pistol were burned into her mind now, and she whispered a soft Dwarven prayer in his honor whenever she put her pistol back together as thanks.
"I just like the name," Catalina says sheepishly after Caiten and Yasami's commentary, her silvery-pale cheeks flushing. "From some books I read as a kid..."
During the ride, Catalina stays alert as well, watching the scenery with interest and doing whatever she could to help keep the elephants calm.
When they arrive at their destination, Catalina shimmies across and spots the little girl. When the girl runs off, Catalina calls after her quickly, in Mwangi, "We rescued your elephants! The Keeper should know us!" but she isn't sure if the message got through to the girl. She shares what she shouted with the group, prepared to serve as a translator for them as long as she needed to.
Lisi eyes the baby elephants.
"Come, little trumpeters. Let's bring you back home."
He kneels down and offers them a few treats from his rations, and then steps off the raft.
Catalina calls after the little girl, hoping the message got though, and the rest of the group follows her, with Lisi and the baby elephants carefully making their way to shore last.
After a couple minutes, you hear sounds of movement coming towards you, and see a group of (presumably) elephant people armed with spears emerge from the trees. You recognize the elderly elephant keeper (Edka) among them and he immediately recognizes you and calls out, "These are friends!"
He turns to the group, "I am so glad to see you are safe, and you have returned with Kanu and Nalin! I had lost hope. The Wise Ones welcome your return."
The elephant people (or Wise Ones as they call themselves) are all smiles now, and they approach and slap your backs in a friendly way, which is apparently their manner of greeting. They secure your raft and lead the group back to their camp. As you walk, you see children, including the little girl who spotted you, watching shyly from the cover of nearby trees.
The elephant people camp is bustling with signs of construction activity, as they evidently have been diligently working to rebuild their shelters and other infrastructure. You see the other elephants grazing calmly at the edge of the camp.
The elephant people urge the party to stay for a celebratory feast in your honor.
Once the girl runs into the underbrush, Yasami shrugs and holds the rope for her friends. Just in case, even though it is tied to a tree trunk.
A few minutes later, during the disembarking process, she hears rustling in the treeline and looks around to see someone approaching, spears in hand. "Uuuuuuugh!" she lets out an annoyed exhale and -immediately- pulls out her sword to face the incoming group. She assumes a well-practiced defensive stance, and her eyes dart around to count the number of spears glistening in view.
A few quick swishes of the blade in the air produce the familiar sound. Yasami flashes the incoming force a cocky smile, daring them to give her swordsmanship a go. Not even sure if they will understand, she addresses them with a cold, calm demeanour - "Alright, then! I won't lie to you; I am tired of this place, and we still have shіt to do here. But if you want to stop us, you are most certainly free to try. I have some pent-up frustrations that could use an outlet."
She watches the elder man say something, and the spears go down. Partially disappointed, she curses under her breath and half-relaxes her stance. THe blade remains up as she waits...
The villagers are clearly extremely intimidated by Yasami's show of force and very relieved when they learn from Edka that the party are allies!
While they wait, Catalina is on guard as well, but not so much as Yasami. She grimaces slightly, knowing that this could easily go either way, even if they're vouched for. Grief does funny things to people.
She's relieved that the villagers know all too well how dangerous the jungle is and are willing to cut them some slack for being so on guard. When things settle just a bit, Catalina slides up to Yasami and raises her eyebrows. "Do you need to spar some? I'm not as good with my rapier as with my pistol, but it seems like you might need it."
"Ah, Catalina, maybe you should tell them we're sparring? ...I'm sure they're familiar with the idea."
Lisi brings Guba and the wargs around to show to the villagers, speaking Taldane, but in calm, low tones, and then of course, higher squeaks when he encourages the pups and leshy to show off a bit for the Elephant People.
He rubs his chin. "Do these folk keep milk and cream about? I've a mind to try freezing some and making ice cream. Yasami, we can put it inside a calabash gourd or two, and you can shake it menacingly at people for about a half an hour. "
The villagers are very curious about the leshy and initially nervous about the worg puppies, until it is clear Lisi has them entirely under control. Then a crowd gather to watch and laugh, and some of the children ask to play with the puppies.
Once in the camp, you see that the Elephant People do have some goats, and they can provide Lisi milk if he asks.
Lisi is right that the villagers might be alarmed seeing Catalina and Yasami sparring without warning, but if it is explained what they are doing, a crowd watches curiously, as they have never seen this form of combat. Indeed, it appears clear that the Elephant People avoid combat at pretty much all costs, despite initially approaching the group with spears.
It is late afternoon when you arrive, and once you are welcomed and agree to stay for a feast of thanks, the camp turns into a swirl of activity, as some villagers work on arranging a large central bonfire and others work on food preparation. It soon becomes clear the tribe are vegetarian, as roots are pulled out of food stores and other villagers spread to forage in the surrounding jungle.
The party members can spend the few hours until nightfall and the feast doing whatever you like.
Once the negotiator in form of a tall, pale aasimar arrives and calms down the situation, Yasami puts her blade back in the sheath. "I'm not apologising. They came at us brandishing spears. But I understand." she looks back at the raft. "But I assume the elephant calves would be a giveaway."
Yasami shrugs, puts on a smile, and lets go of the rope once everyone is off the raft. "We're pulling Highwind to shore? Leave it here for the tribe? I mean it -DID- ferry two small elephants over. Would be a shame for the river to drag it away."
When Catalina approaches her with the offer of sparring, she considers it for a moment. She offers a wry smile back. "Well, that is an offer. You with a gun, me with a serrated blade, close combat? Are you sure? I mean we didn't get off to a great start when we met, but you grew on me. Wouldn't want to hurt you too much. Or do we borrow spears?" Yasami suddenly flashes a cheeky grin. "Unarmed in the mud? In some circles, people pay for that."
She shrugs. "I dunno. Lay down the ground rules. I'm down. I can patch you up afterwards."
As the group walks closer to the village, Yasami walks over to Catalina to be side by side as they move. "Or we could just get drunk tonight, and keep the violence for the deserving. UNLESS you actually want me to show you how to defend against blades?" she gives an inquisitive look.
Once the negotiator in form of a tall, pale aasimar arrives and calms down the situation, Yasami puts her blade back in the sheath. "I'm not apologising. They came at us brandishing spears. But I understand." she looks back at the raft. "But I assume the elephant calves would be a giveaway."
Yasami shrugs, puts on a smile, and lets go of the rope once everyone is off the raft. "We're pulling Highwind to shore? Leave it here for the tribe? I mean it -DID- ferry two small elephants over. Would be a shame for the river to drag it away."
"They get it. You don't need to apologize," Catalina replies to Yasami, shifting her attention to the rafts. "I can ask if they have a use for the rafts, but we should check and see if the rafts can get us easily to Akrivel, too. Save ourselves a little bit of trouble."
When Catalina approaches her with the offer of sparring, she considers it for a moment. She offers a wry smile back. "Well, that is an offer. You with a gun, me with a serrated blade, close combat? Are you sure? I mean we didn't get off to a great start when we met, but you grew on me. Wouldn't want to hurt you too much. Or do we borrow spears?" Yasami suddenly flashes a cheeky grin. "Unarmed in the mud? In some circles, people pay for that."
She shrugs. "I dunno. Lay down the ground rules. I'm down. I can patch you up afterwards."
As the group walks closer to the village, Yasami walks over to Catalina to be side by side as they move. "Or we could just get drunk tonight, and keep the violence for the deserving. UNLESS you actually want me to show you how to defend against blades?" she gives an inquisitive look.
Catalina eyes Yasami, sweeping her gaze up and down the other woman appraisingly--not amorously, just a tactical study. A slow grin crosses the silvery aasimar's face, and she chuckles. She had spared one single second of indignance over Yasami's assumption that she'd win the sparring match, but it was hard to argue with the point. Catalina's skills were better suited for ranged fighting, not close combat. Yasami had a distinct advantage.
"Honestly, I'd rather get drunk right now...but it would be fun to spar with you sometime. I'm not great at close-quarters." She claps Yasami on the shoulder and grins, although there is some pain behind her eyes. "Let's enjoy this feast. Share memories of fallen friends."
"Hear hear to that," says Lisi in agreement. "That fight took a lot out of the survivors. Hezle, help me with this milk, could you? We mammals, we have a thing about milk."
Caiten helps Yasami to secure the raft. "It is certainly still useful and worth not having it float away downstream. We may be able to use it again at some point."
He watches quietly as the evening progresses and people begin to relax and enjoy the time together celebrating the return of the two elephants.
As the night falls, the tribe gathers in a circle around the large bonfire and they show the party members to positions of honor, marked by flowers gathered from the jungle. Elders sit closer to the fire and the youngest members of the tribe hover at the edge of the circle.
Before the meal commences, an elderly woman (someone you were introduced to, named Tanda, apparently one of the most respected elders) stands and commands the attention of all the tribe. She speaks in Mwangi, and Catalina later explains that Tanda speaks of her people and their companionship with the elephants over generations; thanks the party for returning the two stolen calves; and wishes the blessings of the jungle spirits on the party. Although it boils down to those few points, Tanda's speech is long and winding, and sprinkled with terms unfamiliar even to Catalina. The tribal members seems captivated and they stamp their feet in approval as Tanda finishes, and many flash smiles in the direction of the party members.
As the feast begins, a group of mixed ages plays on drums and flutes fashioned from local woods, establishing a festive atmosphere and concealing the sounds of the jungle, aside from the periodic trumpeting of the elephants.
The Elephant People wash their hands in bowls of water and then food is passed around in large wooden bowls. The Elephant People scoop out food either with their hands or with a wooden spoon, eat, and then wait for another bowl to come around. As honored guests, each party member is given an individual bowl and spoon and teens periodically come and scoop food into the bowls.
The food is mostly vegetarian . There are sweet potatoes, yams, mushrooms, and greens stewed with herbs and nuts. There are fish and frogs from the river, and grubs and lizards, wrapped in leaves and smoked with different herbs. There is an explosion of fruit: rambutan, mangosteen, papayas, and other stranger fruit. To Catalina's disappointment, the Elephant People do not appear to have any fermented beverage tradition, but there are drinks (served in hollowed-out gourds) flavored with berries and an odd bitter beverage flavored with a certain local bark.
As the evening progresses, songs are sung around the bonfire and various tribal members shyly come up to the party and make what appear to gestures of thanks (more back slapping).
At one point, you are approached by Tanda, who brings with her a young woman she introduces as Adare, saying that Adare has something to tell the party. Adare says (in Mwangi): "I am a scout for the Wise Ones. I travel ahead of the tribe, and explore the jungle around, so that we may be aware of any dangers that lurk nearby. To my shame, I failed to travel far enough to detect the threat of the Cinderclaws before their recent attack, but I have since traveled and seen their fortress. It is deep in a massive swamp a few days distant. There is a large slab of rock that I swear was not there the last time I visited the swamp -- admittedly long ago. And the fortress is an oval structure built of red clay. It is not very tall, although the walls of the fortress rise about 15 feet from the water and there are higher watchtowers. Surrounding the fortress are a number of dragon headed pillars -- all have bonfires on top, but some are lit up their whole length in different colors and some have no light. That is about all I could see -- I could not risk getting too close, and the only way to approach the fortress was from the water -- I approached in a small canoe but did not emerge from the cover of the swamp. I did not encounter any cultists as I approached through the swamp."
At the end of the evening, the music becomes more spirited, and many of the Elephant People rise and dance around the bonfire, their movements at times evoking their elephant companions. The party also notices that a number of the elephants have approached the edge of the clearing, apparently drawn by changed music and the movements of the dancers in the flickering fire. The now sleepy children lean against or climb on the elephants that have come to join them at the margins of the festivities.
Eventually, exhausted tribe members slip away and bed down on the ground. The party members have been given a covered area in which to sleep, which you can go to at any time -- those who bed before the end of the festivities do so to the pounding of drums and visions of tribe members dancing in the glow with the shadows of the elephants looming protectively nearby.
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Lisi painstakingly combines cream with any sweet syrups he can gather and pours them into a calabash, then fastens it closed and offers to play a game of Harpastum, or kicking ball, with any children or adults who care to join, and ropes Hezle and the warglets into playing as well. From time to time he blasts the calabash with Ray of Frost, which makes the gourd a bit cold to kick around.
"I'm not a cook, but...this isn't really cooking," he says.
Hezle is reluctant to join and has tried to keep a low profile during all of the time in the camp, but Lisi is persuasive and it turns out that playing ball with the children is a good way to convince the Elephant People that she isn't a threat. Lisi explodes a few calabashes but eventually is able to moderate the blasts enough to cool the gourd without destroying it. The ice cream that comes out has a pretty icy texture, but it is sweet and unique and the children are thrilled, as are the few lucky adults around able to get a taste. If Lisi wants to keep it up, he can make enough for most tribe members to get a little taste. It uses up most of their existing supply of goat milk, but they are willing to sacrifice it to the cause once they see Lisi has figured out how not to explode the precious milk all over the clearing.
"Now this is a cream come true, eh? Oren, perhaps this is the solution to Dahak--sweet vengeance, served cold!"
Yasami smiles and nods at everyone when Catalina confirms the new plan. "Sounds like a fun night!" She carries on into the village and, having no means of communication, waits around observing the preparations.
Being the social schmoozer she is, she tries to join in whatever the locals are doing, including partaking in the meal from joint bowls. When offered her own bowl, she politely declines and continues eating from the communal containers. She taps her feet and fingers when music is played, which evolves into full on jumping and dancing. A little disappointed that they do not ferment, she reaches into the bag and produces a fee bottles back from Breachill.
She sits down with her friends, sweaty from the combined humid atmosphere and dance. It seems she went all out. A much needed night of active rest. She sits, bottle in hand, raises it in silence, and takes a few sips before passing it to whoever is next to her.
She looks at Lisi assaulting the gourd with his magic, a little confused. When presented with frozen milk, she digs in, but pours some rum on it beforehand. "I tried this a few times. Not from goat milk, however. But it works. Thank you!"
When Tanda and Adare speak, she waits for Catalina to translate and makes notes, quietly murmuring that this conversation was one for either a time before festivities, or for the morning. She powers through, however, understanding the importance of the information.
Despite her familiarity and enthusiasm with the Ekujae in Akrivel, Catalina is, at heart, socially awkward and feels a bit overwhelmed with the crowd of people she doesn't know well. She accepts her bowls happily, watching Yasami and Lisi go about, and sits near Caiten, Sulee, and Oren--the quieter of the bunch.
The aasimar accepts the drink from Yasami when it is passed her way and drinks only lightly, given that her "translation services" have been in demand all evening.
When Tanda and Adare speak, Catalina dutifully translates, quietly agreeing with Yasami that the information likely could have waited until the next morning...but such is life, she supposed.
When her services are no longer required, Catalina settles in, once again, near the quieter bunch, and leans back against something solid. "It's nice to be able to relax," She comments quietly, glancing at Caiten, Sulee, and Oren. "How are you three doing?" The implication of, 'since the horrible event and rescue' hangs in the air after her question, but she leaves it unsaid--just in case they don't want to talk about it.
"I am in satisfactory condition," Caiten replies to Catalina's question.
"Don't make me bite you," Sulee threatens. "What are you mulling over in that head of yours that is causing so much emotional turmoil that it makes my fur tingle. We are all friends here, and the people of the village can't understand us well even if they can hear what you say."
Caiten considers for a few seconds. "I have conflicting thoughts. Several of them."
"I think that we are not well suited for taking on this task of stopping the Cinderclaws. I also cannot think of anyone else that is available to even attempt it."
"In the initial attack on the quarry, 57% of our team was captured or killed. Even with the rescue of Oren and myself, we have lost 28% of our comat force permanently. Which is still a drastic improvement over the nearly 100% loss of effective combatants of the force at the quarry. But even so, we cannot succeed in our goals with that high of an attrition rate on our part."
Caiten lapses into silence again.
Sulee nips Caiten in the calf. "That's not all of it."
"Ow." Caiten inspects his leg and finds that the nip did nothing more than pinch a bit.
He looks cautiously at his familiar for a moment or three, then sighs. "I worry that part of the reason that the battle went so badly is because I was not ruthless enough. We were trying techniques of intimidation and chaos rather than isolating and mercilessly killing our enemies when they were not in a position to effectively defend themselves. That style of battle does not sit well with me. But I fear that it is the only method that will allow us to be successful against the enemies that we are facing."
Lisi looks up from his ice cream, after sharing some with the warglets. "We won't descend into torture of the dying or anything that would be actively immoral, Caiten. Our intentions--to stop Dahak--inform our actions. If that means killing opponents without mercy, well...'mercy' is a thing that only humanoids worry about. Neither the gods, nor animals, show mercy. They simply act, in the manner most befitting the moment. Do not fear the corruption of your soul if we too act in this way."
He casts his eyes back towards the Cinderclaws' mine. "That battle was what I believe you would call an 'outlier'. Extraordinary bad luck. We prevailed nonetheless."
Catalina listens carefully to Caiten, the corners of her mouth quirking sightly when Sulee nips at the android, bullying him into sharing his thoughts. Lisi's reply has her lean forward, listening to the conversation before injecting her thoughts into the lull.
"We do need to be better about strategy," Catalina starts, lifting her arms up high in a long, languid stretch before settling back into her seat. "We should match--exceed, even--the ferocity of our enemies...they do not show us mercy, nor will they continue to. They're cultists. They're brainwashed for a cause--I doubt they even know the real consequences with what they intend to do." She chews on her bottom lip for a moment, mulling over the rest of her thoughts.
"Look at all the legends around the world regarding people trying to save the world from a mighty force of evil...they are always faced with moral quandaries. Sacrificing one or a few for the good of the many..." She counts on her fingers as she begins to list common Hero tropes. "...Whether to spare the perpetrator of great evil and hope they reform...or to rid the world of the chance...But every 'hero' in those stories struggles with the morals. The ethics of what they do. They question their actions, their purpose, to do better going forward..." Catalina trails off a little, taking a deep breath. "Connecting it back to the point...We could do with a little more ruthlessness when we fight our enemies, sure. I think if we avoid letting ourselves be blinded by a cause, we will avoid becoming the evil we are hoping to erase. At least, that's part of avoiding it."
Oren listens on as Sulee, Caiten, Lisi, and Catalina go on about how much mercy they show their enemies. Oren himself was no philosopher and while he wasn't an idiot, he had trained himself to fight, not deal with moral quandaries that couldn't be dealt with by striking it with a hammer until it no longer moved. But seeing as how this seemed to be weighing on Caiten, it felt worth it to chip in.
"All the people we befriended back at Breachill. If not for us, those cultists would kill every last one of them without thinking about it, or release Dahak, who would do the same and give them less of a chance to fight back. We aren't here to release an evil god that will burn the world, I think that being ruthless against those who are won't make us as evil as them."