Koya Mvashti aka Navior's page

Koya emerges from her wagon as Nhatin is speaking. She waits for him to finish, then says, "With the tragedy of Melon's death, it slipped my mind to let you know last night, but Ameiko had a moment when she began to speak again. It was yesterday evening, just after you left to find the others, Nhatin. She spoke in Taldane this time and said, 'A key you seek lies in the grip of the ten-handed one. His fear is your greatest ally.' As cryptic as all the names and the bit about the vault you already heard, but I felt you should know. That delightful azata who was here yesterday thinks that she's been possessed, but unfortunately doesn't have the magic to free her of that possession."

Nhatin mentions to Koya, "I'm sorry, I wasn't in time - when I got there they were already leaving. Has... anything happened with the sleeping lady?"

Koya shakes her head sadly and hands Nhatin a bowl of soup. "No, no change. My magic has had no effect and neither has Spivey's." She hands a bowl of soup to Malan and then another as well when he request one for Corinna.

"This is grave news," she says. "About Melon, I mean. Perhaps the journey here really was ill-advised. We have encountered only heart-ache since arriving." She sighs. [b]"I should go speak to Sandru." She hands her ladle to Nhatin. "Would you mind seeing that Tevyn and Gilfroy get some soup as well."

She turns away, wiping her eye, and goes to find Sandru.

Tevyn nods. "At the very least, we should do a quick reconnaissance. After that we can return and check on her status and perhaps make a more informed decision."

Koya leans back against one of the crates in her wagon and nods at Tevyn. "That's really our only choice at this point," she says. "There's little doubt the source of her affliction is in Brinewall. Perhaps you can locate it and learn more about it. Maybe we can then figure out a way to deal with it."

She stands back up straight again, a look of determination on her face. "Ameiko will have to stay here, of course, so I'll stay to look after her. Shalelu and Sandru can look after the caravan while the five of you scout around Brinewall and find out what's there."

"We won't be bleeding anybody," Koya says. "This isn't a physical ailment. Bleeding won't make any difference. We need powerful magic to dispel whatever has overtaken her. She's calm enough for now, so I see no need for restraints. We should have some on hand, though, in case the spasms start again."

"Unfortunately, we have very little idea as to what the cause may be, Tevyn," Koya says, "and I'm afraid I have no way, magical or mundane, of divining it. If she doesn't wake up when we move away from Brinewall, I think our best option is to continue to Riddleport and find a wizard or priest powerful enough to divine those answers. Once we have them, then we can figure out what to do."

She turns to Sandru. "As Malan said, Sandru, let's get this caravan turned around."

"Corinna could be right," Koya says, stroking her chin. "It could be some sort of ward against her going to Brinewall. If so, taking her away from Brinewall, might end her condition. In that case, we should either turn back towards Riddleport or continue on to Kalsgard."

Koya hardly twitches at the sound. After a sip of tea, she says, "Gilfroy, that was very inappropriate. I think you should apologize."

"Ah, but it's the experiencing of the world's unknowns that keeps your mind sharp. If you already knew what the experience was like, you wouldn't have any benefit or pleasure from it. People need mysteries to uncover, like the mysterious chest and the secret of Ameiko's grandfather. She was content to sit around running her inn, but she'll be a better person for having gotten off her duff to figure this thing out (assuming it doesn't get us all killed, of course)."

"Exactly my point," Koya says. "It's all about new experiences. New ideas, new ways of looking at things, even solving mysteries if you like."

27 Rova

Gilfroy thinks for a moment, then asks, "What's the real purpose behind this drive to travel?"

Koya raises her eyebrows. "Real reason? You think there's some hidden ulterior motive?" She chuckles and takes a sip of tea. "It's for experiences, of course. The more experience one has of the world and its various wonders, the better a person one becomes. Some people can experience a lot in a small area, but for someone like myself, I need a little more. This is a big world and it consists of far more than just Sandpoint and Varisia. The only way to truly understand the world is to experience it, so that is my aim."

She takes another sip of tea and smiles. "In some ways, it's like you gnomes and your search for new things to keep you going. I seek new experiences to keep my mind engaged and sharp."

"Indeed! It's further than I ever thought I'd travel. Of course, deciphering this mysterious past that Corinna's looking into but won't tell any of her friends about (though then she spills the beans to complete strangers about) is an interesting diversion, though I don't know if the puzzle is Seventh Veil quality. You know, I don't think we've ever really sat down and discussed the relationship between our two patron goddesses. They do both have a love for learning the unknown, albeit for different reasons."

Koya chuckles. "Yes, I suppose there are some similarities," she says. "I confess I don't know a lot about Sivanah, no more really than what you've told me. She is a mysterious goddess, but I do believe that she and Desna must get along well."

She gets up and reaches for her teapot. "My relationship with Desna is not something easily explained in just a few words. It will take a little time, so we should be comfortable while we talk. I'll just go heat up some water for tea. I'll be back shortly." Taking the teapot with her, she leaves the wagon and heads to caravan's campfire.

Several minutes later, she returns with hot water and begins to prepare tea. "Where would you like me to start?" she asks as she pours Gilfroy a cup.

That evening in Koya's wagon. "So it looks like Rajah isn't going to make it after all. Too bad. On the happy side, though, is this trip what you were looking for? Feel good to be on the road again?"

Koya sighs and looks reflective for a few moments. Finally, she nods her head and says, "Yes. Yes, it definitely is. I still miss Mother, of course, but it is good to be on the road again. I spent so long looking after her. I never had a chance to see to my own desires. Now, at last, I can." She smiles. "And this whole business of continuing on to Kalsgard after Brinewall is quite exciting, don't you think? That's not even in Varisia anymore!"

Koya laughs heartily. "I'm afraid I don't have the power to stop the rain, as we've already seen. However, I can ensure that we are better prepared for rain when it comes."

"So... Koya," Melon mentions over supper, "I hear you've wanted to travel all your life. What made this week different from the years before that?"

"People have been talking about me, have they?" Koya says, with a glare at Gilfroy. She follows up the glare with a wink and a smile. "I've always wanted to travel, yes. Why is this week different? It's not. Well, not much. I've done lots of travelling, all across Varisia, although not to farther off lands, unfortunately. The only difference is I haven't done any travelling in the last few years. I've been too busy caring for my mother. However, she's passed away now, may Pharasma judge her well, and it's time once again to travel. Desna calls on us all to travel, and I respond. Breadth of experience is what makes the individual, and you can't get that breadth without seeing and experiencing different places."

"Most of you Varisian caravans are friendly to each other, aren't you?" Gilfroy asks Koya as the presence of the other caravan causes a flurry of activity.

Koya shrugs. "Most of the time, I suppose," she says, peering down the road where the approaching caravan is just becoming visible as small, indistinct shapes. "But people are people," she continues, "Varisian or otherwise. Sometimes people don't get along, regardless of race or blood. There's probably nothing to worry about, but we shouldn't let our guard down entirely."

Koya comes up beside Ameiko and reaches for the letter. "May I see that?" she asks. Ameiko hands her the letter. Koya quickly scans it over and frowns. "He apologizes for not seeing us off in person," she says. "But surely he could have found a moment to say something, or at the very least given a bit more information in his letter."

She looks angry for a moment, but then she sighs. "Oh well. He's a good lad. I'm sure there must be a good reason." She hands the letter back to Ameiko, then turns to Sandru. "Looks like everyone's here, Sandru. Time to get going."

The door opens a crack and Koya peers out. "Yes?" Assuming Gilfroy says he's looking for Rajah, she says, "No, I haven't seen him today. I was hoping you or he or both would have helped me with my bags, but neither of you came. He hasn't shown up here, either?" She slips out the door and quickly closes it behind her. There's a definite look of concern on her face. "We'd better go look for him."

Gilfroy Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Gilfroy Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 8

"It was precious difficult to give more than the barest of details, old woman, given the speed at which you were running. Some of us young boys have trouble keeping that sort of pace!"

Koya smiles down at Gilfroy. "Ah yes, I sometime forget how slowly other people, especially small people like you, move. I'll be more careful in future." (Gilfroy knows she's said things like that before. Koya has a speed of 40.) She turns to Ameiko. "So what is this chest that has Gilfroy and Rajah so excited and is your business to explain?"

She and Ameiko move aside a bit while Ameiko describes the chest and reads the letter to Koya.

At that moment, an older woman wearing a brightly coloured dress and shawl comes hurrying down the street, followed by Rajah and Gilfroy. Most of you (excpet maybe Malan) recognize her as Koya Mvashti, daughter of the late Niska Mvashti, who was until her recent death, the local fortune teller/psychic/advice-giver.

"Sandru!" she calls out as she hurries over. As she reaches the group slightly out of breath, she pauses to take a few breaths. "My boys here tell me something is up, something about a chest, although they've given me precious few details."

I had just finished writing this and was previewing it when I noticed Gilfroy's post. As I understood it, Gilfroy and Rajah had already left to go see Koya (nobody stopped them like they did Corinna). I'm going to ahead with that and overrule Gilfroy's comment about adventure. There can be only one Melon in this party. :)