A bunch of keys
several sea charts and maps
captain's log
fine brandy
model of the Jenivere in a glass bottle
emergency potion vial leather satchel (4 cure light, 1 cure moderate, 4 lesser restoration, 1 remove disease, 1 water breathing, 1 water walking)
leather backpack closed with intricate knots (contents currently unknown)
24 days of preserved rations
random tools and lumber
block and tackle
3x large canvas sheets
2x fishing nets
grappling hook
2x bullseye lanterns
12x flasks of lantern oil
150' of hemp rope
5x shovels
Crow's Tooth (ie Red Mantis) Camp
masterword dagger etched with crossed praying mantis claws
Windwar
8 assorted knifes with interesting etchings or shapes
2 masterwork knifes one with traditional Vudrani markings and another with an odd metal of various hues
Brine Demon
Aeshamara's golden locket
various ledgers and journals
Nightvoice
search of the hold reveals a total of 432 cp, 284 sp, 123 gp, and jewelry worth 250 gp amid the bones
pair of bracers of armor +1
wand of mirror image (5 charges)
"There was a young shootist named Zaine,
Whose gun was his enemies' bane,
He had a t-rex,
Who evil would vex,
But keeping her fed was a pain."
Aerys voice is quiet in response.
"Upon the sea there was a crab,
And when the waves crashed, he did grab,
For the last floating beacon of hope,
A bit of the mast, the last of the rope,
All the storm, there he stayed, strapped."
She shakes her head, "Too many off rhymes." A heavy sigh and her hand goes to the flask at her waist forgetting it is already empty.
Eastern Shipwreck - Golden Bow
Áine notices the movement a moment before Faith drops the copper but as soon as the light clears the old rotted wood everyone see the two rotting corpses. Both turn jerkily towards the ladder moving with inexhaustible slowness.
A) Perception DC 15 or 10 with darkvision:
Off in the corner there are few intact chests.
Viper Hunt -> New Base Camp
Getting back to the beach, Jask is in favor of moving the basecamp, "But," he looks at the shade of the tarps, "Gelik can't move himself."
"A place that he could be kept dry from the rainstorms would help with his recovery." A reminder that as good as your shelter is, the rain is heavy enough that water seeps in and creates a dampness most days.
On the way to Grey Island
The first giant crab you see is from the safety of a high sea cliff. At the bottom of the steep rise, the red crab shuffles in the wash of the waves, occasionally emerging from the surf with green algae or a squirming fish.
Coming down off the steeper coasts the 'knife' of the Shiv has, the protected bay has a smooth sand beach which makes it quick travel to the first campsite that you spotted from the far side of the bay.
Moving up to the camp, you see several small shelters built from driftwood - but most of collapsed to the weather of the island. You do see a person with long yellow hair standing forlornly by the furthest shelter.
B) K: religion DC 16:
That is not a person. Or more properly it isn't a person anymore. What was once a human woman has been infected by some type of plant zombification thing.
"Sounds good." Nalo follows the line the static electricity formed, takes a deep breath, and then with one quick movement, she places her right hand at where the line disappears into the stone to the right of the door and her left hand on the knob, releasing a blast of energy as she opens the door.
Break this... whatever it is, spend effort:1d20 ⇒ 6
Nalo drops down near Ceri, not close enough to disturb her concentration, "Do you think you could manipulate it to bypass the settings on the door?"
Kilo:
Nalo digs around in her bag until she finds the charcoal she uses to sketch. She places a small "x" on the map. "Should be right about there. Unless the book lie."
"It'd be easy to find passage to Auspar, less so to Jyrek." Pointing out each city in turn, "But the land between those points of civilization and your goal are not often traveled, so it'd be foot or hoof along with all the dangers that encompasses."
Esha:
Nalo's quick mind brings the image of the beaker with the two immiscible liquids, one bright like the sun, the other a dark grey - mixing but never integrating, the glass beaker bulging under the strain.
For brief moments the beaker turns completely one color or the other, "I don't mind sharing experiences, but I don't like giving control of myself to anything."
The beaker again, the color blue, but the sunlight liquid inside, not mixing with the blue but not taking over, a quiet passenger.
re EshaSense the Motive of the Senseness, spend Effort:1d20 ⇒ 11
re Kilo's map Geography, Trained, Spend Effort:1d20 ⇒ 18
Nalo winces a bit at Anson's pronouncement, "This seems to be a proximity alarm, so there is a good chance I set it off trying to get a look at the trigger."
A shrug, "Means going through the door will get us to someone... something... that likes to be aware of its surroundings. That's forward progress." Nalo seems to be trying to convince herself of this and failing.
Does the door seem to be locked (testing) and does there seem to be a way to open it without further activating the trigger? Noticing Details, Trained:1d20 ⇒ 10
"Really," Nalo says with very little disbelief. "hmmm..."
Nalo picks up a little dust (or once-human) from a creche, rubbing the material between her hand until it sparks, then blows it in the direction that Kilo indicated. Seeing if the static electricity helps reveal the trip.
GM:
.... I'm basically trying to use Hedge Magic to make the trip easier to see and avoid.
... or let us disable said trap... if we can see it.
To Anson: "It's too far away for you to try to communicate with it?"
Esha:
Nalo's head cocks to the side, What does it mean to become a container?
An image of two disparate liquid being stuffed in a too small jar... followed by another image of a second liquid flowing into a jar holding a different liquid and the jar liquid being destroyed in the process.
Anson frowns. "Not to worry anyone, but that intelligence I sensed? It's moving. Away from us, of all things."
Nalo frowns slightly. "I hope I didn't abate it away but we needed the door open. Is it moving fast, like it's fleeing or just regrouping?"
Observation:1d20 ⇒ 2
After making sure there are no obvious exits in the flesh room, Nalo stays in the hallway instead looking at the numeets she activated at the crypt entrance sniffing the small device.
Nalo turns her focus back to the gears, fingers tracing a number of paths created by the interlocking devices. The sparks that crack the air much stronger than her initial test.
GM:
(Using 'charge' ability. It'll cost the level of the machine from my INT pool.)
Electricity, Trained:1d20 ⇒ 10 (in case you think the machine needs a controlled power up)
that'll be a difficulty 4
Numenera:1d20 ⇒ 10 Cause totally trying to figure out what I'm giving power to, if anything else is noticeable from this area
and difficulty 3
Nalo runs her finger over a shiny gear with a smile brightening her face. She looks over at the pair of Anson and Ceri, "I'm pretty sure that they connect to the door. And I am almost as certain I can jump start the system. Which will let us open the doors."
Just the slightest edge of manic slips into voice and smile, "And will power all of the traps too." She pauses waiting to see if there are any objections to the power the dungeon plan.
Esha:
I'm glad we are a positive in an otherwise bleak dimension. Nalo quips with a good natured black humor.
Other than eating us, what have you experienced here that is good? What can we do to make you comfortable until we find a portal for you? concern mingled with curiosity.
Nalo runs a hand over the edge of a few of the gears, following the path thier interconnection. After a moment her hand settles on a large gear, the tips of the fingers giving the lightest spark.
GM:
Electricity, Trained:1d20 ⇒ 5
*mostly trying to see if there is potential energy in the machine/gears out if it is connected to a power source
For today Nalo is trained in "Notici ng Details"
Observation:1d20 ⇒ 13
For the earlier spoiler
Added after preview - an alert for said scent coming from the numenera in carrying or around
It's your home An emotion without name, one part sympathy, one part wonder, and one part curiousity infuse Nalo.
If we find a path back to it, you'd go back?
Once space allows, Nalo pulls her jacket out her bag, using the mostly dry fabric to get less sopping, offering it to anyone else. Then she carefully digs out the pouches that were sequestered in the center of the bag, protected by leather armor. Nalo shrugs, "More light would let us see more, but also would be a huge beacon."
"I do think we are close enough to activate the numenera that should guide us to the prize though." She says with a smile to Anson.
Seeing the odd glyphs, Nalo moves back to let others have room to decipher the script even though it means steeping back out into the deluge. As Anson works out the message, Nalo asks Ceri and the other nanos, "Any tricks for drying of when we get inside?
Esha:
A flood of sun warmed memories. A boat of people coming back over the waves breaking on the shore, woven baskets and synth buckets filled with water and a variety of sea creatures, mostly fish but crab, wana, limu.
A shift, a raised path seperating water filled fields containing a plant with multiple stalks each ending in a large green leaf which streak by in the peripheral as someone races down the path.
A mountain of a man, body hard with muscle under a layer of fat, smiling down as he smears something sticky on a branch. Endless waiting until finally a brightly colored bird lands on the branch. The man approaches slowly, calming the bird before plucking three feathers, then carefully releasing the bird from the trap, cleaning the talons, and letting the creator fly. Then wiping of the branch.
Nalo pulls her hair back in the complicated braided knots which she used on the caravan ride. From the bottom of her bag she pulls out well worn leather which she wraps around the bundle she makes of her pouches and jacket before stuffing it back in the bag. On the way to the cemetery the non-freshness of the rain seems to bother hey more than the wet or the ducking mud.
Nalo heads to the lichen covered mausoleum first. However, other than a small non have goods niche holding sone bits and bobs, there is nothing of interest. She motions over any of the numenera minded who are close in case any of said bits are useful.
"I'd normally go for boring." Nalo admits freely with a smile at Ceri, "'Course that's because I'm going to assume there will be more than enough exciting once we get in." She looks at the water sleet down the window panes, "But with the deluge, maybe one of the closer entrances are worth trying, pointing to the closest city entrance."
Her fingers dance over to the Tower entrance, the closest to the inn. "Although given that what we are looking for" her voice drops a little, trying to pretend to some semblance of secrecy, "there is a good chance it is near this entrance." A shrug.
"On the grounds of his reputation for protecting the city, cemetery or this one." Motioning to the city entrances in order of near to the Shiul.
As Anson kneels, Nalo takes a deep breath, nods, "Thank you for taking me seriously." She bites her lower lip, "Even if it is probably overthinking."
Despite her words, her muscles under the metal belt stay taunt with her held breath until the belt is gone, leaving behind only the puncture wound and the ugly blue bruise around.
She takes the belt automatically when it is offered, carefully curling it so the needle is in the protected interior, but hands it back, her fingers brushing against his gloved hand as she does so. "Since the Order of Truth is our best current option for understanding the serum, maybe better you hold on to it." A shrug, "I'm not big on religious organizations."
Nalo doesn't glance down at the metal belt around the narrow part of her waist, just a little bit above the top of her pant. Solemnly, "I promise that you are not danger of me losing my pants by removing the belt."
Her lips quirk up at the ironic tone, "Sadly no alchemists or biologics in the group." She relaxes at the underlying competence if not confidence in Anson's voice as he continues.
She nods, "It'd be nice to have some of the compound left when we do find someone who can analyze it." Also seriously, "And I will look forward to not having a needle impaling my stomach," she wrinkles her nose, "this is not a comfortable numenera to wear."
With a quick smile of confidence first, Nalo looks down at the belt, ready to watch Anson remove the belt.
Nalo blinks at the frown, "Yes, unless you think it serves a purpose staying on." Her shoulders shift, "I had a reminder about the dangers of numenera tonight so I might be over reacting."
Nalo eyes go wide and she looks down at her midsection with worry, "I really hope not."
Looking back up, her grey eyes are still worried but her voice is calm as she explains herself. "I'm more worried about wasting the last doses of whatever the substance is." A shrug, "I doubt the jameris took off the belt and put it back on again every time it wanted a whatever this does. So I figure there is an automatic dosing or a button trigger thing that applies a dose. I don't want to waste more hitting something I shouldn't so I figured I should ask for help from someone better with numenara."
Anson glances around at the common room before unfurling the plans. He keeps an eye on his surroundings, just in case it appears any bystander is paying too much attention.
Nalo tries hard to not crowd the Seeker while examining the plans.
REPOST!... as best I can remember it
Panamax/Kilo/Kordech:
Nalo nods with Kilo's words as she washes her hand in the light fall of rain, despite her hands already being clean of blood. "They were lucky you found them." She smmiles a real smile at Panamax, at odds with the sadness in her grey eyes, "Otherwise at best he would have lost one of them and at worst would have been left alone to sorrow and regret."
Carvan
Kilo:
"None other like her." Nalo says with a smile, "But you do have access to people who can build numenara or modify some."
Sweet Shiul
Anson Arkadius wrote:
"Sure," Anson says, allowing himself to be led off.
Relieved, Nalo slings her heavy cotton jacket on a chair and leads him off.
Anson:
Nalo doesn't take him far, just around a few corners until they have some privacy. She turns, "This is probably ridiculous and me being paranoid." She lifts up the lightweight sleeveless top, revealing the jameris's belt. "I figured to leave it on, just in case something developed, but its heavy and metal and I keep feeling a trickle of power dissipating through it."
A shrug, "And likely nothing would happen if I ripped it off, but I don't want to waste the last dose." A smile, "So I figured your help would be useful."
A smile at the excitement, "It's about 200 miles east of Kordech and 100 miles north." A shrug, "We can try to find a decent map of the area and I'll mark the approximate."
"Or maybe Ceri or Anson could build you a numenara to guide you. Like Bulma could."
Esha:
There are a series of flashes, mercury quick through Nalo's mind. All kinds of cultures, images in books, imagined and real based on readings. Hunter/gatherers. Domestic. A pause, a blankness as Nalo centers her thinking.
There are cultures who still only hunt and gather rather than cultivate. Humans have a multitude of cultures.
Nalo directs to Esha the feel of warm sun reflecting in the sky and off the water. But talking about food when you are hungry is impolite
What do you want to know? About me, where we are, anything. Nalo's mind waits open and curious.
Kordech - Day 1
Kilo/Panamax:
Nalo, who seems to be washing already clean hands in the light fall of rain, [b]"They were lucky that you were out and about. Otherwise at best he would only have one and worse he'd have nothing." Her smile is real, but her eyes are distant.
Sweet Shiul
When Panamax and entourage gets back from the healer's errand, Nalo looks wide-eyed and too alert. She smiles when she sees the group already in the dry warmth of the inn. Approaching Anson, "Can I borrow you for a little bit in private?"
Kordech Day 2
Jalopy wrote:
"This is the closest I could get to recent plans for our next destination." The glint keeps his voice low at the table, and slides the container to Anson. "It's been a long while since anyone updated them, so we should go in with great caution."
Nalo slides closer to where Anson is sitting, looking curiously at he synth protected papers. She cocks her head to the side, considering the room, "We should at least look at them beforehand, even if they are out of date."
Is there a place in the Shiul where the whole group can have a little more space from prying eyes?
As soon as the woman comes around Nalo releases her hand, watching for a moment as mother and daughter bond for the first time. She swallows once, offers a shaky smile, then slips out of the home to wait by the door. Quiet.
Esha:
There is a soft happy laughter, just the slightest sizzle of a summer storm.
It is not impolite to let people know you are hungry and need food.
It is not polite to say I'm hungry let me eat you. A pause as Nalo's mind races totally open not staying on any image long enough to really sink in but a race of thought, people's faces, food, Wanting something is not wrong the thought settles with a bit of sadness at the last few faces that flash through Nalo's mind like lightning, but wanting and getting are different
Our food is to us like your food was to you
She takes a moment to picture the small prey creature of light, similar but different to the type of creature that is Esha.
Our food is flesh of our world picturing a number of prey animals, then the fruit and vegatable plants.
Our prey animals don't have sentience, higher thought, but they are living creatures she pictures pastures, grazing so in thanks for their food we care for them
And when we need to eat we kill in so give them as little pain as possible
The memory is old, Kilo beside a much younger Nalo, a deer, the arrow striking deep, the quick flash of a knife, blood, but very little pain.
It isn't a kind part of what we are but it is a part of us
Kilo:
"I learned caution earlier, Anson has taught me the danger of too much. Of letting my mind overtake what I feel." She smiles, "He said he wasn't taken, but" she shrugs, "I see the care he has for her, so..." shakes her head.
Void
Her eyes light up, "I remembered about the Empty Sanctum you asked about." A smile, "It was a footnote in an astronomy text I read, but it should be northeast of Kordech."
"I have heard all kinds of rumors about it being a ghost city, a maze, a portal to a hell dimension." She shrugs, "So no clue about what you'll find, but a decent idea where to find who knows what."
When he asks about Ceri, Nalo shrugs, "That will be up to skill and the whims of the universe."
Nalo's breathing grows easier as she hears the new father's story. Quietly, "Panamax?" Once she has his attention, "Can you bring the mother around? My dad always said mother and babies do better if they can be skin to skin after the baby comes into the world."
Esha:
Have you told Panamax you are getting hungry?
This a quick swirl of images, the little container, the caravan, the press of bodies in a city will only work if you don't hide what you need.
She pictures the bright sun, baking down, Maybe you should come out and breathe on days when the sun is strong too?
The visions of Esha's world... dimension... wash over and through Nalo and she takes in as much as she can with a breathless wonder. A wonder that stutters on the wrongness of the void and the humanoid in that place of light.
how did you eat in your homeplace there is the briefest flash of Esha feeding on Panamax the image in Nalo's not entirely controlled memory focused on the paleness of Panamax's skin and the shock in the lines of his face. After the briefest moment, Nalo stomps down on the memory, trying and mostly succeeding at sending curiosity. there was nothing like us, so you must be other things that can sustain you
Panamax/Kilo/Kordech:
Worriedly, and flinching at something she see on the kitchen counter when she looks for the needed knife, Nalo gently puts down the woman's hand. Halfway to the kitchen, she blinks at Kilo - noticing him there for probably the first time. She grabs one of the knives and hands it to the healer, returning the the woman's head, holding her hand.
GM:
Since she can't figure out what might have caused the surprise pregnancy, Nalo instead focuses on the woman's energy. If it dips so low, that Nalo thinks she is about the lose, then she tries to supplement it with her own - to give the woman more of a fighting chance.
Anson shrugs. "I guess that depends on how well you think it completes your ensemble."
"It's a good way to accessorize." Ceri agrees. "But if the stuff inside the belt isn't working immediately, there are so many reasons why it might not be. Maybe it does take time to have an effect, like small doses building up a tolerance. Or maybe it's only for plants." She shrugs. "Or your electricity is changing how it affects you."
"I don't think so." Nalo says, not postive but not uncertain. "Normally if my electricity interferes or interacts with something I've taken or," she gestures to the the gap between shirt and shorts where the needle pokes her stomach, "I feel something, either a surge or movement. I got nothing other than the pain from the needle."
Arrival in Kordech
Jarris Oran wrote:
"If any of you would like to unburden yourselves of anything interesting you found in that building, please let me know. I'd be happy to do a little shopping before we end up in... a tomb."
Reading People:1d20 ⇒ 9
This catches Nalo's attention just before she walks off with Panamax, looking back, "If you see a book seller can you let me know later?"
Then a start and she walks back, rummages in her gear pulling out a bundle of cloth, "These might be worth selling." She revels something that looks vaguely bird shaped, a strip of metal with a reflective piece of glass embedded in it, and a cog with some foreign script on it. Her finger pause on the last one, "Panamax? I thought you might want to look at this one, because of the script, but then you met Esha and I forgot about it."
Nalo stares down at the belt, looks at the people around. "That was... anticlimatic." Her lips twist in disappointment.
"Should I leave it on?" Asking both Anson and Ceri.
Post-Library Kordech:
Nalo's eyes narrow with the 'not even pregnant until this morning' so although she is shaken by the blood and pain, she nods at Panamax's quiet command. She moves up towards the head of the bed, taking the unconscious woman's hand in at seemingly useless gesture of support - unless the woman regains the world. It also allows her to watch everything in the room... except Panamax's hands.
She murmurs quietly to the woman, the freak out obvious in her eyes only showing in her voice a little.
1) Looking for someone or something that might have led to the pregnancy. Or anyone too interested in the woman's trial in the wrong way. Or anything useful. Perception, currently Trained, spend effort:1d20 ⇒ 1Edit - Technically a difficulty 2... but also a natural one which allows for a free GM intrusion
2) Does the woman's energy feel off? Electricity PASSIVE, trained, spend effort:1d20 ⇒ 14Edit - Difficulty 6 (but I am aware there may not be much to get from this roll... It just seemed like a good use of new skill
Edit post preview: At least I can't actively kill anyone with a perception check...
Esha:
Where I come from everyone has a name dream, but not all people want to see the dream. Nalo pictures her moving story again, then sinks the image onto a page, leaving the same story only in words. Some prefer the words, some the images.
Quote:
I like your name-picture
Warmth and happiness hiding a touch of sadness.
It is beautiful. Nalo's spoken words are far simplier than the emotions, awe, sorrow, a little anger.
Was it... a pause as her words fade into image, the dark night sky flooded with specks of light, the image shifting, moving upwards to a point of light, a jump and the speck has become a sun, a planet so close to the sun that it is only another light in the dark. elsewhere? Another star than ours? the midday sun as it beats down on the caravan
Kilo:
She shakes her head, "It isn't so much that they died that bothers me." She stretches, letting a hand play in the fall of the rain, "Death should be an release, an end. A part of them, memory, ki, soul, whatever, is still being held hostage to their killer's will."
"But I didn't know if destroying the bushes would free them or hurt them further."
Nalo laughs a little hopelessly. "Someone tries to hurt me physically, I'm happy for the help getting them back." She taps the left side of her chest, "Hurts here, espcially if they are not done malicously, those don't call for return hurting." Her eyes are a little far away, "They just let you learn, and grow."
"After the job?" She starts, then stops her forehead furrowing, "I said I'd help Ceri with something. Which is the most I can say without violating her privacy."
Ceri makes a bow and elegant sweeping gesture towards the belt. "This one is all yours, if you're feeling up to it."
"Are you sure?" Nalo asks. "Rock, paper, scissors seemed fair."
Around and About in Keford
Jalopy wrote:
"That's fair," she says, folding her arms in front of her. "I believe he did. He was having trouble with one of his herds, it's way out on the furthest edge of where the palisades protect. He petitioned for extra assistance." A small smile. "The shiul he picked to show for the fair that year won first place."
Nalo bows slightly to the woman and with a smile, "Thank you for your time."
As she follows almost alongside Panamax, Nalo looks around. Looking for things of interest.
GM:
If in Panamax's movement through the city we come within eye view of the base of the Tower, Nalo would like to do something - but she isn't actively trying to get in view of said base.
Kilo:
Early Morning 5
Having left her heavier overshirt in the caravan to stay dry, Nalo moves easily in her pants and sleeveless top. She starts a little when Kilo speaks, rare as it is to do when scouting. She nods in acknowledgement to his question, "A bunch of things all adding up to weigh me in."
"Anson, who I think I could like in more than friend way. seems to already have a relationship with Ceri. I keep on screwing up in our first adventure as a group. And I feel horrible that some part of the jameris's victims are still trapped."
"Anson thought I was unavaliable because of your over protectiveness."
She smiles, "But you've been getting along with Tavene and Miyuki, which is nice to see. You've always been selective about your friends."
Esha:
Surprise, pleased. He does?
My name comes from a dream my mother had when she was pregnant with me, the dream is as much my name as the words, that was how I always pictured it based on my father's retelling.
A hint of self amused embarassment, I was trying to introduce myself.
She pictures the world Esha showed her, is this were you were before?
"You're the most mechanically minded of us though." Nalo says resonable. Which means you'd be the best to remove the belt if something goes wrong. I just yanked it off," shrugs, "Might have done damage to the jameris doing so."
Nalo points to Kilo, "He'd the best at subduing someone until you and Panamax can fix the problem, if there is one."
"Which means Ceri or I should be the test subject." Smiles at the other woman, "Jan kan po for it?" Holding up a hand.
"Panamax was the one that helped Miyuki," Nalo says so causally that it must have been pretty bad. "It was acting in a very un-jameris fashion which is what made me look for something... off. The belt was not normal for a plant monster either."
Anson wrote:
"But what gives a plant person the energy they need? Liquid sunlight? Liquid... water? Okay, that was dumb..."
Nalo's face goes stark with a thought, her eyes wide with a dark realization, after a moment, "It powered illusions, transformations, and a higher degree of intelligence than normally exhibited."
"Does the remaining liquid look like it could be sap?"
There is a little hurt in Nalo's eyes, but she shakes it off with a quick swallow, "The jameris, the plant monster, we fought was wearing the belt." Her eyes move over to the little girl on the far side of the caravan, "It had made what appeared to be a safe place using," considers, "either illusion or mass hallucination. It had fake people welcome us and offer food. The food started turning Miyuki into a plant, but when Panamax noticed the jameris broke the illusion. Then we could see it, before that it only had a puppet show."
"When I stole the belt, it's eyes went... dimmer. Then Kilo and Zoe sliced and diced it into smaller plant matter. It had been collecting creatures for a garden, turning them into plants like it tried with Miyuki."
"If you want more specific details then we'll have to go out into the rain, I don't want to give the kids nightmares with the bloody specifics." She flashes one of the boys a 'I'm not sorry' smile.
Kilo:
She sits on one of the studier lugage piceces, looking in each direction for a while. Occasionally just looking up at the sky letting the rain wash the little hairs away from her face.
Early Morning Day 5
She smiles, "'Ae ke kunāne." She looks around, "But it should be quickly, Ada seems eager to get us on the road."
"No," Panamax says, getting to his feet. "Mental conversation is inherently private. But I can watch your face and body language, and maybe that makes you uncomfortable."
Nalo looks around the crowded caravan moving through the rainy day, "I think I'll take the chance, rain is good but staying out long enough to get cold to the bone..." she shrugs.
Kordech
Panamax wrote:
"We can visit the library first," Panamax says. "I assume it closes."
"Not the really good ones, but I don't know how Keford's one is," a shrug, "Finding out the hours and if its worth a longer stay should be quick."
"That would depend on the request or conversation of the petitioner," Nalo says reasonably, "Protectors need to consider the safety of the whole." A smile, "Did the boy get what he wanted from the visit?"
Things To Do In Kordech
Panamax wrote:
"I like company," Panamax says.
"If you don't mind the extra scrutiny and a side trip to the library then I think I can manage that."
One More Piece of Caravan Flex
Panamax wrote:
Panamax gently presses the cylinder into Nalo's hands. [b]"I will move off a ways to give you privacy."
"Does Esha often say things that require privacy?" She asks as he hands of the cylinder.
Nalo settles the cylinder on her lap, taking care to not touch any of the metal parts with her bare skin, but lays her hand fully against the glass once the cylinder is balanced on her lap, "Aloha Esha Ahora Malim. 'O Nalo 'ui'uiki, ko'u inoa." Her eyes watch the glowing energy inside intently.
GM:
As she speaks, Nalo shoes her breathing just a little asking her mind to be open to the universe. In her mind she forms the image of a firefly darting just above trees under a star filled sky.
She shrugs, "Always an option." Thinks, "Pokey option one is just putting on the belt and seeing what happens?" Worries her bottom lip, "What's option two?"
One More Piece of Caravan Flex
Panamax wrote:
On the fourth night, but not so late as to be unseemly, Panamax finds Nalo and sits nearby. He pulls a familiar-looking cylinder from his backpack. "Ready for the introductions?"
Nalo winces in embarrassment, "I had told you yesterday, didn't I?" She ducks her head in apology, "I am sorry."
She settles herself with her back supported and reaches out to touch the surface of the patched cylinder, pauses, "Any special introduction you need to make?" Fingers just shy by millimeters.
Things To Do In Kordech
Panamax wrote:
"I do have an errand to complete," Panamax says. "I don't expect that it will take long."
"Do you need help?"
The Library
Jalopy wrote:
"...one of the local shiul boys got crafty. Built himself a numenera with wings and had it deliver a request for him at the highest window in the tower." She shrugs. "Or you could try your luck knocking on the door."
She's not rude, exactly, but neither is she especially friendly.
Nalo smiles at the woman who takes her time to answer the question, a smile that grows curious, "The shiul boy with the flying numenera, did he come back out after his audience?"
Then, after another pause, he follows the path to a reservoir that looks mostly empty. "It looks like it injected this. Now, there are several ways to figure out what it does, and two of them involve the aforementioned poking."
Nalo nods at the comment about the maker's mark.
"What are the non-poking methods. As much fun as a good poke can be I prefer to pick what's doing the poking. "
"He's a wizard. With a lot of mystery around him. Who knows what troubles a mind like his?"
"A wizard, not a nano?" Nalo asks.
More Kordech
Jalopy wrote:
Nalo, too, would feel eyes on her as she walked through the streets. No one says anything out of line to either of the women.
It isn't that Nalo doesn't notice, she just seems to expect the unwanted attention but unless it turns hostile she is comfortable.
Quote:
The library is mediocre at best, but someone inside makes a point to let you know that if you're looking for anything they don't have, getting an appointment with the Aulifex, if you can, will help.
"How would one go about getting an audience with the Aulifex?" Nalo asks the librarian.
"Not cold, so yes. Water dissipates energy, makes it easier to think." She considers the belt for a moment, then makes sure her hand is dry before she take the heavy metal. "Thank you."
She carries the numenera over to Anson, "Panamax couldn't figure out what this does." She points out the needle and the odd symbol. Remembering all the little ears she leans a little closer and speaks quietly, "The plant creature who was wearing it was acting atypical. It tried to turn Miyuki into a plant so it could collect her. I don't know if the belt turned someone into a plant or if it was a plant and the belt made it different."
Nalo looks at the sky, late day but not dark. "I was figuring checking the cemetary and getting a feel for a good time to go investigating."
"I could do a library instead." Looking at the tower.
"Or we could find a comfy inn and order drinks and food."
Flex: Day 4
After one of Nalo's not infrequent outings to check for danger sneaking up in the rain, she kneels next to Panamax, "Can I have that belt I stole?" Despite the damp and the water still pooling slightly under her feet, she seems lighter, like the rain cleansed more than just her skin.
"There probably would be building plans of at least some of the mausoleums and older crypts," Nalo agrees. Then stops, coughs, "That wasn't what you were talking about." As her head parses things correctly this time.
"For the tower, I'd start with the library, it'd be horribly out of date and only have what he would want out, but you find the most interesting thing in what isn't in the public record."
She blinks, "Can we just plan one heist at a time?"
"Bet it would take the group of us all of five minutes."
Nalo almost hides her laugh at the blase confidence. "He's been at it for a hundred years, but there is only one of him."
She shakes her head, "Jarris mentioned that he knows the place we do need to go, public area, tourist attraction so we can get a lay of the public area at least."
"It will let us make a plan that we have to abandon two minutes into the job. I need more than B and C plans, plant-monster didn't even make my list last time."
"We do," says Anson. "Although it might be something you could assist with. And later, maybe we could all break into that tower. See what's going on in there."
Nalo looks worried, "I'd love to break into the Aulifex's Tower, it's a artifact for the age." She shrugs, "Rumor has it that he's hasn't mastered all of it."
After the minute, "It isn't a symbol I've seen before."
On the Road: Day 3, much later
"What happened to the squirrely man with the box?"
On the Road: Day 4-5
Once it becomes apparent that the rain has no intention of parting company from the caravan, Nalo spends combing out her long hair, then twisting it into multiple braids which she then pins up. Even then a few short strands sneak out to fluff around her face after the first time she gets wet. Throughout both days, she takes shifts on the roof, keeping an eye out, but she leaves most of her clothes dry in the wagon, instead climbing up in a simple two piece outfit of grey shorts and sleeveless top. Each time she comes in to warm up she is quick to grab the cotton jacket to cover up. And dry off.
Arriving in Kordech
Quote:
a tower at the center of Kordech. Completely at odds with the surrounding structures, the tower is made of metal, with a soaring walkway that curves up to the entrance, hundreds of feet high. Strange, winglike crests are positioned asymmetrically along the exterior.
Checking to make sure that none of the caravan travelers are within ear shot she comments, "It's a bad sign that I'm slightly sad that we don't need to get into there, isn't?"
Ceri's eyes move between Nalo's face and the battery in her hands. As Nalo gets through her story, Ceri's face moves from fascinated to a little sad at the reveal of the couple's fate.
She gestures to where Anson is tucking a box into his bag. "Anson is in the business of looking at weird things today. What did the mark look like?"
"A spiral intersected by a staff." She thinks for a minute.
GM:
Should have thought to roll this earlier, but does the symbol ring any bells for Nalo? History, Trained:1d20 ⇒ 2I've seen this before?:1d20 ⇒ 10
The object in Nalo's hand turns out to be a battery of some persuasion, a small spark arcing whenever her fingers brush over the cathode or anode. She comes back to herself a bit with Ceri's quiet question, waiting a moment as the shouts and growls from the caravan proper echo up. Softly, easily heard on the roof, but only to someone keen eared and paying attention in the wagon, "A bit."
The battery twists a bit faster, most of her still while her fingers dance, "Little clearing in the deep dark wood. Figured the old couple were fey or witches testing travelers." A little twitch of her lips. "Turned out that it was a jasmeris using," a pause as she thinks, "illusion or hallucination spores or something. The old couple and the brendil were earlier victims." Her words stumble to halt, the battery in her fingers speeding up, even as the rest of her goes stone still.
After a long pause, she grabs the battery holding it in her hand tightly, she looks at Ceri. Then around, "It had a belt. Ans.. Someone should probably look at it, Panamax didn't know what it did but saw what might be a maker's mark."
Ceri:
Close by, Ceri can hear the sizzle of electricity exiting the battery in her hand.
"Hey, friends. Did you find the brendil's owner?" Ceri asks from the top of the wagon as the group approaches, chin in her hands.
Nalo looks up at Ceri's voice, nods. A young voice from the caravan makes her eyes widen, with a determined look she answers, forced cheer putting a harsher edge on her voice. "Oota had a old couple who had been missing her greatly. They were very happy to get her back."
"We ran into a little trouble on the way back, after." She seems to be saying this to Miyuki in particular.
She climbs up onto the roof of the carriage, packing her weapons back away far from little curious children. After a bit she pulls an oblong object from from a pocket, sitting with her legs dangling over the edge of the caravan.
GM:
Refresh, action:1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 So healing 2 Speed, 1 Might and 1 Intellect
Note starting day 4, Nalo will switch from Climbing to Perception - which I'd meant to do earlier :)
Panamax gestures toward the hedges. "Esha says the minds here have no pulse and no thoughts," Panamax looks at Nalo. "They are only fading dreams," he says sadly.
"Thank you for checking." Nalo collects up her gear, scattered in the fight, and waits near the edge of the clearing for everyone else.
Panamax/Nalo
Quote:
"It really depends on the location. In Qi? Mentioning you're not at least okay with the idea of slavery is likely to get you snubbed or mocked, and most certainly, talked about disdainfully behind your back." He smiles. "Passive aggressive elitists, the lot of them."
"I'd never be popular in groups like that anyway." She shrugs, "It's easier to take an outcast's view, however, when you'd already marked as different."
"I give you credit for being able to handle mixed company so well with your history," Nalo says.
