Turanerra takes in all that the captain told her, before he disappeared onto his ship, trying to tamp down her excitement.
Keep it together Tur -- just because he said it doesn't make it true. But if it is, this is great evidence of a prophetic painting. Which could be a miracle. Of course, to be a miracle, there has to be relevance, and scope, and I forget what all else -- Zirnan will poke as many holes in this as he can, but I can't worry about that now. Right now it's about documentation. And keeping calm.
"Well that was...not quite what I was expecting." Turanerra says at last. "I'd hoped for a little bit more -- maybe a tour -- but I think for now my business here is done. I don't suppose" she looks around at the others, especially Sakaan and Sirith, "one or two of you would be willing to come by the gallery later today or tomorrow and talk to Zirnan about what you've seen here today? I could certainly return the favor by helping you out in any way I can."
Turanerra frantically scribbles some notes to herself, then fumbles about with putting her materials in order as she plans out what she will say to the Shelynese investigator.
While Turanerra is in a bit of a hurry to get back to the gallery, she's also a bit flustered and is taking time to pack up and put her thoughts in order -- plenty of time for something else to happen. She'd also like to try and determine if she believes the Captain's story about how long he has owned the ship, and its name change -- if she disbelieves him, she will purposefully delay leaving until she has more of an idea of what is going on.
Turanerra takes a deep breath. She hadn't really planned on engaging the captain directly, not without a lot more information, but now that the opportunity has presented itself she could hardly walk meekly away.
"Captain...Gorn, was it?" Turanerra steps forward, her hand extended. "I'm just so honored to meet the captain of such a famous ship. Well, famous to me at least. I have a picture of it up on my wall; I look at it almost every day. I wasn't even sure your ship was real -- maybe just the rumor of a ship put to paint. But here it is, and here you are. Were you the captain ten years ago, when the painting was made -- if I looked at it under magnification would I see your tiny figure in paint?
Turanerra looks down shyly, then looks the captain full in the face.
"I don't suppose it would be possible to get a tour? It would mean a lot to me personally, to step foot on such a ship. It would be like being inside a Maricelli. Can you imagine?"
"Thank you, Sakaan. It's been a pleasure having you in class. I've heard nothing but good things about you from our instructors -- you seem to be making wonderful progress. And your work is very striking. I'm very curious about your visual range -- I suspect you see colors we don't have pigments for."
She turned next to Sirith, nodding thoughtfully at the undine's offer. "That's very generous of you, Sirith. I've no doubt there's space on the schedule...especially if you've previous experience as a figure model. Why don't you come by the gallery one afternoon this week, and I'll ask around. Probably Darizen..." Turanerra trails off in thought.
"As for the ship, I could also try going through Maricelli's notes from that time, and see what she said about the Broken Bough. Zirnan has them well organized, but they can be very hit and miss. Sometimes she goes into excruciating detail, and sometimes she says next to nothing...almost as though she intended to be mysterious. I was also hoping to have something more concrete before I made Zirnan aware of this matter. He loves Maricelli, but it's his job to be skeptical."
Turanerra had been stunned to speechlessness by the allegations of illegal slave-trading on the Broken Bough. It meant that she had perhaps been making assumptions -- too many assumptions -- about Maricelli's interest in the ship. But it still left her with a basic quandary where to proceed.
"Doctrinally," she said at last. "Maricelli was silent on the issue of slavery, and it is not something we in her church have spent much time trying to define. But I know that personally she never owned slaves, nor sought to own slaves. As a teacher, as a friend, as a sister, she always strove to free others from servitude to their vices and preconceptions -- so I cannot but believe that she would wish people free of more literal servitude, though I do not believe she would have broken the law to do so."
"But the question I still have, the question that brought me here this morning, is 'why?' Why paint this ship a decade ago? Even if this particular painting was not prophetic or divinely inspired," Turanerra pursed her lips at her near-blashphemy, "it remains the case that she was always an extremely meticulous woman who always worked on many levels as an artist. The fact that the Broken Bough was both the central subject and the title of the painting means that it is important. So why draw our attention to it? What happened ten years ago that she was commenting on?" Turanerra paused dramatically. "Or if there was no such incident, was her intent to draw us all here together, today, a year after her ascension? And if so, what are we to do now?"
As Turanerra finishes speaking, she looks around at the faces of the others. Then she colors slightly. "I'm afraid the only times I open my mouth these days, it's to give a sermon. Come by the gallery one of these Sundays and you'll see."
Turanerra listens to Lilandra's assessment of the difference between painting and reality, and nods in agreement. "I can see this whole matter will be less clear-cut than I had hoped. But it is as it is." She makes a quick few strokes to finish her sketch, then puts everything safely away in her satchel.
When next she looks up, Turanerra is surprised at the number of her acquaintances who have gathered at the pier. Whatever else is true, there is definitely something out of the ordinary about the Broken Bough.
"Sirith," she says, "Master Dolgrin. Sakaan. Pleasant day to you all. Are you also here to look at the ship? Do you think," she asks, watching the others carefully for their reactions, "the Broken Bough is a holy ship? Or merely legendary?"
By the way, I'm sure that one of these times I'm going to slip and call it the Golden Bough...
"Oh no. I don't paint. I mean, not professionally. Not anymore," Turanerra replies. "There's too much to do. This is," she pauses, trying to figure out how to explain the situation without prejudicing the result. "Kind of a retrospective. Maricelli made a painting of the this ship once, about ten or eleven years ago. So I want to see how it's changed."
It didn't take Turanerra very long to realize that she just didn't understand ships very well. Any sort of evaluation would have to wait until after she finished her sketches, and so she had to be sure that she got them right in meticulous detail.
Although she was making an effort to be unobtrusive, after a while Turanerra began to feel like she was being watched. Looking up from her drawing, she noticed an elven woman trying to catch her eye.
"Li-Lithandra?" she asked, as recognition dawned on her. "What are you doing here? Making a pickup of some sort? This doesn't seem your usual neighborhood."
Then a thought seized her. Lithandra had enough standing -- she might make a good, unbiased withness. "Actually, could you do me a favor? I'm making a drawing of this ship here. Would you be willing to go on record that it is a true and fair representation of the Broken Bough as it appears this morning? And if it isn't -- don't be shy about pointing out inaccuracies."
When Turanerra arrives out of breath at the Undertow, there was a kitchy Gone Fishin' sign in the window. Must be nice to have such an uncomplicated life.
So she picked a spot nearby, pulled out her sketchbook and some charcoal, and began making detailed drawings of the Broken Bough. Focus on what's here now...put Marinelli's painting out of your mind until you've caught it accurately.
GM:
As you've probably gathered, Turanerra is attempting to determine whether the painting of the Broken Bough is a painting of foretelling, and therefore a "miracle" -- and then to document it appropriately. So she's going to make detailed drawings of the Broken Bough as it is now, with the intention of comparing them to the existing painting.
To that end, here are the types of specific things she's looking at: Is it the same ship? Is it structurally similar, or have there been changes (maybe repairs or sections that are a different color than previously)? Is the rigging set up similarly. Is it berthed in the same location? What about crew? She'll make sure to take note of all people on board (what she can tell from this distance, which is probsbly no more than an approximste count.) for comparison later.
She has no nautical training, so might not know what any of those things mean -- but she's trained in noticing visual detail, so she should at least be able to see it.
She's not worried about weather yet -- we'll see how that compares come sunset.
Here's some timeline info:
Maricelli came to Absalom 12 years ago (in 4700) (at the age of 20) -- if alive today she would be 32. She painted the whole time, with an increasing reputation, but the gallery was started 5 years ago. (in 4707)
Turanerra is 28 years old and has been in Absalom for 6 years (since 4706), the first of which she spent pretty much in isolation.
Kvallen has been in Absalom for 9 years (since 4703), and involved with Maricelli for the last 8. He is currently 35 years old.
As Turanerra trotted into the Coins, she considered the best vantage for observing the Broken Bough. Somewhere in the Docks, certainly, but not so close that she would draw the attention of the crew. She daren't spoil the sanctity of the moment with any sort of intervention.
It would be best, of course, if she had the same viewing angle that Maricelli used in the painting. The general direction was one she was quite familiar with -- an elevated view of the harbor, fairly centralized, but with a better view of Dawnfoot than the Graveyard. So that meant...
"The Undertow," Turanerra said aloud.
The Undertow had been one of Her favorite set up spots in those days, it must be where She had painted it. So that would be the best place to make some sketches, and see if Marinelli's painting had been something from the past, or from the future -- or well, today. Things were so built up now she might need permission to sketch from his roof, but surely the proprieter -- whose name eluded Turanerra for the moment -- would allow that. This was sacred business, after all.
The Broken Bough is here, in Absalom? Turanerra mused. I don't know what that means -- but it has to mean something.
She walked over to the section of the gallery which displayed Her work, and studied the small piece. It was classic early Maricelli -- Absalom harbor, at sunset, with an ethereal, otherworldly quality to it despite the meticulous rendering of the individual objects. One of the first where her talent shone through -- to such an extent that She refused to sell it.
But the question at hand -- is this a historical? Or an oracular? Because a documented oracular, of this age, could mean great things for Her legacy.
Turanerra hurriedly gathered a sketchbook and charcoals. "I'm going out, Kvallen. For most of the day. I'll be down at the harbor if you need me -- but make sure it's an emergency."
Then she left to get a view of a ship so blessed that it had a Maricelli named after it.
Oooo. OK, so how does this sound. At the time when Maricelli arranged for Turanerra to come to Absalom. she was doing most of her paintings on the docks. Maricelli would have become acquainted with the Nameless Librarian at that time, and arranged for help keeping Turanerra's trail cold. To the extent that maintenance on that account has been necessary since her ascension, it would have been taken care of by Kvallen. The only contact Turanerra would have had would have been occasionally getting art objects there, as she knew that Maricelli shopped there sometimes.
(I'm trying very hard to keep Turanerra insulated from all the areas of intrigue, as I see her as being very naive about that world. There's a lot of things there that Kvallen does for her, without her knowing.)
You would probably have some smaller, older paintings too, but the big one that I can see having been the main payment would have been one titled Pulled Under. It's a view of the Absalom Harbor, and the main focus of attention will be a ship that is in the process of sinking in the Graveyard. However, in the foreground, in the right side of the painting will be the side of your shop, including part of the sign -- "UNDER", solidly establishing the vantage point for this painting.
Dang, that took a while. Following Amara's format, here's what I came up with:
First, some timeline stuff:
Maricelli came to Absalom 12 years ago (at the age of 20) -- if alive today she would be 32. She painted the whole time, with an incresing reputation, but the gallery was started 5 years ago. Turanerra is 28 years old and has been in Absalom for 6 years, the first of which she spent pretty much in isolation. Kvallen has been in Absalom for 9 years, and involved with Maricelli for the last 8. He is currently 35 years old.
In General:
Do your PC, Cohort, or Followers dabble in art of any kind? Maybe they took lessons from one of the several instructors who teach there (possibly even Maricelli), or have shown some of their work there. Does your establishment have a room with high-class art? Maybe you purchased it there. An older Maricelli could have been purchased very inexpensively, a newer one would be a statement item (even ignoring her possible ascension). But most of the art shown and sold is by artists other than Maricelli and runs the gamut in style and price.
Amara Ishu & Esha Meshva:
Turanerra and Amara come from very similar backgrounds. Turanerra would respect her to the extent she takes cares of her employees. She has no reason to have used her services (of either kind) but could have sold her art, and for a large enough fee may have come by as part of a consultation. Kvallen, being in charge of security for the gallery, might have been aware of Esha (or one of her aliases) if she ever dabbled in art theft. To date, theft has not been a problem at the gallery, and so not a lot has been put into specific security measures.
Dolgrin Girndmar & Lithandra Lilandria:
Do Dolgrin or any of his followers sometimes sculpt? I can also, as you suggested, see some kind of connection between Dolgrin and Kvallen. Depending on how long ago Dolgrin's brother died, there might be a friend of a friend thing going on where Kvallen knew some of the people involved in the raid against Von Strauss. Lithandra may well have been to a show or two at the gallery, when they featured a high-profile artist.
Josephus Fynch & Benjen Grachs:
OK, here's the obvious one. Benjen's sister Arina could be a student at the gallery, or someone who has shown her work there. She could be a Maricelli worshipper. She could even (if you wanted) be one of my followers (in which case she could be a student or an instructor).
The Nameless Librarian & Absalom's Fist:
Weirdly enough, the thing that leaps out to me is that The Undertow sounds like a fabulous place to get found art objects. Also, depending on its location, Maricelli first made her name painting, well, seascapes and sunsets, so she may actually have done some of her early painting nearby. I could easily see the Undertow having taken a painting or two in barter for some purchase she made of interesting stuff. Perhaps it's even hanging in the shop for sale right now -- marked down to 15sp.
Sakaan & Osik Ossyuan:
I can see some sort of relationship between Kvallen (who somehow escaped from Irrisen and made his way south to Absalom) and Osik (who did the same thing coming from Brevoy) . Depending on how long ago Osik was in that area, it could be a direct relationship, or an indirect one. Due to how recently the Pier has been set up, I don't see a good relationship there with Maricelli or Turanerra.
Sirith the Bard & Pravak:
I don't see any specific connection here. It's entirely possible that during Sirith's wanderlust she was in Oparra at the same time that Turanerra was working the streets, but they would have been in *very* different worlds. No connection would have been forged then, but it's something one of them might remember if they ever ran into each other again.
