*Skippy, skippy, skippy, skip*
Suny happily cavorts along the streets, eagerly looking into all the shop windows and about the place as they group progresses across town towards the timber yard.
Absently scratching and petting Lil' Fisher along the way.
Along the way, Reijo groans a bit to himself. He withdraws a small metal flask and, between puffs of his pipe, downs the flask's contents.
Again, Lilywhite seems mostly dead asleep as you head down to the lumberyard where the great race started. As Hartha said, you already see at least one drunkard sleeping beneath a stack of precariously balanced boards. There doesn't seem to be a single soul particularly interested in looking at you and your work for more than a minute at most, let alone following you.
Fortunately, there is at least one man awake and about in the lumberyard. And judging from the way he was picking up random fallen decorations and setting them aside, he was either the place's janitor or someone interested in keeping the place somewhat presentable (and on the day after Rum Punch, at that!). Namely, it was probably Taryn himself. He spots you coming - it would be hard not to, with the streets now the polar opposite of yesterday's insanity - and nods a greeting.
Suny skips up and waves smiling brightly to the fellow. "Hey-YA there!" (^_^)
Taryn seems a bit taken aback by Suny's early-morning vigor, particularly given the amount of drinking that took place in Lilywhite the day before. He shrugs it off and offers a second nod of 'hello.'
"Mornin'. Early day for you... must be important. How can I help you folks?"
"Aye, Woody." Reijo comes forward, pipe in hand, scrutinizing the man as he speaks, "P'raps we can be o'service ta ye. We be hearin' from a sleepy li'l birdie ye be havin' a problem with some beasties. That be right?"
Again Taryn nods. Upon second glance, it seems he's not quite as awake as he'd care to be. "Aye, I've been having a bit of a problem..." He glances both ways, as though afraid someone would overhear the conversation. He moves a little closer to the group and leaves his sack of collected refuse behind for the moment. "This can't be getting out and around, understand? I'm already having a hard enough time keeping my employees from turning tail and running. We've run into a bit of a dragon problem... drakes, to be more specific. They're making a right hell outta tryin' to chop some of the lumber further inland. One of my boys thinks we might have stumbled too close to their nest and pissed the damned things off. Now they're happy to take a bite out of anyone who wander a little too far into the woods."
He gives the surrounding town another cautious glance. "If you can take care of them, I'd be damned thankful."
Suny leans in and listens intently to the man's words. At mention of 'Drakes' the tanned Elf's eye grow wide, though with fear or wonder is the question.
"Drakes, eh?" The salty veteran o'the seas scratches his goatee in the same manner a Sczarni swindler would as he ponders how much gold he can rake from Taryn's misfortune. "O'course, Woody. Me mates an'I can solve yer beastie problem," a wide grin comes over his face now, "fer a small sum, o'course."
No-Eyes shrugged.
Taryn sighs. "I don't suppose my endless gratitude is enough of a sum, huh?" His sign quickly turns into a yawn, as he stretches away some of the morning's weariness. "I wish I could pay ya proper, but with the drakes ruining my business the coffer's a tad low. I can promise ya something for a job well done, but I'd need a bit to scrape together what's I can." He pauses and looks at Reijo with apologetic sincerity. "Afraid it'll certainly be a small sum."
Suny looks around at the many varieties of timber in the yard.
"Geee.... Ye sure nuff got a load a wood... Maybe, y'know , we's could be workin' somat through?" (^_^)
"Hmpf," Reijo grumbles at the emphasis of "small." On hearing Suny's suggestion, he nods unenthusiastically. While blowing smoke, "Suppose that be converin' some o'the sum."
Looking the lumberjack in the eyes, "So how much it be werth t'ye Woody?"
The man sighs deeply. "Like I said, I'd have to see what I could scrounge up for you... but if you wanted a load of the best stuff I've got, I could definitely arrange for that."
After grumbling to himself a bit more, Reijo finally concedes, reviews the lumber and picks the best for the masthead, and finally asks for directions to the woodcutting operation. "Right. That'll werk then. So, whar we be headin'?"
"Just follow the trails inland and I'm sure they'll find you," Taryn says. "Though I've got a group of my boys heading out later today. You're more than welcome to tag along with them - I know they'll get the drakes' attention."
As Taryn speaks, Reijo busies himself surveying the payment. Though he's never crafted a masthead himself, he's seen enough of them to know the importance of a quality base. The masthead is, after all, what gives a ship proper character. Unfortunately the pickings are slim. After a few minutes of searching Reijo does manage to find a sizable trunk, freshly cut, that would more than suffice for a proper masthead.
Motaku Isle is one of the larger islands of The Shackles, and as such the interior of the region is nearly as varied as the mainland. The lands just beyond Lilywhite's walls consist of rolling rainforest along the foothills of the mountains at the island's center, complete with all the hazards you'd expect to find in a tropical rainforest.
"Can you tell us any more about these drakes?" Nhati asks. "What color are they, for example? Do you know if they're Forest Drakes-- a sort that could be found in the woods."
Suny listens intently to all the talk about the Drakes.
(^_^)
Happy Lil' Fisher is happy ^-^
Ol' Salty sits on one of the piles, takes out his notebook and starts recording the tasks they're required to perform.
Tasks:
- Get a masthead for the ship
- Get lumber so the carpenter can prioritize our order
- Thin out Drakes so the logger can give us quality lumber
Drakes:
-
Vik stands impatiently to one side, waiting to get going.
"Can we get things goin', pleas'?"
"'Fraid I don't know much about them myself. My boys would know what's what, if you ask them whenever they get around to wakin' up. 'Course you're welcome to head on ahead. I'm sure they'll appreciate you takin' the trouble off'a them."
You know that drakes are more primal and decidedly less civilized relatives of true dragons. They tend to live in small groups and only rarely gather together into larger rampages, as infighting and competition over prey typically keeps them from forming larger groups for very long. A group of two or three typically keep to their nest, defending perceived trespassing on their territory with extreme violence.
Drakes are quick to anger and are fueled by pure destructive force - they move quick and strike quicker. While nowhere near as intelligent as true dragonkind, they are far from stupid - and will fight on their own territory when possible to seek any and all advantages. Most possess a weak mockery of a true dragon's breath weapon. And, like any dragon-kin, the collection of shiny baubles is somehow ingrained into their blood.
Bellamy stood aside, waiting.
Nhati nods, and says, "Very well. Let us go and investigate, and see if we can find the drakes that are causing these problems. We'll see for ourselves; no need to wake your lads. They probably have quite a headache left over from last night's festivities...."
She shares what she knows about drakes with the others. "Drakes are not true dragons, but don't tell them that. They can be quite nasty, and like true dragons both love treasure, and are very territorial. But, they aren't civilized; while you might go to a dragon to learn deep things about the arcane, you wouldn't do that with a drake. But, they are also clever, and have more than animal intelligence-- they may use actual tactics against us, and they will take advantage of the home terrain that they know. So, we should be careful going in. They will have weak breath weapons as well."
Drakes:
- They hurt
Suny listens intently to Nhati's information about Drakes... but waits until the group is away from the lumber yard and walking back through the town's streets before saying.
"So.. may we can be talkin' to 'em, like?" She suggests, "Or even be makin' some kind'a deal with 'em?"
"Aye," Reijo says as the party takes their leave of Taryn. He scoffs at Suny's suggestion. "Best we kills'em in their sleep, if ye be askin' me. An' bringin' thar skins back fer gold." Looking to Nhati, "They be night er day hunters, ye ken?"
Reijo winces as he walks away with the group. Drawing out a metal flask from his coat, he takes a swig. Reijo is also sure to step into a liquor store before they set out, sure to restock with a bottle o'rum for the trek.
Suny frowns a little at Reijo's words, absently petting Lil Fisher as she does so...
"Chances of talking with them and making a deal with them are very slim," Nhati says. "I suppose we can try... but I don't think it will end well."
"Hey I got a bit ova problem. I ain't got much in tha way of fightin spells prepared, ye see. I can do a bit o healin, but otherwise don't spect much from me."
Though the walls of Lilywhite aren't much to speak of, it's clear they've got their work cut out for them holding back the jungle. Almost as soon as you leave the seaside town you are assaulted by the sights and sounds of the rainforest. Numerous critters skitter along the haphazard trails and birds dart through the thick canopy above.
As you make your way inland, it becomes obvious that randomly wandering through the jungle is only going to be so productive. You'd be much better off actually looking for signs of drake activity - or maybe you should have waited for the foresters.
(^_^)
As you make your way inland, it becomes obvious that randomly wandering through the jungle is only going to be so productive. You'd be much better off actually looking for signs of drake activity - or maybe you should have waited for the foresters.
*Skips along happily with every one else.* (^_^)
Bellamy strolled along with his rolling sailors gait, humming a popular sailors song. He tapped ahead of him with his staff, his eyepatched face staring around seemingly at random.
Suny suggests that the search start at perhaps the most sensible place: where the attacks have been happening. After another 10 minutes of slogging through thick jungle, the group finds itself back onto a large, plowed trail. Following this, you soon emerge into a clear-cut area. Standing at least a hundred or more feet across and stretching far more lengthwise, it was a testament to the amount of wood used in Lilywhite. Still, the jungle looks poised to move back into the open space, a number of stunted stumps show that someone has been fighting back against nature. Along the western wall saplings have taken root and festooned to impressive size, the first row of what you assume is Taryn's attempt at reforestation.
It doesn't take long to find signs of the prey you're hunting. Along the far, eastern edge of the clearing are numerous indentations dug into the softer dirt. Suny recognizes them as marks from claws the side of an elf's head. Judging by the depth, it looks as though the drakes landed here... and several splotches of blood across nearby trees suggest that someone was in a fight here.
Unfortunately, Suny cannot which way the drakes came from or went, even with the aid of the blind Bellamy.
"Huh, these people sur' do use a lotta wood. Not me problem, I guess."
"These beasts need to be hunted down, if only so we can get our wood."
"I be thinkin' they went that way."
Reijo takes a swig of rum as he examines the ground and the trees. Not for the direction the drakes may have come from since, he assumes, they flew there. Instead, he searches for evidence of what precisely went on here, including figuring out what kind of breath weapon these drakes may have employed.
"Bah. No sense trackin'em, less ye can track 'em in tha sky." The sailor then looks around, asking Nhati, "Whar these beasties be favorin' t'nest, eh Naughty? In the woods?" He points further inland, "Or in tha mountains p'raps?"
Suny looks inquisitively out over the clearing but she, her tanned self, doesn't go scampering out into the large open spaces. Instead she stays to the jungle's edges and skirts around to where the others are investigating the ground. Quite often she lifts her head and looks up.. scanning the tree canopy and the sky beyond.
At Reijo's comments Suny again replies, "Well.. I did be sayin' we bring somat whut they's might be findin' interestin', hey?" Still keeping to the jungle's edges. She begins to pat herself down,
"I know I gots somat about tha' place... Where be it...?"
Not entirely trusting their scatterbrained elf companion to do the searching, Reijo and Viktorra put their eyes to work examining the site of the attacks. Almost immediately Reijo spots a few strange pockmocked areas on the ground. With a touch, a sniff, and a bit of a taste, he recognizes it as the leftovers of some kind of acidic residue. Several other similar burn marks can be found in the area, some as wide as ten feet across. It seems unlikely the foresters would have been throwing acid back at the drakes... And judging by the number of claw and scorch marks, you're dealing with at least two, possibly as many as four, drakes.
Meanwhile, Viktorra closely examines the treeline. Though at first there appears to be no signs of where the drakes might have gone, a close eye can see the broken boughs and disturbed leaves. It wasn't easy to track a creature that flew through the jungle's canopy - but then again, drakes were obviously not the most subtle of creatures. Though the trail she uncovers is a bit haphazard, it definitely leads off to the east.
Suny tries her best to help, as eager and happy-go-lucky as ever... but tracking things is obviously not her strong suit. At least her elven eyes do not go to waste keeping watch on the sky. If the drakes are about, they're sure not here.
"Aye, a fine eye fer the trees ye gots thar, Queenie," Reijo sort of compliments Viktorra and concedes her assessment of the drakes' vector of approach.
"Ye best have a lookie here, Naughty." Reijo points out the acidic residue and burn marks to Nhati, who seems to know about these creatures. While awaiting her assessment of the drakes, he looks east to see what kind of terrain lays ahead for the group.
The land rises to the east, rolling hills and rising cliffside jungles up into the Paego Peaks miles inland, at the center of Motaku Isle. It's a landscape filled with all kinds of nasty denizens, which is part of the reason that any sensible sailor kept to the seas and shores. It was likely that the drakes weren't roosting all the way up in the mountains, of course - that was probably where their larger, angrier, and hungrier cousins lived.
Ol' Salty sits down and takes out some marked bones (pig bones). His eyes glow blue and he chants in the Aquan language.
"O great an terrible Gozreh, hear me question. In our near future, will killin teh drakes we seek bring us more fortune than not?"
As if in answer to Ol' Salty's question, a fair wind blows with sudden ferocity across the clearing to the east. Though he offers you no words, the salt air speaks of her other aspect. Neither her waves nor his winds are as tumultuous as they could be: signs that the result in question will be favorable. Yet, as with all under Gozreh's skies, there is surely danger slumbering...
Ol' Salty smiles at Gozreh's sign.
"Me new mates, Gozreh smiles upon our venture. Be ready for a good fight-like."
With a scoff and a spit onto the ground, "Bloody gods." While looking eastward towards the daunting peaks, the sacrilegious sailor adds gruffly, "No bloody gods ever been aidin' me in me times o'need. By me wits an' me blade'll I servive, as always."
Looking around at his mates, "So. We ready?"
"Oh it ain't bout aidinus, merely teh keep us from dyin. Even them who hate Gods best be whisperin somethin teh Gozreh 'for teh seas be drownin em. Me thinks that's why I'm 'ere. Best make sure we sail swift and safe-like."
In response he says "Aye, trackers where be these beasts?"
After listening to the old man speak, Reijo takes a swig of rum. Without a word in response, he starts walking east, following the markings Viktorra first pointed out.