Interlude 1 - On the Road [Alliance of the Renewal]

cyl

cyl

Creepy smile
During the long road to Balsa, our heroes spend some time together, and get to know each other a little more.


***


go for it, campfire, travelling discussions, anything start it up :)
 
The following morning there is some commotion as a dual masted ship 'sails' into the clearing where the caravan had camped, cutting through the earth as one would expect it to cut through the water.....


Striking a roguish pose on the bow the Captain stands grinning to the gaping mortals, his elven monkey, as usual, perched upon his shoulder. He calls out, "Ahoy! Am I too late to join the caravan....?" As he spies a group of folks that seem 'In-charge' he swings down with nimble ease...


"Good day, good folks. I'm Captain Spider, 2nd generation descendent of Auriolis, goddess of the winds of the northwestern seas......I was wondering if I and my ship could join you on your way to Balsa and points beyond? Safety in numbers and all, plus you never know when a few ballista might scare off a tyrant lizard or what have you..." He rattles off his prepared coverstory quickly before the others get a chance to respond, positive or negative, before allowing such thoughts to even form he pulls out a slip of paper (hard won through bribe and guile, far to the west) an obvious guild stamp on it, indicating that he was in fact a dues paying member and thus he and his cargo fully legal to join a guild caravan....


-----


Later, back aboard his ship and making a leisurely pace to keep up with the caravan, now once more on the move. The captain goes through the ship's cargo, surprisingly empty for a ship on business, mainly stocked with foods and a few crates of foreign spices. He makes his way to the far back, opening a crate marked 'Dung Beetles' he looks around quickly to make sure no one was watching, pulling out a single oddly bottle shaped coconut from the half full crate. He seals it back up and returns to the deck, climbing high into the rigging and then into the crows-nest, he breaks the tip of the strange nut off.....Summoning a wind, he pours the spirits smelling juice to the northwest, his own winds making sure it at least cleared the caravan...


"Thanks again for the cover-story...." He says, having never met the goddess in question. Only hearing of her from a ice-hunter, once, and that back when he was just a sailor. He figured the situation was win-win, he got to use his sun-granted abilities without being hunted as an 'anathema' and an obscure goddess got a little bonus recognition.....


Ceremony done, the Captain grins and looks over the dust clouded, hustle and bustle of a caravan in motion all around his ship....reminded oddly of one time when his ship was visited by a pod of leviathans, he chuckles and looks about for the rest of his 'circle'...


-------------
 
Shine of the Blade of Tomorrow


While the majority of the travelers stayed well clear of the ship moving on earth, Bladeshine alone trotted next to it on the saddle of her beautiful pure white mare. She regarded the strange vessel with curiosity and excitement. Earlier she saw Aerelan take off with his giant hawk, and she meant to follow him, but this - this wonder was far more exciting!


She kept on trotting beside the prow, glancing up now and then. When she was sure a number of the crewmates were watching her, she climbed the saddle and stood tall on the back of her steed - and jumped impossibly tall in the air, just shy of ten yards, backflipping at the top of her arc and landing on her feet on the deck amidst the oohs and aahs of the incredule mortals. She then turned towards the crow's nest, for surely mnow she had the attention of the captain of the vessel, and waved a hand at Captain Spider.
 
Honest Blossom rode for most of the morning, but decided to learn more of this Captain Spider and his magnificent ship. So she guided her horse to walk alongside the slow-going landship, eyeing it with open wonder... and then frowning disgustedly as Shine of the Blade of Tomorrow leaped on board in such a showy manner.
 
The Captain had indeed watched the leap with interest, unable to supress a grin at the flashy entrance. The solar-sailor, not one to be out done, took up a line leading to the opposite mast. Pausing a moment to return the wave to his guest, before making a great leap into thin air above a nearby cart pulled by a pair of bored looking yeddim, he plummeted earthwards as the rope drew taunt, his downward momentum taking him instead in a long lazy orbit around the far mast and front of the ship, reaching the apex of his roundabout journey mere inches above the deck of the ship where he simply released the line and landed as easily as if he had just hopped down a few feet... "Lady Bladshine..." He says in greeting, followed immediatly with "/Welcome Aboard/" this said in Old Realm as he does a half bow.


The tree-singer having hopped off as the Dawn took up the rope, arrives at this point having taken a bit more sensible route, leaping from the nearby rigging to land on the Captain's shoulder with a melodious little 'whoot'
 
Jonas


He sat astride a large horse, easily several hands taller than the average steed. It was like comparing a Lion to a house-cat. The beast was well-muscled, easily seen beneath the taut hide of brown. The mane was a slightly darker brown. To those understanding the qualities of a horse they would notice this "beast" to be nothing more than a plow-horse, possibly bred to replace Oxes and such while also still providing the standard benefits that a horse provides normally. Above all the horse seemed oblivious, either that or didn't seem to care about anything beyond the simple commands its master provided.


Jonas watched the antics of the two and wondered to himself, Are all other Exalted such show-offs? And what's with that ship? Greater wonders through the First Age I suppose. That ship still impressed him, and so did the leaps. He might've found such things excessive, but he was still, inherently, human and such things weren't seen around the farm. Despite his wish to be annoyed it was evident that these things were still awe-inspiring.
 
Honest Blossom rode up to join Jonas. He seemed pretty humble... not that she was, exactly, but he seemed as exasperated as she with the antics of Spider and Bladeshine. "I apologise for last night," she said softly, looking up at him from her small, swaybacked mare. "Bladeshine and I are like oil and fire - each of us represents that which we most despise in the world, I think."
 
Jonas


Jonas looked at her questioningly, "Oil and Fire huh? So that mean you two are going to burn out fast or something? I sure hope not." He smiled lightly at his simple joke. He ruffled his horse's mane, petting the big brute afterward. "Besides, this is all still pretty new to me. You are all the first other Solars I have ever met, and can do much more than me it seems." He said humbly and with a slight bit of interest in the wonders they might be able to accomplish.
 
Honest Blossom shrugged subtly as she let her second-rate mount plod along. "I am very good at grifting; the only difference between a priest and a con artist is the intention, as both are trying to get something out of others that benefits them. I have been a priestess and a grifter and now I am a priestess again. I'm not a righteous person by the standard definition..."


She chuckled, her voice hoarse and husky. "Actually, the only times I showed righteousness were when I refused to work for the Mask of Winters and when I was literally offered a chance to serve the Void as I was being hung; I declined that, because there are worse things than me being a con artist out there."


The Zenith looked over at Jonas. "Enough about my sordid past. How did you come by your weapon?"
 
Shine of the Blade of Tomorrow


Bladeshine heartily laughed at the show of the captain of the ship, clapping her hands. "That's a what I call an entrance!" she said, offering him her hand to kiss. "A humorous man, elegant and well-mannered, flamboyant, || with a culture to match mine || " this latter phrase she spoke in Old Realm "and in possession of a true wonder, behind which I'm sure lies a great story!" She paused, and mischievously smiling added, "Am I ready to fall in love?"


Before the Captain could even have to think of answering the question, in a more serious mood she added "Actually, Captain, if we could maybe speak somewhere more private, I would ask you of what you know about Lonely Crane. There's some questions I'd like to ask him, but he's nowhere here to be found this morning, so I thought maybe you could help me... Of course, we could get to know each other better meanwhile" she concluded smiling again.
 
Happily leaning down to kiss the offered hand, the Captain can't help but laugh out loud at the flirtatious comment of love as well as be slightly impressed by the fluent usage of Old Realm. "Well met, M'lady"


Still chuckling he strokes his beard in a moments thought... "Aye, I would like that. My crew be trustworthy and knowledgeable of the way of things, but if it's privacy you seek, I would would suggest we retire to my quarters..." he pauses a half frown forming as a thought struck him ".....or perhaps in the name of preserving a lady's reputation, the crow's nest might be better...." He adds with a slight chuckle...
 
Jonas


He smiled softly "Her name is War's Bounty, and she was laid awaiting My arrival not far from the farm I worked." He shrugged before chuckling softly, "She didn't look like this when I found her though." He looked to her with a bit of a joke behind his eyes.
 
Arelean Kethesar


High in the skies above, Arelean and Eleclaethil soared. From his vantage point, the Eclipse's sharp eyes could see clearly for miles upon miles. Occasionally, Eleclaethil would pass over Spider's ship so that Arelean could check in on his fellow Solars, but in the end he was indifferent to what they did as long as the caravan was safe. There would be time for socializing in the future. For now, his duty was that of a sentinel. Constantly he scanned about, keeping close watch for anything. With luck, Crane's prediction would be false and the caravan's journey would go smoothly. Then, with his metaphorical foot in the door, Arelean could finally attempt to negotiate some kind of trade liaison with Metagalapa and be set free. He would be free to make his own future, no longer tied to his home and the stinging memories that it brought.


Enough of that, he thought to himself. The blue skies that surrounded him, vast and endless, they would belong to Eleclaethil and him. Easing his companion towards Spider's ship, Arelean gave the mighty hawk the signal to dive. Rushing just over the top of the ship's masts, Arelean shouted exultantly to Eleclaethil through the roaring gales of their passage.


"It's all ours, Eleclaethil! This endless sea of blue skies is forever yours and mine!"
 
Adamant Kestrel


Impressed as he was by the land ship, and who couldn't be, Kestrel didn't make the same attempt to board it as his more flamboyant collegue. Like Blossom, his horse was serviceable but hardly any kind of champion. But the beast's previous owner wasn't going to need it any more. Not where he was now. Instead of approaching the ship Kestrel guided his mount towards Jonas and Blossom. Seeing a conversation was already taking place he approached at an easygoing speed. Manners dictated that he asked permission to join them and their talk before he did. If they had a problem he would pass them and ride on ahead.


"May I join you?"
 
The Dawns eye's widen to note the sudden widening shadow of a plummeting raptor on his deck, he looks up to spy the great beast.. "BattleStat...." He pauses mid-call, identifying the rider on the incredible bird's back as it swoops by and back into the heavens "Belay that...Steady as you were........."


He gives his lovely guest an almost sheepish grin... "heh, caught me by surprise.." He says, looking back up at the great bird, now high again overhead looking much like it's smaller cousins once more as it's apparent size diminishes with height...
 
Lucien pulled up to the riding group from behind "I was wondering about that weapon myself, haven't seen anything like it used outside of Harborhead, and he certainly doesn't look like a native of that region." He turns to Jonas and asks with bemusement "Have you been into cattle raiding lately?"
 
Jonas


He chuckled bemused at the excitement of his weapon. Mind you he could not argue because even after after his few months as a Solar he still found himself in awe of War's Bounty, not to mention of the other wondrous things the Solars were part of. "No, no. Although I do come from the South." He paused and then smiled before speaking again, "Well, sort of. I come from a farming village south west of Nexus. Probably about halfway between it and Harborhead.


The big horse, a common breed from where he came from, but not truly all that fantastic as the horse was more like an ox than a horse, built for muscle and long hours of hard work. It huffed through its nostrils at the smaller horses. He was never a very social creature, and wasn't used to these smaller creatures that looked kind of like a horse. Jonas smile at the horse and smack the back of its big skull a bit. "Easy Jonas, there are others like you." The horse hardly seemed to notice the smack, more comparable to a playful pat as far as it was concerned. It eased up a bit, but still seemed grumpy for the most part, behaving....for now.
 
"That's a bit away from here," Blossom said as she rode alongside the big man on the big horse. She managed to remain on her own mount with some measure of grace, though the sour-eyed gelding clearly wanted to be elsewhere.
 
Jonas


He smiled lightly at the gelding's reaction, "Oh don't mind Jonas here. He's not very social as it is, but he tends to be as stubborn as me, hence the name he earned from my fellow farmers." He looked conspiratorially down at her, "Besides, he's all muscle, not much in the speed dept."
 
Shine of the Blade of Tomorrow


Bladeshine looked at the giant hawk soaring above their heads, and called: "Hey, that's Aerelan Kethesar! That ride of him is just magnificent..." and waved her hand towards the sky, hoping the rider would see her.


She turned again towards Spider and replied "If you say we can talk freely in front of your crew, by all means we can take a walk around the deck. Keeping secrets it's not a habit of mine... And let's see if any of our companions would join un up here."


"To start with, I'd be very interested in anything you know about Lonely Crane, if any at all. How you met him, what he said to you about all of this. I remember you said you were here to offer us an escape route: do you know from what?"
 
Looking up at the soaring hawk once more, the Dawn nods, "Yes, it is quite impressive...."


The dawn begins a slow tour of the deck of the ship, talking as he went, checking a knot here, or checking the helmsman's course to the road there...Finding no fault but looking as was a captain's duty.... "Tis good to hear.....I've ne'er been a fan of keeping too many secrets....and this day and age already forces me to keep more'n I like.." Here the solar pauses, giving his forehead a tap where, in other times, a shining sunburst might be seen....


Pausing in the bow of the ship, the Captain looked out over the dust and wagons of the caravan... "I wish I knew more of the man and his machinations, He met me when we pulled into nexus, just yesterday....heh, admonishing us that we were late for a caravan we didn't even know existed...Anyway.....I....I sometimes get these flashes.....thoughts and memories...from the last time, the first age.....and when I saw him, I recognized him.....From what back then, I don't know....even so when he said my circle needed me, that they were heading towards their doom....I just asked where and made my best speed....Lookin' back, I do rather wish I'd tried for more information...but time seemed of the essence....Ah!" the Solar Sailor cut's himself off as he spies the small grouping of steeds that marked the remainder of his party.... "Thar they be..!" He says with a gesture...


"Lower the shoreboat!" he calls to his men, who begin to uncover one of two small rowboats designed to take folks ashore when a pier wasn't handy, "Four of you go down to take care of the steeds of those that decide to come up..."


He turns back to his lovely guest, "Care to join me in seeing if we can't flag down our compatriots?" He asks as he waves at the quartet of riders...One of whom might look up as a breeze suddenly blows from that direction....


Meanwhile, the shore boat nearest them was lowered down so that it glided some four feet off the ground, at a handy enough height to dismount onto....
 
From afar a grumpy voice is heard


"Mind if I come on board ?! I've always liked boats !"


Lonely Crane is at a distance, shouting, while a kid is at his side, guiding the blind man.
 
In the midst of flagging down his colleagues the Captain's eye's widen to spy the old man once again.....


"Well, A full stop is oft preferred by passengers for boarding anyway....." Are the dawns quiet words, spoken mostly to himself as he glances back to make sure that no carts were following too close, not much chance considering the average reaction to the thing, but always safer to check.. "Helmsman! Full Stop, drop sails and weigh anchor..... " He calls out, before yelling down to the old blind man, as the ship slowly comes to a halt and the shore boat is lowered the last few feet to ground level for boarding "Certainly, Sir....the more the merrier...."


He turns back to the Lady Bladeshine, "Well, it appears you can ask him in person....." He says with a wry chuckle, waiting for the old man, and possibly his circle to board the shoreboat....
 
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