OOC note: This Progression was written as part of the Storyweb System, linked here. This post pertains to the activities of the Regalian Explorer's League. Those interested to partake in this roleplay in future missions should seek out the League to offer assistance in roleplay, to fully partake in future posts.
Through thick, endless fog and cold winds The Peregrinus once again makes way for the mysterious home of the 'Boar Dwarves' once more. Tis the later hours of the day as the island comes into view, The Peregrinus finds itself entering the same area that they left not too long ago. To the crew's surprise the camp is left completely untouched. A fair number of dwarves have inhabited the camp, investigating and picking apart all scientific instruments discovered.
Better prepared and more confident, the crew of The Peregrinus brings the ship close to them, setting anchor and disembarking a stone's throw away from the camp. Eric Jisz-Yaotl is the first to approach the camp, having shifted into a mirror image of one of the mysterious 'Boar Dwarves'. The short folk shuffle towards the crew, meeting them in the middle. One of the dwarves, seemingly their leader by the sheer excess of wealth strewn around on him and well groomed hair, makes his way towards Eric with caution in his eyes. The two exchange handshakes, forcing a wince out of Eric as the dwarf surely didn't hold back any.
Meanwhile the rest of the crew has been kept at spear point by the other dwarves, untill the universally appreciated gesture of gifts is presented to them from the Explorers.
The dwarven spearmen step back, positioning themselves to guard their leader, without a single verbal order being uttered. Vegetables, fruits and salted meats are offered up in tribute to the dwarves. Wool, goats and cooking utensils follow shortly after, much to the interest of the halfmen.
Next up come four individuals from the league, bringing their own gifts from their homeland.
Count Harric van der Veer brings bottles of cider from the island of the Angle Veer. The dwarven chief grins and offers his gratitude in the form of a nod, setting the bottles aside.
An unnamed crewmember steps forth next with a variety of medicine on behalf of Zaan Haaven. The medicine is accepted with open arms, the dwarven scholars in the group enthusiastically relieving it from the chief's hands.
Mackenzy Rosswell's whiskey brings joy to them all, laughter and approving thumbs being sent his way. The dwarven chief personally offers out his hipflask to Mackenzy, a silver container with dwarven runes akin to those found at the door inscribed into the sides, about the size of the average ailor's hand.
Lastly, the Songaskian Fathiyaa lays out fine silks and solacrox stones for the dwarven chief. He is not happy. Not one bit. With the flick of his wrist his guards march up to push the gifts back into her hands, waving her off dismissively.
After a relatively successfull exchange of gifts the dwarven Baron Ansgar Blackjaw makes his introduction to the chief and his men. The halfman clears his throat, proclaiming to them all in his finest native dwarven, "Well met, brothers. We come in peace and mean you no ha--", alas he is swiftly cut short as the chief rises from his chair, chortling heartily. "Moost fink us stingy bastids innit? Nae worries mate, we's speak common too ye? Giving ye's a hard toime's all, ho ho ho! Ye lads wantin' a pint?" He breaks his silence with, the dwarven guards also breaking into excited chatter, even mingling with the crewmembers.
The first team go join the dwarves in merriments and feasts at the camp for hours on end, while on the other side of the mountain the crew's scholars and scientists hunt for carnivorous moss. The second team is not keen on making the same mistake twice, as they don the finest protective gear they could get their hands on. After about an hour of searching under every rock and coral the moss is finally found. "Fetch the goat! The goat!" Dianne calls out, waving the designated goat babysitter forward. The poor goat struggles to keep his balance as the fumes set in, nearly falling on the grimy rocks several times before it reaches the moss. Tusrig Herdier encourages the weary goat to eat from the cyan growth, patting it on the back and being a generally good sport.
The whole team stare at the goat as her maw nears the moss, taking note of the leeches slithering out towards it. As the first leech makes contact with the goat its legs are sent into shambles, passing out in under half a minute as more and more latch on to the poor goat.
The goat rests its head in the moss, the leeches all gathering their attention along the arteries. The senseless cruelty to the animal gets an angry scoff out of Zaan, who takes the goat by the horns to lift her up and away from the moss. To the disgust of many, and the horror of Dianne, a foul web of black leeches reveals itself as the goat's head leaves the moss. Thirty.. Sixty.. A hundred and twenty.. Who knows how many are clinging on, but what they do know is that the goat is already anemic and the leeches have grown thicker. The slithering black worms creep out entirely from the moss as the goat is dragged away, revealing the now obvious fact that the leeches merely live in the growths. A couple of the leeches were left in a jar for further studies!
Samples of the moss itself are dissected by the careful eyes of Sanasacola and Ztril.
Hidden inside the growth Miss Lloablen uncovers the decomposing remains of a small fish and an empty crab shell. The moss looks to be attaching itself to the sea critters, slowly eating away at them, moving in at a slug's pace with a faint pulsating motion. Using the powers of deduction the Yanar determines that the unfortunate animal has been stuck in the moss for a month, where it has somehow been kept preserved. Pockets of eggs have been burrowed into the sides of the fish, likely belonging to the numerous leeches and worms living in the moss. Sanasacola explains her finds out loud to her colleague, which puts a curious expression on Ztril's face, who naturally sticks his Allar tongue into the moss.
He smacks his lips thrice, airing the taste and following every scientific protocol behind the notoriously bad idea of licking strange, unknown things found in nature. "Hrm.. Zlightly corrozive. Bitter, with a zickly zticky feel to it.. On a completely unrelated note, could go well with zteamed hamz.." He comments idly, scratching his chin in contemplation. "Steamed hams?" Marvin Bethell asks from the background, which Ztril dismisses with the flick of his hand. "It'z a regional dialect.. Anywho.." He gets back on his feet, concluding with."The aftertazte iz zickening, I'd be willing to bet thiz to be the zourze of the zmell. Cannot be zertain though, there iz more to thiz plant than meetz the eye."
While the duo above were busy licking and looking at their little corner of the moss, Zaan was settling down beside the soft, blue and deadly mat. The great Yanar's companion Apricot wobbles about his feet as Zaan initiates bond sharing with the moss, the rest of the crew quieting down to give him peace of mind during the endeavour. After a five minute long 'conversation' with the moss he shakes his head, grumbling out. "He's hungry. Always hungry. Has the mind of a predator, like a coldblooded wolf waiting to lure in his next prey. I wouldn't go as far as to call it evil, but it is certainly a malicious /prick/." Knowing the plant's nature he chooses not to let it grow further, merely looking at it with disdain as he waves the team along and away from the area.
The scientists rejoin the diplomats at the occupied camp a few hours later, discovering a loud party filled with laughs and wild dancing. Florian Lupenzi is held back by Fathiyaa and Mackenzy as a drunken dwarf spits out creative insults at every part of Florian's being.
Whatever has happened to bring such fury into the jolly man remains a mystery to be uncovered on the journey home. Which wouldn't be all too soon, for the Chief has grown tired of their presence after Baron Ansgar made an off-hand comment about Urdweld women's hairy breasts. At least there is a silverlining, the crew are now well aware that they've uncovered a Urdweld Hold. Despite all this the Baron's attempts at calming the Urdweld fall on deaf ears, as they've not a sliver of gold or silver to bribe them with. Getting a feel of the building resentment, the crew decides to board back on the Peregrinus with their finds, eager to come back with refreshed minds and even greater preparedness.
Through thick, endless fog and cold winds The Peregrinus once again makes way for the mysterious home of the 'Boar Dwarves' once more. Tis the later hours of the day as the island comes into view, The Peregrinus finds itself entering the same area that they left not too long ago. To the crew's surprise the camp is left completely untouched. A fair number of dwarves have inhabited the camp, investigating and picking apart all scientific instruments discovered.
Better prepared and more confident, the crew of The Peregrinus brings the ship close to them, setting anchor and disembarking a stone's throw away from the camp. Eric Jisz-Yaotl is the first to approach the camp, having shifted into a mirror image of one of the mysterious 'Boar Dwarves'. The short folk shuffle towards the crew, meeting them in the middle. One of the dwarves, seemingly their leader by the sheer excess of wealth strewn around on him and well groomed hair, makes his way towards Eric with caution in his eyes. The two exchange handshakes, forcing a wince out of Eric as the dwarf surely didn't hold back any.
Meanwhile the rest of the crew has been kept at spear point by the other dwarves, untill the universally appreciated gesture of gifts is presented to them from the Explorers.
The dwarven spearmen step back, positioning themselves to guard their leader, without a single verbal order being uttered. Vegetables, fruits and salted meats are offered up in tribute to the dwarves. Wool, goats and cooking utensils follow shortly after, much to the interest of the halfmen.
Next up come four individuals from the league, bringing their own gifts from their homeland.
Count Harric van der Veer brings bottles of cider from the island of the Angle Veer. The dwarven chief grins and offers his gratitude in the form of a nod, setting the bottles aside.
An unnamed crewmember steps forth next with a variety of medicine on behalf of Zaan Haaven. The medicine is accepted with open arms, the dwarven scholars in the group enthusiastically relieving it from the chief's hands.
Mackenzy Rosswell's whiskey brings joy to them all, laughter and approving thumbs being sent his way. The dwarven chief personally offers out his hipflask to Mackenzy, a silver container with dwarven runes akin to those found at the door inscribed into the sides, about the size of the average ailor's hand.
Lastly, the Songaskian Fathiyaa lays out fine silks and solacrox stones for the dwarven chief. He is not happy. Not one bit. With the flick of his wrist his guards march up to push the gifts back into her hands, waving her off dismissively.
After a relatively successfull exchange of gifts the dwarven Baron Ansgar Blackjaw makes his introduction to the chief and his men. The halfman clears his throat, proclaiming to them all in his finest native dwarven, "Well met, brothers. We come in peace and mean you no ha--", alas he is swiftly cut short as the chief rises from his chair, chortling heartily. "Moost fink us stingy bastids innit? Nae worries mate, we's speak common too ye? Giving ye's a hard toime's all, ho ho ho! Ye lads wantin' a pint?" He breaks his silence with, the dwarven guards also breaking into excited chatter, even mingling with the crewmembers.
The first team go join the dwarves in merriments and feasts at the camp for hours on end, while on the other side of the mountain the crew's scholars and scientists hunt for carnivorous moss. The second team is not keen on making the same mistake twice, as they don the finest protective gear they could get their hands on. After about an hour of searching under every rock and coral the moss is finally found. "Fetch the goat! The goat!" Dianne calls out, waving the designated goat babysitter forward. The poor goat struggles to keep his balance as the fumes set in, nearly falling on the grimy rocks several times before it reaches the moss. Tusrig Herdier encourages the weary goat to eat from the cyan growth, patting it on the back and being a generally good sport.
The whole team stare at the goat as her maw nears the moss, taking note of the leeches slithering out towards it. As the first leech makes contact with the goat its legs are sent into shambles, passing out in under half a minute as more and more latch on to the poor goat.
The goat rests its head in the moss, the leeches all gathering their attention along the arteries. The senseless cruelty to the animal gets an angry scoff out of Zaan, who takes the goat by the horns to lift her up and away from the moss. To the disgust of many, and the horror of Dianne, a foul web of black leeches reveals itself as the goat's head leaves the moss. Thirty.. Sixty.. A hundred and twenty.. Who knows how many are clinging on, but what they do know is that the goat is already anemic and the leeches have grown thicker. The slithering black worms creep out entirely from the moss as the goat is dragged away, revealing the now obvious fact that the leeches merely live in the growths. A couple of the leeches were left in a jar for further studies!
Samples of the moss itself are dissected by the careful eyes of Sanasacola and Ztril.
Hidden inside the growth Miss Lloablen uncovers the decomposing remains of a small fish and an empty crab shell. The moss looks to be attaching itself to the sea critters, slowly eating away at them, moving in at a slug's pace with a faint pulsating motion. Using the powers of deduction the Yanar determines that the unfortunate animal has been stuck in the moss for a month, where it has somehow been kept preserved. Pockets of eggs have been burrowed into the sides of the fish, likely belonging to the numerous leeches and worms living in the moss. Sanasacola explains her finds out loud to her colleague, which puts a curious expression on Ztril's face, who naturally sticks his Allar tongue into the moss.
He smacks his lips thrice, airing the taste and following every scientific protocol behind the notoriously bad idea of licking strange, unknown things found in nature. "Hrm.. Zlightly corrozive. Bitter, with a zickly zticky feel to it.. On a completely unrelated note, could go well with zteamed hamz.." He comments idly, scratching his chin in contemplation. "Steamed hams?" Marvin Bethell asks from the background, which Ztril dismisses with the flick of his hand. "It'z a regional dialect.. Anywho.." He gets back on his feet, concluding with."The aftertazte iz zickening, I'd be willing to bet thiz to be the zourze of the zmell. Cannot be zertain though, there iz more to thiz plant than meetz the eye."
While the duo above were busy licking and looking at their little corner of the moss, Zaan was settling down beside the soft, blue and deadly mat. The great Yanar's companion Apricot wobbles about his feet as Zaan initiates bond sharing with the moss, the rest of the crew quieting down to give him peace of mind during the endeavour. After a five minute long 'conversation' with the moss he shakes his head, grumbling out. "He's hungry. Always hungry. Has the mind of a predator, like a coldblooded wolf waiting to lure in his next prey. I wouldn't go as far as to call it evil, but it is certainly a malicious /prick/." Knowing the plant's nature he chooses not to let it grow further, merely looking at it with disdain as he waves the team along and away from the area.
The scientists rejoin the diplomats at the occupied camp a few hours later, discovering a loud party filled with laughs and wild dancing. Florian Lupenzi is held back by Fathiyaa and Mackenzy as a drunken dwarf spits out creative insults at every part of Florian's being.
Whatever has happened to bring such fury into the jolly man remains a mystery to be uncovered on the journey home. Which wouldn't be all too soon, for the Chief has grown tired of their presence after Baron Ansgar made an off-hand comment about Urdweld women's hairy breasts. At least there is a silverlining, the crew are now well aware that they've uncovered a Urdweld Hold. Despite all this the Baron's attempts at calming the Urdweld fall on deaf ears, as they've not a sliver of gold or silver to bribe them with. Getting a feel of the building resentment, the crew decides to board back on the Peregrinus with their finds, eager to come back with refreshed minds and even greater preparedness.
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