[Hourglass of Zihaja D&D 4e] Heroes on a Sea of Swords IC

[Chambers]

Jalil Farun

Following the Captain to her quarters Jalil sets her bag down by the entrance and sits down. She gives a slight nod of approval. Crafty. Not trying to deal in the sun, haggling like some street vendor, but where she's most comfortable, reinforcing her seat of power.

"There is motive...and then there is opportunity." she says. "My family depends on open trade through these waters. The threat of invasion makes business difficult, and helping to defeat these foreigners will help people relax, and relax their purse strings." She raises one hand and waves it lightly as if dismissing some unsaid objection."Profit is not the only reason, of course. There are many in the city that have certain narrow minded views regarding certain things. An example of force in their favor, showing how they're wrong might help to change a few minds. So, motive." She says with a sly smile.

"Regarding opportunity...I am not interested in being a pirate hunter foremost. I am interested in you, Captain. You've shown you are capable of making intelligent decisions, and without being hampered by small notions of prejudice. I wouldn't walk up to any ship at random because a paper was posted on some wall. My House is always interested in forming new partnerships...consider this a training evaluation, on both sides. I get to learn personally how you operate under pressure, and you can judge the value and worth of a possible future relationship with my House."

Jalil leaned back and pushed her hood back, letting her dark hair fall down. "As for my end of the bargain, I think you'll find I have many talents that will be useful to your ship and crew."

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Amirah, Living Swarm

Amirah dear, could you ask Duke to prepare some spicy tea for me and our guest?

The slight figure of Amirah is covered head to toe in the heavy fabrics appropriate for an unmarried woman. Not an inch of skin is visible. "Of course, Captain!Queen" comes the answer, the voice clearly young and quite happy. "Figment, go play" she says, and the strange beast at her side runs off, blurring the air around it.

----

Amirah knocks on the door at a lull in the conversation, then comes in carrying a tray, a teapot and some sturdy cups. "The tea, Captain!Queen" she says. Jalil can tell that the voice doesn't seem to be quite coming from the small figure, though. It's difficult to tell, since the mouth isn't visible, but the words are accompanied by... images, emotions, and rather alien concepts. Such as the way she says "captain" which suggests the idea of a queen bee of her domain, and revels in the pleasure of proper command structure. A lot of layered meaning for a simple word.

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OOC: Description is for the benefit of the new guys. I assume you know what Amirah is (what with it being given away in the title of each post), but since she was ready to go into the city, it is not immediately obvious to an observer. Apart from some weirdness when she walks, she hides herself well.

The talking is actually telepathy, although, again, difficult to tell mostly because it is unexpected, and with no lips to see not moving, difficult to spot. I'll leave it up to you to figure it out - the biggest clue is precisely those mashed!words. One of them is the word you hear in your head, the other the mental image conveyed - Amirah calls Shaur captain, but thinks of her as the Queen Bee of the ship

[Dekkah]

Alvah Nasab, Voice of Thunder

Among the dense crowd of Luardo's market, a tall and slender man is walking slowly, but appear to have a goal in mind. While he himself appear at ease among the people, he does stand out as out of place and many does notice it.

The first reason probably is his stature, as he stand nearly an head taller than most people around him.

The second is his gears marking him as an outsider, probably some travelling bard or adventurer by the look of it. Beside a filled backpack slung over his shoulder, his travelling cloak and used boots, the man wear a nicely crafted chainmail made out of linked coral and fish bones. Stowed in his belt, there is a high quality longsword and a dagger. The man also carry in his left hand an helmet decorated with intricate symbols, similar to the one on a ring he wears on the that same hand. The last feature of note that brand him as a bard is an harp hung to the side of his backpack.

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That isnt the perfect image, but it give a good feel of my character (I even changed his blad state and bought an harp to fit it

But in the end, what make him stand apart the most, making many people uneasy with him and steer away from his path is the fact that he isnt completly human. His skin is a light blue marked with some shade and weaves of white, his hair a dark gray with a slight greenish shade and his eyes are completly blue cracking with energy that look like a stormy night sky. For those with a little knowledge on the various races, that man is an half-marid.

While many people of the city are suspertitious and shun or simply pretend to ignore him, there is still a few who appear to recognise him and salute the bard. He return these greetings and give these few a warm smile. These people probably have seen him perform or heard of his stories, as he does in fact have some reputation, and probably know him as "The voice of Thunder" or simply "Thunder". Rare are those who know his true name here, Alvah Nasab, but those who do are either true friends or at least trusted allies.

As Alvah walk by a wall filled with poster, two words catch his attention : Midnight Mirage. The bard stop and start to read the poster, and as he does a happy smile appear on his face.
The Midnight Mirage. I guess Adimas is smiling upon me.

The Half-Genie then start to walk again, heading to the Harbor. Once there, he easyly spot the familiar boat among those docked. He walk up to the boat and up the ramp but stop as he reach the top, just a step away from the main deck.
He quickly scan the main deck for the captain, but she doesnt appear to be there at this point. He does spot the first mate and beckon him,
"I've heard that your short on crew members ... again. What are you doing to them?", ask Alvah teasingly.
"I happen to be free of engagement right now, if there still need, I'd like to board. Is Captain Al-Farid still here, or did you had her leave too?" From his wide smile, it is evident that the bard is teasing the first-mate and knows that the captain should still be around.

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Man long post.... sorry I'll try to be a little bit shorter in my replies next time :).

Also, I really hope that the first mate isnt a stuck up person... Alvah should know.... but I dont. If Alvah think knows he would be offended (simply annoyed still is ok), tell me, and I'll remove the joking attitude (as he would not have done it)...

[Shadow_Elf]

Kaal One-Eye
The grizzled old lizardman approaches the rail. Har! My one eye confirms what my ear holes already knew. Well if it ain't Thunder the Wonder boy, shouts down the first mate. Aye, the captain is aboard, though she's entertaining some noblewoman in her cabin. You can wait out here with me, Nasab, he adds. How did things go with yer mother, lad?

Captain al-Farid
Thank you, Amirah, says the captain as the tea is delivered. She sips the tea, touches two fingers to her forehead and dismisses Amirah via the telepathic link. The captain smiles her hungry grin, showing off her fangs. Would you care to illuminate me as to these talents, Lady Farun? Clearly you've more than a few drops of Djinn blood, and a powerful Merchant House, but neither of those mean much when the blades are out on the high seas.

[Dekkah]

Alvah Nasab
The half-marid get on board and shake Kaal hand. While there is some sadness in his voice, he seem quite at peace with the news he gives the first mate.
"I came home to late, she had already passed on as I got there. I still got the chance to bury her and learned how she've fared all these years. How have you guys fared lately? Any good catch?"

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Amirah, Living Swarm

"I came home to late, she had already passed on as I got there. I still got the chance to bury her and learned how she've fared all these years. How have you guys fared lately? Any good catch?"

Amirah steps out of the captain's chamber in time to see the new arrival stepping aboard. "Ooooh. Another new person. Congrats, Duke, your poster worked very well," she projects to those on board, specially to Duke, "We might soon have enough new Hunters!Defenders"

Figment jumps out of the hold, a rat in her mouth. She saunters over to stand by Amirah, drops the rat at her feet and starts meowing. Amirah is distracted by this, and she kneels to talk to her friend about her catch, full of encouragement.

[Chambers]

Jalil Farun

Frowning at such a casual mention of her heritage, Jalil says "A few drops, as you say, is enough...if you have the will to master it." Sipping from the spiced tea, she sets the cup and saucer down on the desk. Her hair begins to flow as if a breeze were blowing and the tea within the cup makes small waves as the agitation is clear on her face. "The idolatrous priests would have me bound in chains, if they were not cowards and did not fear both me and the power of my House. They call me a sorcerous, but they use it to try and brand me. Better luck in caging the wind itself."

Taking a deep breath and calming herself, her hair and teacup settles. "I would show you my talents, but Luardo would need a new dock." She smiles at the Captain and Medinah, a smile not of mirth but of joy in power. "The wind and storm answer to my calls. They are mine to command."

[Shadow_Elf]

Kaal One-Eye
I'm sorry to hear that, lad. Good that you found some peace, at least. While you wait, I suppose you might as well meet your new Hunters; a lot of crew members have changed in the decade you've been gone, Thunder. This here is Amirah, says the lizardman, gesturing towards the woman playing with the tentacled cat.

Shaur al-Farid
As Jalil elaborates, the captain casually leans back in her seat, the tips of her blue-tinged fingers touching. That's fortunate, as we've just lost the ship's sorcerer. But I see a lot of pride in you... if you want to work on my ship, Lady Farun, you follow my rules. I'll use your style and treat you politely, but make no mistake. I run this ship. I may ask your opinion on things and hold meetings with my Hunters, but in the end, command falls to me. You would be expected to listen to the orders of my first mate and quartermaster as well, and your birth gives you no standing above my other Hunters. Is this understood? she lays out calmly, watching her prospective recruit closely during her response.

[Chambers]

Jalil Farun

"Of course, Captain. I would expect nothing less." Jalil says with a sly smile. "My House relies on shipping for a majority of our trade; I know how to respect the captain of a ship." She shrugs and waves her hand aside. "On your ship, in your bailiwick, you are the authority. If I am prideful it is because I am sure of who I am, just as you are proud and secure as captain of your ship."

She leans back and sips again at the tea. "I certainly appreciate the cordial manner in which you've received me. Your reputation goes beyond mere skill in battle and on the sea." A pause, another sip. "As I understand it, the common law of the sea is that any crew member may choose to be paid off and leave at the next port. I don't foresee myself leaving that soon, but I'd like to know what your policy is regarding employment as I gather that there isn't a contract to sign."

[Shadow_Elf]

Captain al-Farid
You sign a contract, but it mostly just confirms wages. You are free to depart whenever we make port, and you shall be paid for time served, but this is not an inn. You don't check in and out at your leisure. I expect a certain degree of loyalty from my crew.

[Chambers]

Jalil Farun

She nods to the Captain. "Certainly. I did not mean to imply such. I understand the commitment, and I'm prepared to see it through." Taking a last sip of the tea she sets it back down on the desk. "Are there any other questions you'd like to ask, or have I passed the interview?" She says with a smile.

[Shadow_Elf]

Captain al-Farid
The captain muses for a moment. You know what? I need an excuse to take down those blasted posters. So even though I haven't interviewed any other magi, I'll take you on anyway, she replies at last, showing her fanged grin. Medinah, would you be a dear and show Lady Farun to Hakhpur's old quarters? She is welcome to do with them as she will. She stands, facing Jalil again. Are there any things you have to finish today, Lady Farun? We'll have a meeting tonight where you and whoever I scrounge up to be our medic will sign your papers and we'll decide our next move. Until then, you can do as you will.

[Dacia Brabant]

Medinah

Throughout the interview Medinah stood still and silent, even as she watched the haughty newcomer's every move and gesture. A beautiful but imposing figure of a human woman, Medinah stands over 6 feet tall in her stiletto heeled boots, but her more remarkable feature is her long flowing blue hair of a shade to match Captain Shaur's complection--odd since she bears no discernable genie heritage. She wears shimmering black leather armor that looks altogether too hot for this climate and keeps a longsword sheathed at her hip.

Only after the Captain made Medinah a request did she finally speak, and when she does the hollow, metallic voice that responds is a dead giveaway as to why that is.

"Affirmative. Lady Farun, please accompany me to your quarters," said the warforged as she moved to show the newest Hunter the way.

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Just for the record, the rule of thumb we've used is that if a character's passive Insight is higher than Medinah's passive Bluff (21 in disguise, 23 vs. Elemental creatures) then they see her illusionary form superimposed over her true Warforged appearance.

[Dekkah]

Alvah Nasab, Voice of thunder

The bard is surprised by Amirah way of communication, mostly by the hunter image. As Kaal introduce each others, he already was inspecting the woman and the unusual cat. The bard extend his hand for an handshake saying,
"Nice meeting you Amirah. That quite a nice friend you've got there. What is his name?"

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I am not sure I'll notice with passive perception what you really are (Pasive Perception 23). If I do, my reaction will still be the same BTW.
I'd like to try and identfy Amirah's pet, not sure what skill will be required so here a D20 and add the relevant kbnowledge skill. (1D20)[1]

[Dekkah]

((BUM'P - forum bug))

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Alvah Nasab, Voice of thunder

The bard is surprised by Amirah way of communication, mostly by the hunter image. As Kaal introduce each others, he already was inspecting the woman and the unusual cat. The bard extend his hand for an handshake saying,
"Nice meeting you Amirah. That quite a nice friend you've got there. What is his name?"

Amirah, Living Swarm

Amirah gingerly places her gloved hand in the offered one, but when Alvah grabs it, all he does is squash the glove, with no bones inside to hold the shape. "Sorry, I'm not good at handshaking," admits Amirah, apologetically. The glove quckly regains its shape once released. "This is Figment, and she's a girl," says Amirah, pointing at the bare floor on her left. The six-legged, tentacled cat, meanwhile, is staring at Alvah on her right. "She says you smell pretty, but I think that's just the animal skins you wear."

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Unlike Medinah's Passive perception trick, we don't have a rule of thumb for noticing Amirah's true identity. Up to you, really, but if you see through the disguise, all you'd notice that there seems to be insects under her clothes - I'm not sure any amount of perception would make you realise she's nothing but insects while she's fully covered.

[Dekkah]

DM
Crushing her hand, Alvah eye widden in shock, feeling bad as he thought he injured the woman, but then her apology makes the bard wonder what she could be.
"I'm sorry, I didnt knew you were...Alvah pause a second to look at her more closely then ask politely and truely intrigued, Actually, what race you exactly, if that isnt too indiscreet?"

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Lol, with that nice one, I gues I wont know her pet is a displacer beast either lol..

[Chambers]

Jalil Farun

Jalil stands up and straightens one of her bracelets that had become skewed. "I must send a letter to my brother, but no other business. Thank you." She says and raises an eyebrow at Medinah before following the woman out of the captains chambers. That is an odd voice.

Out on the deck she glances over at the blue skinned man now on the ship but makes no reaction, instead nodding to Amirah and continuing to Hakhpur's old quarters. She sees her pet out of the corner of her eyes, but goes inside before taking a good look. Were those....tentacles?

"Medinah, thank you." She says as she sets her bag down by the bed. "Not quite the estate at home, but serviceable." She turns back to Medinah and looks over the woman again. "Forgive me for prying, but aren't you hot under those leathers?" She waves her hand towards her boots. "And I'd imagine it's rather difficult to walk on a ship in high heels...but you seem to be managing well."

[Shadow_Elf]

Captain al-Farid
As Medinah leads Jalil belowdecks, the Captain emerges on deck. Upon seeing Alvah, she pauses for a moment, then smiles her fanged grin. Haha, its been a long time, Alvah! You don't seem to have aged a day, she laughs, walking forward to hug the other half-marid. What brings you aboard my deck? I thought you had personal matters to attend to.

[Dekkah]

Alvah Nasab, Voice of thunder
The bard return the hug and say,
"It is nice to see you too. And I must say you dont appear a minute older either. Wait is that a wrinkle!?"
Alvah make an overly dramatic face for about three seconds, then burst out laughing and wink at the captain.
"I did, but their done now. And I heard that you guys are low on crew again. If you still can stomac to sound of my sweet voice, I'd love to give you an hand here."

[Dacia Brabant]

Medinah

Medinah doesn't flinch under Jalil's inquiring gaze.

"I thank you for your concern, Lady Farun, but it is not necessary. The ordinary effects of the elements are of little consequence to a being of my nature," she replied matter-of-factly, then glances down at her footwear before adding, "And these boots, ostentatious as they are, are far more stable than they appear. Now if you are not in need of anything more, I will say farewell until this evening's meeting."

[Shadow_Elf]

Captain al-Farid
As it happens, we're in need of a new medic. I don't suppose you'd like to take the job, my friend? asks Shaur coyly, grinning.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Alvah Nasab, Voice of thunder
"I'm sorry, I didnt knew you were...Alvah pause a second to look at her more closely then ask politely and truely intrigued, Actually, what race you exactly, if that isnt too indiscreet?"

Amirah, Living Swarm

"Race?" Amirah sounds confused, "Well... bee, mostly. Quite a few fleas, too, since the last pirate ship. Lice, too - they were glad join Us, especially the ones in Vertasi. A few hundred ants that have been part of Us!swarm since the beginning. And a few cockroaches and grasshoppers."

After the captain suggests he stays for the job, Amirah speaks up, quite excited, "Oh, yes, stay! Nice music. We like the harp. The notes!subsonics give Us funny-nice feeling all over."

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Amirah, Living Swarm

[Some time later, once the introductions are over]

"Come on, Medinah, you promised," says a rather excited Amirah, her hand ineffectually pulling on Medinah's arm, "It won't take long, not if Figment isn't allowed to go, but We do need more mead."

The trip - as promised - is quite the whirlwind, with Amirah being as focused as an arrow on visiting every winery, tavern and drink shop as quickly as possible looking for the perfect mead. A few bottles disappear into Amirah's pocket in every stop, but whenever there is a jeweler or alchemist or any other shop selling glass and gems, Medinah can feel Amirah's concentration wavering, and needs to prod her away from it. Amirah's thoughts are always grateful for these prods.

Soon, they are back in the ship, and Amirah is quick to apologise to Figment, who is pouting in a dark corner, by dropping a couple of branches of some smelly plant in front of her. Figment attempts to look aloof, but the smell quickly overpowers her pride and soon they are playing together again.

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Plenty of mead put away; Amirah won't worry too much about it for some time. And yes, I did just bribe a displacer beast with catnip. Have been wanting to do that since pets were allowed in this adventure.

[Dekkah]

Alvah Nasab, Voice of Thunder
Noding to the captain, Alvah smile and tell her,
"Consider it a done deal Captain!"

As Amirah explain her nature, the bard gain some insight on her.
"So your actually made of insect, but you have a will of your own eh? Well you are quite interesting, can you tell me more about yourself, I love a good tale!"
The travelling bard appear quite interested more on the unusual creature story in front of him than on the simple fact she is a living swarm.
"I'll go get my stuff in my living quarters, then we can share stories."

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I am quite ready to skip ahead Shadow.

Amirah, you can keep roleplaying, but it also can simply be stated that we discuss... I'll tell you a bit about Alvah background in point form :).

[Chambers]

Jalil Farun

Jalil does not unpack, but leaves her traveling bag on the bed. Time for that later. Pulling one sealed letter from her bag she leaves the quarters and steps on deck, pausing to glance at the newcomer. "I've some small business to attend to. I'll be back shortly."

Walking off the docks, Jalil heads straight for her families small office at the port. It's near the docks, next to the warehouses, but nowhere near the size of their holdings at the City of God. Frowning at the sailors lounging on the stoop outside the office she snaps her fingers at them. "Go find shade elsewhere." Inside, she hands the letter to the office manager. "Send this on the next ship home. See that it reaches my brother." She tells the trembling manager, then spins around to leave.

Stopping right before the door, she looks over her shoulder at the man. "...and if this place isn't cleaned up...and I don't just mean your books, by the next time I come here, then I think my brother will have to make a personal visit. Believe me...I'm much nicer than he is."

Walking back towards the ship she glares at the sun and pulls her hood down lower. A dark storm would be the perfect send off.

[Shadow_Elf]

The Midnight Mirage, Luardo, Evening, Dhuqa, 33 of Teqir, AF 360
The Captain summons the Hunters old and new as well as her officers to the map room. The room is aptly named; sea charts are rolled up and laid out all across the room, and the only furniture is the table in the middle, around which the gathered pirate hunters stand. On the table is a map of the region of Luardo. The Captain begins the session when Kalam slips in, and chatter dies instantly.

Master Kalam, your report? she asks curtly, and the sleek-furred gnoll, bows, his long-nailed fingers flaring as he sweeps his arm across his chest.

But of course, Ilharess, my captain. First of all, the people of Luardo are happy that one of the leaders of the Corsairs has been ply'ussar, apprehended, and that it will be Luardo that tries Vertasi. Expect warm welcomes for the crew while we remain in port; the Corsairs have, thrityar, attacked, Luardo more severely than other cities, he begins. Our contract with the Guild to capture the Dvernin raiders has been neantakar, voided, as they have been apprehended and brought to justice. Prince Alaqila's Gift of the Matriarch beat us to them and have completed the kahzet, contract. They are still in port, but will be departing shortly to execute a kahzet from the Sultan of the City of God to kill certain she-da-zhong targets. I have consulted what sources I can, but without those connections I have in Muarzibet, I cannot ascertain whether they are our targets as well, he adds, still the epitome of formality. Finally, the whisperers in the street say that while they celebrate Vertasi's trial, they fear vharcan, retribution, from the Corsairs if she is executed. I have done some digging, and identified some information on the "pirate lords" our captive alluded to. The one I learned most about is Ahmed al-Faruq, known as the "Pirate Lord of Fear", whose black ship Vengeance has been terrorizing shipping lanes near Luardo. The King of the Corsairs is called "Raven", though whether that is his name or his title I am unsure. Another pirate was referred to as the "Pirate Lord of War", but I failed to find a name or one for their ship. In accordance with our recently completed contract, the Guild has offered us another contract for the arrest of al-Faruq. That is all I have to report tonight, my Captain. Though the gnoll seems to intersperse his speech with strangely accented gnollish, he typically follows such slip-ups with the correct Common word, so the Hunters understand the report despite Kalam's somewhat lacking language skills.

Very good, Kalam. Rahman, you also had information you wished to report? Have you had a chance to finish that research you wanted to do on the voyage back to shore?

Jalil or History 18:

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Princess Akhara Alaqila is among the most powerful of the Naranjadi merchant princes. The captain of the Gift is her son, Hak, whose ship is named for her. The Naranjadi may not exactly be a benevolent organization, but what Hak does in their interests is noble enough.

History 33:

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As the titles are rhymed off by Kalam, you realize there is a pattern. You have heard tell of an ancient people that predated the Admajai Empire, a utopian society that lived in the isles between She and Admaja. Supposedly, the secret to their happiness was that they locked away their most evil aspects with magic and flung them to the far corners of the earth. They were eventually destroyed by a she-da-zhong fleet when they refused to take up arms against the snake-men and were enslaved or killed. It was said that, unless slain in battle, these higher beings could even live forever. The aspects that they locked away were Lies, Greed, War, Fear, Ambition and Death, the latter of which rendered them immortal. If your theory holds, then there ought to be pirate lords of Ambition, Greed and Death as well.

[Dekkah]

Alvah Nasab, Voice of Thunder
As Kalam finish, Alvah cut in politely,
"I'm sorry captain, may I speak? The titles these pirates takes make me remember some legend I've heard. Quite some time ago, before the Admajai Empire, an utopian society lived in the isles between She and Admaja. It is said that the secret to their happiness was that they locked away their most evil aspects with magic and flung them to the far corners of the earth. Their downfall was at the hand of she-da-zhong fleet when they refused to take up arms against the snake-men and were enslaved or killed. I guess that cleansening their soul did remove their agressivity and it cause their downfall."
This last art sound more like Alvah interpretation of the legend than facts, and the bard shrug to the group before going on with his legend.

"The legend says that these higher beings could even live forever, unless slain of course. The part of the legend that fit with Kalam report is about the evil aspects that they locked away to gain their immortality : Lies, Greed, War, Fear, Ambition and Death. It might only be a coincidence, but if I am right, there probably is some other pirate lords of Ambition, Greed and Death. And assuming it is the case, the real question is : did they take those name simply because of that legend, or if there is some truth about these locked away aspects and the pirate found something about it. Lets just say that the magic required to actually do what the legend imply, split up our own soul, should be considerable."
The bard leave his line of thought unfinished and look at the people around the table to see their reaction and await their opinion on the matter.

[Reverent-One]

Kihtsah Darimil, Dervish of Adimas

As the rest of the crew conducts interviews and runs errands ashore, Kihtsah retires to his room to mull over recent events and record them in his journal. The fates of Qarab and Hakhpur feature predominately in his words (May that stoic cleric succeed in his quest). He joins the crew for the debriefing on schedule though.

"An interesting idea," Kihtsah responses to the new crewman's wondering, "But I think if the corsairs truly had access to such power, they would have greater aspirations beyond simply raiding. While tricky, Vertasi was merely a pirate in the end."

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Kihtsah Darimil, Dervish of Adimas

"An interesting idea," Kihtsah responses to the new crewman's wondering, "But I think if the corsairs truly had access to such power, they would have greater aspirations beyond simply raiding. While tricky, Vertasi was merely a pirate in the end."

Amirah, Living Swarm

"Yes, it sounds like the pirate!wasps are just copying the story. But like specialised members of a colony, the others may have their roles. Greed would be the one keeping the loot!honey, maybe. Lets go looking for that one!"