15[20:37] It's solidly night now, the sky clearing up enough to reveal the movements of the stars. With the tentative plan to set out at daybreak, the Four Fangs have an evening to themselves and to their hosts to learn, plan, and prepare. Rinca has not yet returned, by the time the spartan bulwark slides smoothly through the evening shift change in the watch. 15[20:38] How do they want to spend it? [20:40] 4Might as well go speak to...what's Grenseal's title again? Go speak to that guy. 15[20:47] 10He didn't mention it, but someone called him 'Wing Commander' earlier. One of the guards. [20:48] 4Nice! What's he up to? Is he brooding by a fire? That'll make things easier. Love a man who broods by a good fire. 15[20:48] He didn't mention it, but someone called him 'Wing Commander' earlier. One of the guards. Piu can find him brooding... by the well. [20:48] 4Ah well. [20:48] 4Hahaha! [20:49] 4Anyway. 15[20:50] He's quick to look up when he hears someone approaching, so it's not a very deep brood, or maybe he's just jumpy. "Lady Piu," he says. It doesn't sound jumpy, but then who really knows? [20:51] 4Cheerily: "It's just Piu!" 15[20:53] "Piu," he says. "I can't... think of an appropriately informal way to ask, 'how may I be of service?'." [20:54] 07Dryas searches out Cynis Rai. 15[20:55] Rai is among the wounded. There are many of them. Some of them are burned, some of them are nursing broken bones and the like. A few seem physically intact but lethargic or catatonic. [20:55] 4She giggles. "It's fine! Things are always kinda informal out in House V'neef, and even moreso out here. I'm just trying to get a feel for the land up here, before we try to do this diplomacy thing down in the mines. Shiroi seems a lil uptight." 15[20:58] Grenseal: "Yeah. It's been a rough few weeks. I think we're all a little bit... lay of the land is good. That's a good idea. Let me know what you want to know. If I can't answer, I can point you to someone who can." [20:58] 07Dryas is a little awkward among the wounded masses - unsure of herself. "Legionaries?" 07she asks her House-mate, quietly. [20:59] 4Piu: "I guess the big question is how's morale? Especially with the big guy, you know." [20:59] 4She indicates his clay...tent-kiln? [21:00] 4Which is presumably still lit up. 15[21:00] Rai's just changing the cold cloth over a burned woman's brow. "Some of them are. I'd guess about half at this point. The rest are conscripts. Farmers. Farmers' daughters. Fishers, potters." [21:02] 07Dryas's eyes scan the crowd. How many souls are here in this camp? "Is this, and whoever's in the mines, all that's left of the whole island?" 15[21:06] Budokan's clay field hut is still baking from within. Grenseal says, "We're surviving. That doesn't sound like an answer but it is. People are too tired to be restive. The fields are burned. Many of them lost their families to the cult. Others lost family in the fighting. Not much hope of real help until the rainy season ends and the Navy can come. We're just trying to get through each 15[21:06] day." 15[21:07] Rai: "I'm not sure. I don't know where else people could have gone. Not much grows out by the mountains. People could stick to the coasts and fish, but the catches are worse every year." [21:08] 4Not the moment to underline that the Navy isn't coming. "What's the appetite for peace, if it's on offer? Assuming terms that don't amount to like, concessions, but also don't mean all the high-up cultists get hanged on the side of the road." 15[21:09] Rai: "The Governor likes to remind us that however bad we have it here, they have it worse out there." 15[21:10] Grenseal: "Among the rank and file or among the leadership?" [21:10] 07Dryas: "Like everything else then, it seems." 07She knits her brows. [21:11] 4Piu: "How about the first one, then the second." 15[21:12] Rai wipes her hands and leads Dryas out of the rows of cots. "Spend a lot of time in warzones, Cousin Dryas?" 15[21:19] Grenseal: "I think most people just want things to go back to normal. There was a lot to complain about, a lot to be angry about... but seeing the costs of fighting puts things in perspective. I think people would be willing to forgive a lot to get that back." 15[21:20] "But I don't know if the leadership can ever reconcile. I don't see Budokan embracing Gu Len again. I don't see Mos or the lay preachers welcoming back the heretics. I don't see Shiroi forgiving the rebel legionnaires or the farmers who put her people to their axes and shovels." 15[21:20] "But I'm a pessimist; you should seek a second opinion." [21:21] 07Dryas: "When I was still Shy Plum, there was a big fire when I was visiting Maman. Something at the mill, the flour in the air can be as potent as firedust on a dry day. Well, I remember I wanted to show her a new trick I'd learned. Something or other. But Maman was busy, someone important had gotten burned. I thought I'd wait. But it was among the cots of all the peasants..." [21:23] 07She blinks a few times. "Anyway. After that, that's when I decided I didn't want to be a doctor like my maman." [21:23] 4Piu: "No, that sounds about right! You get to see a lot of leadership grudges up close in my House." [21:25] 07Dryas: "Sorry. No, nothing like this. Even when we were in a battle or two out here, there wasn't that many people left alive. Or we left, I guess." [21:25] 4Piu: "In the end, it doesn't really matter what's in their hearts! It's what they can stomach as leaders. Which makes me worry about Budokan!" 15[21:27] Rai watches Dryas contemplatively. "I remember, I was trying to buy a rug as a gift for my mother, on my first stipend after taking the Breath. The merchant wanted to haggle. I kept it up for a good half a minute and I just started crying. 'Poor girl, you've got no head for butting.' That was how I met Doctor Umara. The woman selling me the rug was her sister. You probably know Cerise?" 15[21:30] Grenseal: "Worry how?" [21:32] 4Is Grenseal a fire aspect? 15[21:32] Water, she thinks. [21:33] 4Piu: "It's not normal for one of us to be on fire this long." [21:33] 4Piu: "My mentor would say it speaks to an imbalance." [21:33] "With all respect, of course!" 15[21:35] Grenseal: "You hear stories, about really old, strong Dynasts, how their soul starts to consume them from within. We usually don't live as long as the General has. Especially not without being sorcerers. I bet Mnemon's beauty regimen takes all morning." [21:40] 07Dryas lightens up. "Cerise! Yes, auntie was like another mother to me!" [21:42] 4Piu: "Maybe so! But it doesn't really speak to us being able to bring back, like, an acceptable peace deal. Who knows!" 15[21:42] Grenseal: "You sound like a pessimist too." 15[21:42] "What are you hoping to see happen?" 15[21:44] Rai: "How bad is it out there? We haven't had word from civilization since the rain started. This is the worst time of year here even in normal times." [21:47] 07Dryas: "Things are... turbulent. Cynis Lena, at Brightwork, passed away just before we sacked the port." [21:47] 4Piu: "A return to production! If that means killing all the cultists, I guess we'll have to do that. I don't think we will. I'm pretty agnostic about everything else -- well, barring the institution of slave labor to work the mines. We're a pretty anti-slavery hearth, which might be surprising given we have a Cynis! But she's one of the good ones." 15[21:49] Rai: "Falen's daughter? Ah, hell. Were you close?" 15[21:51] "Do you know how it happened? Ordinarily being able to point the finger at the killer of a matriarch's daughter is a classic career-advancing maneuver... but I've never enjoyed anything in life as much as Her Royal Highness loves killing the messenger." [21:53] 07Dryas reaches for her neck and rubs her collarbone: "I gave the report to Falen, personally. Dreadful situation." 15[21:54] Grenseal: "Heh. Well, no slaves here. It's not economical, apparently. I don't understand economics but that's what I was told, anyway." [21:56] 4Piu: "Excellent!" [21:57] "That eliminates one major hurdle to eliminating the cultists, which is that they were right about barbaric but permitted practices going on here." [21:57] 4She glances at Grenseal. That is true as a general statement, riiight? 15[22:00] Grenseal rubs the back of his neck. "Well, I don't want to overstate. We didn't keep slaves, but that doesn't mean the peasants didn't have reasons to be unhappy. Like I said, there was a lot to be mad about, and when this is settled I expect there will be again." 15[22:00] "But... enough to fight like this? I don't know." [22:00] 4Piu: "No one fights like this for fun! It's either for a good reason, or otherworldly corruption." [22:01] *due to otherworldly 15[22:02] Grenseal: "Once you've had a taste of fighting like this, maybe your idea of what's a good enough reason changes. But then maybe not. The General's seen more blood than anyone alive, I bet, or close to it, and he's still the General." [22:04] 14She resists the impulse to let Grenseal know the fighting here, in both scope and brutality, is absolutely nothing special. [22:04] 4Instead: "So are there any hard lines on rebels that you, personally, could not stomach bringing back?" 15[22:05] Rai winces. "Condolences. Well, you made it out okay, seems like. Unless coming here was your punishment." 15[22:05] "Not what you expected to find, I take it?" [22:09] 07Dryas: "We heard rumors of a disruption, but I didn't expect to find anything like this. It's not as bad as my worst fears, though. So you're better off than that." 15[22:14] Grenseal: "No." He hesitates. "Well. Speaking personally, no. I'll bury the hatchet however deep we have to. But speaking politically? I don't know how the Chrysanthemums come back from this. They obviously can't return to their old positions after what happened. And who else would take in a powerful traitor?" 15[22:15] "Maybe..." He looks like he's about to say something, but then doesn't. "I don't know." 15[22:16] Rai: "Ah, yeah, that old adage, 'pray for a mine collapse, plan for necromancers'." [22:18] 07Dryas nods. "Just like that." 15[22:20] Rai: "Some people think the rebels are in cahoots with Skullstone. The Governor sees Skullstone in every shadow. I don't know. It's not what you hear these places that have fallen to death-worshipers are like. Thorns didn't send spies. Thorns sent a behemoth." [22:22] 4Piu: "Well, obviously there would have to be some sort of power-sharing agreement, and we'd have to figure out how heretical the cult actually is -- I want to see their side of the argument! -- before abiding them at all. And that might be unacceptable to Budokan! And it being unacceptable to him might prove some things about whether this is the sunset of his leadership, or if it's [22:22] already past dusk." 15[22:23] Grenseal: "You sound like you have an opinion on that already. Can I ask?" [22:26] 4Piu: "General Budokan has a long history of service! None of it points to amicable resolution of a plantation revolt." [22:29] 4Getting more 14serious: "And something he's not going to want to get used to, but that his senior staff should consider -- which will become clear when the Commodore comes ashore -- is that he is not in a position to give us orders, and we are not in a position to accede to capricious demands." 15[22:30] Grenseal looks rueful. "Well... I can assure you there is no appetite, among the senior staff or the rank-and-file, for a two-front civil war." 15[22:30] "Those of us who weren't born here came here to get away from all that back on the mainland and in the Threshold." [22:30] 14Piu: "That ship, so to speak, may have sailed." [22:31] "The political situation in the Realm hasn't gotten more stable since your last messenger from the east." [22:32] 07Dryas: "They certainly have spies a-plenty, whatever the Governor thinks. Perhaps the time for behemoths is not far behind." 15[22:35] Grenseal shakes his head. "I don't like the sound of that. Say, is V'neef taking defectors? There must be a warehouse that needs another pair of arms." [22:36] 14Piu: "I love V'neef and will never betray her while I remain in control of my hands and feet. That said, the House is opposed by a larger merchant fleet and is an especially scornful upstart to Mnemon's eye." [22:36] "So, maybe Nellens is a better bandwagon." [22:40] 07Dryas: "They aren't in control yet though. We stopped them at Brightwork, I think that will delay them for some time. If we use the time wisely, then I think the necromancers will find beating hearts defeat rotten ones." 15[22:45] Grenseal: "I'll get Ratel to put a word in for me when we see her. Do you know when she's coming? It must be hard to find a dock now." [22:47] 14Piu: "It is. We got driven off the shore, actually! But we've secured alternative transportation in and out. Budokan will be angry that it's just her and an advisor arriving, but there aren't any divisions on our ship that could be coming to shore in the first place." 15[22:49] Grenseal's expression changes. "Advisor." [22:50] 14Piu rolls her eyes. "She's a Cynis in good standing. It's just, you know. They didn't really send us out here with well-defined roles." 15[22:50] Rai: "That's the spirit we heard on display at dinner! You know it takes some talent to make losing your ship and washing up in a tourist trap sound like salvation." [22:50] "I'd probably introduce all four of us as advisors too." 15[22:51] Grenseal: "Caxi does love euphemisms." [22:51] 14Piu: "Oh! You know her. So I don't have to talk around the sorcery." [22:53] 07Dryas: "We've defeated deathknights, sealed a demon of the second circle beneath a hundred tonze of rock, and beaten bizarre creatures, like a stone scorpion the size of a cottage. But it's the simple stuff that inspires, I find." 15[22:53] Grenseal: "I don't know if I'd say I know her. But we're acquainted. Might be nice to have people who can unpick whatever bullshit Rikai's gotten into to make the land move like this." 15[22:54] Rai chuckles. "Ah, a master of the humble-brag as well. Belar couldn't have done it better. You'll go far." [22:54] 14Even better, then: He's both presumably unaware of her less-tolerated sorcererous extracurriculars AND she's unlikely to sulk/want to kill him on sight like with Sho. [22:58] 07Dryas: "Just keep whatever it is you're doing here. I don't know how you're managing it. And you even had time to help my horse, which I appreciate." [22:59] 14Or...she keeps it off her face. [22:59] 14Something in the tone and the evasion. He's not a disappointed suitor. Or not merely one. [22:59] 14Hmmm. [23:01] 14Neutrally: "Is she going to be a problem for you? I'm sure she'd be happy to just stay on the little flying cloud." 15[23:01] "Like Doctor Umara likes to say, it's a good thing people keep getting sick, or else I'd have to get a real job." Rai grins. 15[23:03] Grenseal blinks. "Problem?" He sees her face. "Oh, no. She's just, you know." 15[23:04] "Like you said Lady Dryas is one of the good ones. I believe it." 15[23:04] "Cynis Caxi is not." 15[23:04] "But you're sharp. You don't need me to tell you that." 15[23:05] "I've got to trust in your ability to self-police. We're not equipped for anything else." [23:05] 14Piu grins. "I still like to hear it. I don't cultivate compliments on my intelligence." [23:05] 14Something's up with this guy. Whether or not he's recruitable remains to be seen but...there's a lot of grievance here. 15[23:08] Grenseal: "I can imagine it's not the first thing people notice. First is your love of justice, obviously." [23:09] 14Piu: "Oh, yes. Both of them." 15[23:10] Grenseal eyes Piu, though not in the way men tend to. Mostly not the way men tend to. "Something occurs to me." [23:11] 14Piu: "Mmm?" 15[23:16] Grenseal: "Well, if you're well-supported by a big crew, and you're sympathetic, or at least open to reconciliation with the rebels... you could probably come bearing gifts. That'd help. Obviously you don't have a shipment of food or medicine to spare, or something, but one thing I know they need is teachers. If you have people who speak Realm and Seatongue, that'd be willing to put 15[23:16] in that kind of work for strangers... I think the Chrysanthemums would look favorably on that." [23:19] 14Piu doesn't narrow her eyes or give any outward indication of suspicion...because that would indicate she disapproves of what she suspects is actually going on here. "I think that's an excellent idea!" [23:20] 07Dryas: "Well, keep an ear out and put in a good word for us if you get a chance. What were you doing before all this happened, anyway?" 15[23:22] Rai: "I spent most of my time up north, at Cinder Hearth. I'm back down come winter, when the wind off the Pole gets sharp and people get sick. But when the weather is fine, people need healing from mining accidents." [23:23] 07Dryas: "Cinder Hearth is one of the mining towns?" 15[23:24] Rai nods. "I don't know what they're doing for care now. The mine's been cold, far as we can tell by looking towards the plateau at night, so maybe nobody's legs are getting crushed. But those monks are shit medics." 15[23:24] "Pardon my Riverspeak." [23:26] 07Dryas: "What are they good at? Theology? Commotions? The exquisite art of the daiklave?" [23:29] 14Piu: "What we're looking for here, really, is a resolution. We want it along certain lines, yes...but we want it resolved. And permanently so. At least, permanence for the predictable future. The docks need to have jade on them. And when we say this, we recognize the easiest route to it is: everyone that can be satisfied, is satisfied." 15[23:29] Rai: "They're Wyld Hunters from way back. Gold and silver skins on their belts. White-Winged Dove and her longboat raiders. I don't know if you can be 'good' at theology. It always sounds like they're just making things up to me." [23:29] "If we have to get creative about how that looks..." 14She lets that hang. 15[23:29] Grenseal: "Yeah. That makes sense. I'm very curious what you all come up with." [23:34] 07Dryas: "I've met one - one - monk who didn't sound that way. And of course, plenty of deluded fools who seem certain in heresy, all the way until they get possessed by demons or torn to shreds by what-have-you." 15[23:36] Rai: "Part of me hopes that's what's going on with the gang of four. They've been possessed or perverted by some horrible old power. That'd make this nice and tidy, wouldn't it?" [23:38] 07Dryas, definitely not thinking about any deathknight pirates, Guilder servants of Onyx, deals made with silver anathema, golden anathema ignored, etc.: "Yeah. Definitely." 15[23:42] Rai: "How are you holding up? Not exactly Pangu out here." 15[23:42] "Even when it's not burned down." [23:45] 07Dryas: "We've found smaller places worse off. Here, I think we have a plan. We can try to get a political solution. Or we find another solution. This mess with elementals heaving boulders about is unacceptable, won't last." 15[23:50] Rai: "I think you're right. Eventually you run out of other people's rocks." [23:50] 14Piu: "Anyway. I'm excited for what this island's gonna look like after we manage to put this unpleasantness to rest. I get the feeling you might have reason to be excited too. ...I'll keep working on Shiroi." [23:51] 14She's aware of his weirdly inverted, ah, fondness for the woman, and hell, she seems competent. Let's try to get her onboard too. 15[23:52] Grenseal: "Good luck. I've only ever seen two people be able to change her mind about something, and one of them's dead. The other is the General." [23:53] "I'm sure we can work something out." 14We better; I doubt you'll be real fond of the alternative, kid. 15[00:15] NEXT TIME: Vision