[Official NPC]

Danae wants eggs. Ohani eggs. And just as Faris surmised, such eggs are jealously guarded. "Since the odds are already stacked against you, as promised, I shall provide a means of transportation. I'll even give you a crew." Danae's flair for the dramatic knows no bounds: With a sly smile, he spreads out an arm and a harpy yanks open one of the shutters blocking the late afternoon sunlight from streaming into the temple. It is difficult to see through the small gap, but Danae leads the group outside to reveal what he calls a skyboat. "The Ohani gave it to me as an offering." He pouts. "Why they think a god has need of a flying boat, I will never understand." He stomps a foot on the hard deck. The material feels like blubber to the touch, but is stretched taut over something solid. "I specifically asked for an egg!"

In the three days since, the temple group has travelled to Vynett to reunite with the rest of the vanguard and the rescue party. The skyboat makes the journey in just over an hour, but is caught up in the Malaki attack and the clean-up afterwards. The trip to the portal is similarly short by comparison, but still gives the group time to discuss their options and tend to their injured en route. In no time at all, the skyboat is flying over the oceans of Neluna toward a vast city of pyramid-like narrow towers. As the harpy crew lands the skyboat on a shiny black platform at the base of the city, the discussion spills over into a full-blown argument.

"You seriously want to try asking them for an egg?"

"Why not? I mean, look at this place. They're obviously pretty advanced. They'd probably understand."

"Like Mikel didn't try that already? And look where it got him!"

"Oh Xanth, ew. Don't remind me. And we don't even know if that's what he did."

"So we ask."

"And they say no, and then what? They suddenly know why we're here so they're on guard, making it even harder to steal one instead. I say we just go for the thieving first off."

"And I suppose you know where the eggs even are, then, genius?"

"Well, no. We'd have to find them first."

"And while we're poking around their city, these Ohani things are just, what, watching with a smile on their faces?"

"Duh. Someone acts as a decoy, like we're here to trade, and we look for the eggs under the guise of exploring."

"That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard."

"Oh, oh, and I suppose asking for an egg works, then, does it? Who's the idiot here?"

"Well, it's either that or your hare-brained scheme or I say we just take off and forget the whole thing. There's no guarantee we're even infected."

"So you want to just abandon the people who are? And you heard what Danae said. He said we're all already dead, like he knows something we don't. What if we are infected and we just don't know it yet?"

"That guy is a whacked-out nutjob. He'd say anything to get us to do his dirty work. If he was a real god, like he says, why doesn't he come over here and get the eggs for himself, huh?"

"I dunno, but do you really want to chance it? I say we assume everyone's infected and act accordingly."

"So we ask."

"No, you ass. We steal it!"

The skyboat hatch opens and the harpies lower the gangplank. A small group of Ohani are waiting on the platform. One is garbed in delicate fabrics and wears a friendly smile, the rest are clad in bone armour and from their aggressive poses seem to be her guards. She speaks to a harpy in a foreign tongue, then tilts her head in curiosity when she spies one of the Elysians. There is a wealth of questions written all across her pale green face before she even says anything, and as if recognising that the group cannot understand her words, she gestures for them to descend the gangplank onto the dock. "Welcome," she says in her alien tongue. "Welcome. You are here, why?"

Note: Don't forget to worldbuild as you plot! You can now also create/join side threads to explore events through Chapter One to Four, or to finish previous chapter threads.

Vanguard Members

PCs will be added to this list as they join. If NPCs (italics) do not already have profiles linked and are not personal NPCs, you can make them up as you go and their listed vitals will be updated per chapter. Struck-out names means they are dead or have left/not yet joined the main party.

Aella Karakinos — Unaffiliated Ayad, blacksmith's apprentice (inactive, following)
Aiden Roy — Therian (inactive, following)
Aifric Ramsey — Therian Cartographer
Alain Gaston-Moreaux — Red Warden
Faris ibn Alsyad — Purifier rep attached to LoP
Ionia Essytia — Skotadi representative, League of Adventurers (inactive, following)
Kiel Taskel — Rutilus, League of Protectors
Maaike Sullivan — Therian scout, LoP-attached mercenary
Mortimer Jericho — Peteulanus, supplies & logistics, translator
Nimisha — Sidhe forest guide for unmapped areas
Captain Olympias Lysistrata — Apali, Varagoi, no-nonsense, stereotyper (died at Vynett)
Raphael — Djinn bodyguard and hunter attached to Ionia
Ninian Aedh — Therian enforcer attached to Jericho
Shane — Shadowkin attached to Kiel
Clara Moreaux — Feisty adventurer, Alain's wife
Rahil'Taj ibn Murad — Zanaryan Dao, Serren scribe, scribe
Na'im — Djinn attached to Rahil
Jael — large Zanaryan attached to Rahil
Zephyr Cairbre — antisocial Rutilus
Diana — Peteulanus attached to Zephyr
Elias — Aurumus attached to Zephyr

Current Objectives

• Acquire those eggs!

Chronology

This chapter will end out of character at midnight (GMT) on the 11th of September. In-character, the events of this chapter will last one week.

The skyboat is made of reinforced bone with a blubber skin. It is powered by a crystal and can both levitate (it has a max height of one hundred feet above ground level) and float on the ocean like a regular ship. See here (bottom right panel) for an idea of what they look like.

[Faris]

Neluna was a watery place indeed. The skyboat had given them a remarkable aerial view of the waterscape. For Faris it was an eye-opening sight. He had never actually bothered with learning how to glide; Los had a dearth of structures tall enough to take off from. Seeming endless shades of deep blue had stretched out before them but the surface, while glassy, was nowhere as still as the marsh-waters of Los. Faris could sense the roiling of a sea that was constantly in flux. An unknowable number of seastorms were raging here, as evidenced by the faded tremors the Marid felt with his ability. Their journey was relatively uneventful however; the skyboat staying out of the way of any possible storms as approached a speck of distant black.

During that time, Faris had quietly obtained a strip of cloth from one of the party. He was not particularly injured, but the seemingly insatiable itch on his arm was getting to him. So much so that if left open, he was likely to scratch it to the point of bleeding. Definitely not a welcome sight when tensions were stretched taut over an mysterious blood-related disease. Faris had no intention of being forced to walk the plank, on a flying ship no less. So he tied the cloth around his arm, hiding the redness from sight.

The distant dark speck turned into blob of blue-grey as they got closer. Parts of it were lighter than others and Faris swore he saw the glinting of something when he tilted his head just the right way. Then the blob grew even more, becoming more defined. It now looked like the tail of a spine-tailed cat. Piercing into the sky, the structures were much narrower than harpy' eyries that had been in the Temple, and very likely to be taller as well. By the time the skyboat had landed, Faris was forced to crane his neck as he squinted to stare at the the top of the buildings. From this view, the spiking buildings resembled crystalline fangs; it was as if Faris was looking out from within the maws of a carnivorous beast.

Stepping out from the sky boat, Faris gave a polite half-bow of greeting to the Ohani who had come to meet them. He did not bother with a verbal reply; it was obvious that the people of Neluna used yet another unknown language, and Faris had little patience to even bother with attempting to introduce himself. Especially with the way his last try went. There were other people in their party who were far more linguistically inclined than he. Let them do the (telepathic) talking.

Resisting the urge to scratch at his bandaged arm in irritation, he wandered to the edge of their landing zone. Where the shiny black material ended, water begun. He plunged the hand of his other arm into the waters, investigating its composition. Water was water and he was able to manipulate even the dirtiest of sewer waste, but not all water was good for drinking. And not all foreign water was good for Elysian/Zanaryan drinking. It as better to check now than to accidentally keel over from drinking a water carelessly obtained from a foreign environment.

Spoiler

OOC: Permission to have something good/bad/?? happen to Faris' hand given in advance. Anyone can be the person Faris got his cloth from; I left the person unnamed because I didn't want to Gmod. The off-screen exchange is preferably unseen/discreet, but as always, characters are free to flap their mouths about it afterwards ;D Oh and COME WORLD-BUILD WITH MEH

[Rahil]

“Fools.” Na'im whispered to the curious Rahil, who had just barely kept up with the Elysian argument. “They are divided regarding these eggs we've been sent to retrieve. None can agree as to how we're going to get them.”

“They are divided?” Rahil inquired, raising his head from his scribe journal. He was currently in the process of making a small sketch of the city, where he may write further discoveries regarding the land around him. He planned to learn as much as he could before acting, especially given that they were in foreign land. To Rahil's knowledge, they were actually sent to retrieve, or more likely, steal some sort of baby. In fact, numerous ones. His people severely punished such an act, and Rahil had no doubt the same would occur here.

“This is no good. If our intentions are revealed too soon, then these creatures--” Rahil spat, hardly seeing the Ohani as an equal to Zanaryans. They may be sentient and apparently organized, but so were the barbaric Elysians. “--will make our current mission far more difficult and time-consuming to accomplish. As I understand it, some of the Elysians don't have this time.”

“Which will likely cause them to act too soon.” Na'im agreed. “We can count on that. I heard that these Elysians couldn't even wait for backup in the skirmish in their own homeland.”

“And that is why you'll be keeping an eye on them.” Rahil declared, watching Faris ibn Alysad already move past the first of the creatures. Na'im followed his gaze, and then rolled his eyes at the comment. Jael merely nodded in confirmation. “I'll go check on our possible 'friend.'”

Rahil tailed the Zanaryan to the edge of the landing zone, observing the bluish fluorescent light dance on the water just below the platform. The reflection of Neluna's dark skies revealed little about the water from sight, although he could see a similar lighting some of the aquatic life as that were adorned on the towers within the landscape.

Strangely enough, the Zanaryan before him and the structures in Neluna reminded him of Zanarya, and the various elemental towers within its own Temple. A home he might not be able to return to. However, he noted most that there was very little land in the region. In most cases, he felt empowered by the large masses of earth that many claimed as home. He noted the hard skeletal structure of coral, which he felt was far less stable than actual earth. It might've just been him, though. Instead, he focused on the area around him, especially on the far reaching towers. To his surprise, he also noticed that in some cases the towers seemed to be built under the ocean, as well. If Elysia and Zanarya were lands where earth was the greatest blessing, then certainly this world was one for those devote to the water, Rahil noted with awe. Despite this, the watery depths and high piercing towers of Neluna left him awkward. Vulnerable.

It was this feeling, along with the battle in Vynett, that lead to Rahil deciding it was best to find allies within the Elysian group. He was unsure, however, of what the Zanaryan before him would be like. Na'im told him that he knew of Faris, and revealed that their Families were not in bad standing, at least. In Zanarya, the meeting would be a comparison of many of such relationships. Knowledge of their standing as elementalists, as well as their Lords, would be necessary. Often, this would lead to high paid informants, as whoever knew more would control the meeting. In this case, though, none of such measures by which to manipulate the conversation were available. Rahil was torn between disliking the lack of control, and appreciating the freedoms it brought. He was sure his wife would enjoy it, at least, but it was not of her station to be on such a mission.

“Hello,” Rahil began in his native tongue, watching Faris make his observations regarding the water, and then introduced himself with his full name. He offered as little as he could, in the usual friendly and even tone of a politician and watchful eye out of training. It was standard to allow the other a chance to speak, after all.

[Maaike]

The mild headache Maaike had suffered almost constantly since the temple had escalated until she felt like the top was going to burst off. At first, she blamed the incessant hiccups (which Kiel had apparently found hilarious for the first half hour after their unwanted reunion), but then she started to notice other things. The sore throat was worse, again something she could blame squarely on the hiccups, and of course the breathlessness and even the fatigue. But the nose bleeds were something else, and though she tried to hide them, already some of the others were beginning to look at her funny. They knew she was infected. If anything, she was the only one they knew for sure because none of the others had outright touched the mist themselves. But they still looked at her with suspicion, like she was going to burst any second.

She kept an eye on Faris almost desperately. He was closest to her in terms of contact with the stuff, so his symptoms — or hopefully lack of — were a sign of just how potent this sickness was. Despite the show and tell back at the temple, Maaike was clinging to the hope that, even if she was beyond help, the others could be saved or weren't even in danger to begin with.

Stepping down the gangplank, Maaike sidestepped into the large shadow cast by the skyboat in an effort to look inconspicuous. If these Ohani things, what were they? Half fish? If they saw her and realised she was infected, who knew how they'd react? Mikel's failure suggested at least one person had been to snatch their eggs already, probably more given Danae's frustration. Knowing that, would they welcome her or throw her off the dock?

“Hey, Faris, I wouldn't get too close to the edge.” Maaike sniffed and blotted a faint bead of blood from a nostril with the end of her finger, scowling at it. Her voice was hoarse. “If this place is anywhere as dangerous as Elysia's oceans, you could be baiting a snark for all we know.”

[Jericho]

And once again, the onus was on him to serve as translator and ambassador by proxy. Or rather, he was no longer alone in the telepathy department so they could realistically share the duties but when he suggested it to Mister Moreaux the warden had explained he couldn't project yet. The temptation to have a blistering tantrum right there on the "skyboat" had been staggering.

“Greetings.” He inclined his head toward the strange green bipeds, his curiosity getting the better of him. He could barely hide his distaste as his gaze raked them head to toe. Elysia was full of astounding variety, but this was more than simple 'Varian arrogance. Something about these creatures felt completely unnatural to him. “I am Mortimer Jericho. I...” He glanced at Misha to find the Sidhe gazing back at him, a little like an adoring puppy. The Nereid hadn't let go of his arm for more than five minutes since Rusty's death. “I suppose I represent these people. We, well.”

This was the moment of truth, and he turned to look at the others one after the other. He didn't want the decision to be all on him, and he broadcast as much with a silent arch of his left eyebrow. So? What do I tell them is the reason for our visit?

[Faris]

The water was not potable, Faris concluded regretfully. The mineral content was too high; the salts themselves were a problem too. They were sure to be of a different nature than those found in Zanaryan and Elysian waters. Drinking this water would be like drinking sea water, with a bit of extra added in. He would have to remind the others to politely refuse any offered beverages. Purifying would be a simple enough of a matter however, since the base liquid was still water and not something wholly different like oil.

The sound of something that was not only understandable but also familiar brought Faris out of his contemplations. He straightened almost immediately, just in time to listen to the Rahil's introduction while upright. This was going to be a somewhat politically charged meeting, just going by the proud set of the Dao's wings. Far more formal than if he were speaking with more naturalised Zanaryan, at least. The use of a full name was not lost on Faris either, and the Marid sighed inwardly. There was no way he was going to simply pass as an "Alsyad-al'Espur", especially not when the other person belonged to a Great House. It was expected that Rahil Ibn Murad would know of his true name. Giving a smile several shades fainter than Rahil's, he gave his own full name, introducing himself as "Zain" rather than Faris.

The Marid was a bit at a loss as to how to continue the conversation; he was never loquacious in the first place. As far as Faris was aware of, Saab and Taj crossed paths rarely. Zain would have been a lot more sure of the nuances, of course, but this particular Son of Farouk had spent far too long as Faris and not Zain. And Faris was someone who tried his very best to stay out of the nitty gritty that was Zanaryan politics.

Maaike unknowingly bought him some time to gather his thoughts, giving him a legitimate excuse to remain silent for a while longer. He winced at her warning, but not because of the raggedness of her voice. Rather, the chagrin was directed at himself. He really needed to get a better grip on his curiosity; self-preservation was a top priority here. Nodding his thanks, Faris moved away from the edge of the landing pad before continuing the conversation he had with Rahil. In Zanaryan, of course.

"I propose we lull the Fish-folk into false complacency; pretend to negotiate while expressing an interest in this magnificent city. Better to be handed an outline of the city on a silver platter than stumbling around in the dark when the negotiations fail. Your thoughts?"

It was not a particularly elegant reply, nor was it proper. They were not in Zanarya however, and going through all the usual formalities and posturing was inefficient at best. And as for possibly offending Rahil Ibn Murad, how much of an impact could an estranged middle son's words make on House relations?

Spoiler

OOC: I think Faris would've made his reply after at the same time Jeri asked his question, but afterwards. So yea that's his answer.

[Kiel]

“Hey, hey, like, you think they'll let us take this thing home with us when we're done? Like, maybe we can stop off at the Malaki's place and be all, like, drop flash grenades and freeze bombs on them from the air and stuff, you know? Wahahahaha that'd be sweet, like, holy fish, look at this place!” Kiel's jaw gaped and his steps slowed as he, like, descended the gangplank and moved towards the group of Ohani waiting for them. His head swivelled on his shoulders like some kinda swivelly thing as he looked around and up and down and around some more. Like, the buildings were freaking huge, man, for sers! And, like, the platform looked slippy because of the shine, but when he tried a running slide he just kinda stuck. Either the grip on his boots was, like, mega awesome or it just wasn't as slippery as it looked. That was good, though. Like, he didn't want to fall right off into the vast ocean, you know? He could swim but, like, he couldn't swim that good, okay?

“Ah!” His right arm jerked up to point. The was in a make-shift sling. Like, they'd used up a bunch of healing pots on the skyboat but, like, they'd tried not to use too many so he was grinning and bearing through the ache. He was damned lucky to have survived. Like, if that platform hadn't been there or had been lower down, he'd have come away with wayyyyy worse than just a broken arm, you know? “Didja see that? Didja see that?!” Aifric looked where he was pointing, but the thing was already gone. “There wasa shadow. Like, it was huge, man! Like, for sers! A shadow! And it was thiiiiiis big!” He stretched his arms out but, like, they weren't even remotely wide enough to give a proper idea of the scope of the beast that must have cast it. And, like, okay, Elysia's oceans were full of kraken and giant walruses and stuff, but, like, somehow this whole place seemed way more scary, you know? Like, the sky was a weird colour and so alien with a giant, like, planet looming over them and crazy clouds and, like, he'd said it before but he couldn't get over how huge the buildings were, you know? “They must be giants,” he whispered conspiratorially to whoever would listen. “Like, the people who built this place, they had to be giants, right? Like, freaking huge, man, for sers.” He was somehow more creeped out by the size of the city than he was by the thought of being infected and dying a horrid, explosive death.

He tugged on Zeph's vest, feeling dwarfed and insignificant and lacking in his usual bravado. “Man, I wanna go home. Can we go home? Just, like, tell them what we came here for and let's just go home, okay?”

[Rahil]

Rahil, although annoyed by the circumstances, took the development in stride. He considered how to bring the conversation from introduction to actually gathering information on the group as the Therian approached Faris, mostly ignoring him, despite him giving a small bow in greeting. Rahil stood with amusement to the fact that apparently, she'd not noticed his stench yet. Normally the uncouth Elysians regarded him as if he were the disgusting one. They'd apparently had yet to encounter their own people. A blonde Dracovarian had walked past him on the skyboat, breaking wind right in the middle of his sketching, holding her own nose all the while.

Meanwhile, he noted that this was the very woman most avoided, due to her acquiring a certain kind of disease. Rahil stood his ground, though. Everyone in the group would most likely die anyway, if left to brave Acantha or the possibly hostile fish folk, so he felt there was nothing to fear. Of course, he also hadn't been in the Temple.

Regardless of such concerns, Rahil noted the difference in use of names between himself and the Therian, as well as her familiar tone when speaking with the Zanaryan. If Zain of House Saab wished to be called by “Faris”, then Rahil would have to decide whether to abide by such a rule. Throwing away one's heritage tarnished one's family, as well as oneself. Rahil felt that he couldn't imagine such a thing; Then found that he could, but would only accept it in escape from something. Rahil considered the thought, and made sure to note to explore it at a later point in time. Feeling sure that he couldn't reply in Elysian tongue for the newcomer to understand, he continued in Zanaryan.

“Perhaps," Rahil admitted. "I would be quite pleased to indulge myself in the wonders this city holds, that much is true. However, these people have already encountered one person looking for their eggs, and no doubt would not need to deliberate another refusal. Furthermore, we could only rely on the reputation of our...employer, if we were to reveal ourselves completely. It may be best to offer them information about Elysia and its goods, although some of us may not have the time to bring such a thing.”

Rahil didn't mention Zanarya. He had no intention of leading more of the other races to his people.

"There are other considerations. Some of us, including one of my companions, desire to placate the 'fish folk' and take one of the eggs as soon as we find out where they are kept." Rahil said, deciding to press on. He would not be able to receive information without offering some of his own, so a more open and casual tone would be necessary. "Whichever path we take, these creatures hold the advantage of being at home, so our people must agree on our course of action. Our own history has many examples of what happens to foreigners caught in the midst of enemy territory. Do you believe our people might agree with one another, Zain?

Ah, pardon me, would you also prefer Faris instead?"

Spoiler

"Poor Rahil", he has no idea about what Misha did before

[Jericho]

Fine, then. If none of them were going to tell him what they wanted him to say — beyond that entirely useless circular argument back on the ship — he'd just introduce them as he saw fit. And since he was sick of the fighting (even though he'd managed to avoid the worst of it in Vynett, and stayed on the skyboat when they returned in the middle of the battle), he was going to choose diplomacy.

He was not, however, dumb enough to ask straight out for an egg. And some of what the Zanaryans were saying — did they think he wouldn't use his newfound translation skills to spy? — about poking around before burning bridges made sense. So with a sketchy smile at the Ohani he had decided was an ambassador, he finished his introduction. “We are merchants from Elysia.” It wasn't even a lie for his part. He ignored the elbow Misha dug into his ribs. “We passed through Acantha and were told you may have some... er.”

Jericho cast a desperate glance around in search of an item he could claim interest in. The city was so vast, and the building's so tall, he was hard-pressed to find anything familiar.

“Crystals.” Misha tugged on his sleeve. The Sidhe had twisted to look back at the skyboat, and jerked his chin at the huge crystal shimmering from what they had labelled the "mast" of the ship. “Tell them we want crystals.”

“Well, that's not much of a lie, I guess, either,” Jericho agreed quietly as he arched an eyebrow at his companion. A glance at Ninian, on his other side, confirmed that the Therian thought the same, so he turned a winning smile on the Ohani. “We came to check out your crystals with a view to buying.”

Nin's voice was hushed and his lips barely moved as he turned his head to speak directly to Jericho, hopefully so the Ohani couldn't hear. Though why they were bothering to whisper was anyone's guess, given the language barrier. “Now we just gotta hope they show us around some so we know where the eggs are, and give us an opportunity.”

“And that they don't see Maaike's rash,” Misha added. “That's probably a dead giveaway for why we're here.”

[Official NPC]

Serin blink-blink-blinked at the group, her head tipped to one side so that her tentacles wriggled across her shoulders. Shaded by the city at her back, she was able to view the group with widened eyes. When a strange voice echoed inside her head and flashed images through her mind, she stiffened and glanced at the commando to her right. The soldiers were staring with more suspicion than curiosity, so she chose not to say anything just yet. She had no idea where the 'voice' was coming from but the commandos were trained to act first in defence of queen and city. She, on the other hand, could afford some inquisitiveness.

“Ahhhh.” She pointed at the crystal glowing atop the skyboat's mast and nodded. On her bared midriff, she focused pigments into an amateurish mural of such a crystal and nodded again. The engineers would have been able to produce much more detail in their pictograms, but she was no technician. This would have to do. But the images in her mind were of sparkling gold and gemstones, and Serin did not understand what they meant. A pile of crystals were taken, a pile of gold given. She clucked her tongue and shook her head, tentacles arching and splaying at the back of her head. “We have no use for gold. You wish to trade? We take you to her, the burser. Come, come with us.”

Waving a hand toward herself and backing up a step, another, Serin attempted to gesture for the group to follow her. As they turned, Yara suddenly stopped, her tentacles flaring out in warning, and jerked Serin to a halt to point at one of the strangers. At first, Serin saw nothing unusual. Acanthans all looked the same to her. Then she recognised the bleeding nose and the rash and her own tentacles flared. “Lies, liar. Liar!” She could very easily picture what these infectees really wanted. First an Acanthan human, then a Malaki named Garnak had come to their city to ask for their eggs. The first had wailed and despaired when he was refused, the second had rampaged through the nursery pools, killing several nursemaids and hatchery guards. If normal eggs would suffice, they might have been more amenable, but queen eggs were exceptionally rare and jealously guarded. “We will never give you queen eggs!”

OOC: Let's just assume that Jericho, Alain and/or Diana are translating as speech happens. That way, we aren't waiting on an actual post from him just to keep up with ONPC.

[Maaike]

Maaike startled. She should have stayed on the ship, but she had thought the Ohani too preoccupied with Jericho to notice her. Their reaction made even more clear that others had come before, though, and that whatever they did, however they went about trying to acquire the eggs, had been offensive to these people. Maaike immediately snapped up her arms in a gesture of pacifism, even as she stepped back into the shadows cast by the skyboat to hide the magnitude of her symptoms. Just in case it wasn't already too late to mop up the damage.

But then something Jericho translated caught her attention and she cocked her head. “Wait, did she just say queen eggs?” Immediately, the arguing started all over again.

"That's not what Danae said. Danae said nothing about queens."

"He just said eggs, right? Jeri, did you forget to translate something?"

"That's not possible, moron, he wasn't translating, was he? Danae spoke to us in Elysian."

"Does anyone else find that weird, by the way? How does he even know our language?"

Maaike sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose between finger and thumb. She was exhausted. She had had time to rest on the boat ride over here, and those two days she had been wandering around the temple aimlessly without wanting to get too far away for fear of missing their 'appointment', but she just felt so drained. Whatever sleep she'd gotten had been interrupted by thoughts of Sammy and her clan and what would happen to them if she died here in this Xanth-forsaken helhole. And grief at the thought that they would all carry on without her. Her death would have little impact in the grand scale of things.

“Shut up,” she hissed, at the end of her tether. She aimed her next words at the Ohani, gesturing for the shady merchant to translate. “Listen, we are here to ask for eggs, but we were told nothing about needing queen eggs. We don't even know what that means. So can you help us or not?”

[Jericho]

Jericho's eyes practically bulged right out of his head as Maaike arrogantly gesticulated for him to translate like he was some sort of servant, and then proceeded to be honest. Without conferring with anyone over whether honesty was really the best policy. Freaking moron. I'm surrounded by lardbrains, I swear.

Instead of translating properly, he hoisted on a pleasant smile aimed at the Ohani ambassador and made it up. “My companion is merely suffering from allergies.” She looked dubious — and honestly, who could blame her? He was an experienced liar, but rarely in a situation so dismal or obvious, and it was much harder to fake the truth brain to brain — so he continued. “Well, to be honest, I met her on the skyboat so I'm not actually sure why she's here. I can ask her to wait here if you'd prefer not to have her in your city? And my, what a beautiful city it is.” His smile strained; he glanced at Misha and Ninian to find them both staring at him oddly, as if they knew exactly what he'd done despite the privacy of his "conversation" with the Ohani. “So, about those crystals...?”

If nothing else, the Ohani's reaction to sight of Maaike reinforced his belief that an outright request for the eggs would be resolutely denied. Especially now that Danae's trickery had been revealed. No, better to scope out the city as would-be traders, find the eggs for themselves, and then find a way to take them without the Ohani knowing about it. But now he was faced with another problem. How under Hel did he get Maaike to co-operate without telling her he'd just lied his face off?

[Official NPC]

Serin was far from stupid so the look the spokesman gave to the vocal woman did not go unnoticed nor ignored. However, even as Yara's suspicions escalated, courtesy of her lifelong training as a soldier, Serin studied the group with ever more curiosity. They had arrived in a ship of Ohani design, one not easily afforded by most Acanthans. In addition, the skyboat's livery and flag proclaimed her to be the gift Serin's queen had bestowed upon Acantha's god to alleviate his anger after rejecting his ill-concealed "request" for one of her eggs. How had these people come to acquire it? Had Danae given it to them willingly, or had they stolen it as the Malaki, Garnak, would have stolen their eggs? And if indeed Danae had granted them use of his skyboat, temporarily or not, what could that possibly mean? He was not known for his generosity, so it had to mean something...

Eyes fixed first on Jericho and then the rest of his group one by one, Serin attempted to root out signs that they spoke either truth or lie. Unfortunately, Ohani cues were not at all similar to Acanthan, and these seemed even more foreign to her than the humans she had dealt with before. This matter was well beyond her ability to manage.

“Come. This way, come.” She waggled her webbed fingers. Two of the soldiers sandwiched themselves between her and the Acanthans to follow, while Yara and one other remained to guard those who stayed behind. She led the way across the glossy black platform toward a similarly shiny black walkway lapped over by gentle waves. She relished the feel of the cold sea licking at her webbed toes but was careful not to go too fast. Previous visitors seemed to struggle with the thought of walking over the water for some reason, especially in bad weather. “To the empress' attendants, come.”

OOC: I'm starting a side thread for exploration for those characters who don't want to take part in the 'negotiations'. Yara and the other guard will stay with them and be wary, but there'll be some freedom of movement to have fun and learn the layout of the city.

[Maaike]

Maaike had no way of knowing Jericho had deliberately mistranslated her abrupt request, but the Ohani's expression seemed one of skepticism at first. It was hard to tell, though; they looked so alien, and yet strangely familiar with their two legs and arms and human-esque face. The Therian in her was already scoping out the Ohani form for things to admire: They seemed well suited to an ocean environment, like they'd make excellent swimmers. It made her want to study their movements, to learn how they had adapted. She wanted to see them in action.

But Ashton's racial arrogance might have washed off on her a little, too, or else her mother's ingrained Sylvan xenophobia. These creatures were so alien that she was having a hard time following so closely that they could reach out and touch her. Part of that had to be her fear of the sickness and passing it on, but they didn't seem all that bothered. They hadn't isolated her fifty yards away, at least — which was more than what the Mystriders and the harpies had done.

Was that why Danae wanted the eggs? Were they somehow immune? Was the cure he promised related to his request, and that was why Mikel's failure had resulted in his death? Or did the vlareon-"god" just enjoy pitting his subjects against insurmountable obstacles?

“Where are they taking us?” she asked Jericho now that (she assumed) they were on the path to getting what she and the other infectees needed. She was nervous about stepping into the doorway that opened as they approached the building, but gasped in awe once they were inside. The walls were glass — or some material with similar properties — and double-layered with a wall of water sandwiched inside. The room seemed tiny; the door closed behind them and the bottom fell out of her stomach as if they were rising quickly. When she pressed a hand to the glass to steady herself, it felt cold and damp, possibly from condensation.

In a matter of seconds, the elevator's external walls, which were made of that black glossy stuff on the lower levels, gave way on one side to an open view of the inner city. Maaike gaped: They were still climbing! It gave her an excellent view to scope out the city, but damn it, this was terrifying! How did this thing work? “This better not be some kind of trap.” She had no idea how they'd get back to the skyboat if it meant figuring out how to operate this moving room.

OOC: Credit to David for elevator idea, though I think this internal elevator is different from his idea for the external elevators. :3

[Jericho]

Elysia's buildings were short and squat. The few monuments that were tall enough to preclude the use of stairs, like Alexandria's bell tower and the colossal lighthouse on the Cora, did not invite visitors into their impressive heights where only their maintainers dared to tread, anyway. The concept of buildings so tall that machinery was required to reach their tops was so alien to Jericho that, for a second, he didn't even realise they were moving and was about to ask Serin why they'd been shut away in a tiny room. Then, Misha gasped and tugged on his sleeve (Xanth, that was getting annoying. Jeri honestly didn't think he'd spent so much time with the Sidhe in one go since they met, and now he could understand why), his slender arm trembling as he pointed out the suddenly transparent wall to the view of the city that had drawn Maaike's attention. His stomach lurched, not merely from the elevator's momentum but from the sudden fear that the floor would disappear and they would all topple to their deaths to be swallowed by either the great ocean itself or some shadowy leviathan waiting in the depths.

He very much seconded Maaike's sentiment. “If it is a trap, we'll just throw you at them, hope they react to your infected blood the same way the harpies did, and run.”

Ninian rolled his eyes, but no one seemed impressed by his selfish plan. Jericho shrugged as the Therian lamented, “We should have brought Faris. He could have pulled up a water slide, and then it would just be a case of smashing through a window.”

“Assuming they even have windows. That glass there looks really thick.” The Nereid flicked a hand across the damp glass and rubbed his fingertips together to test the texture. How that was meant to prove, one way or the other, how thick the walls were was anyone's guess. Jericho was more concerned with the wall of water sandwiched between the layers. It somehow gave him a very bad feeling about what they were walking in to.

“As to where they're taking us.” He rubbed his chin. Xanth, he needed a shave. “She just said something about a queen.”

“She?”

“Yes, Misha, because her gender is the most important bit in what I just told you.”

“No, but...” The Sidhe twirled a braid around his finger and pouted. “I just meant, don't they all seem kind of the same... style... to you? Maybe they're like the Nymphs. If they're ruled by a woman and the ones greeting us are female, they have to be matriarchal too, right?” The hope on his face was laughable. Did he really think that a society run by women was going to be automatically a nice one? They already had evidence, in Mikel's death and the fact that four of the women to greet them were soldiers, to the contrary.

“Even if they're not, you'd better hope the queen's amenable and not some sort of tyrant. Xanth, I don't want to have to translate threats.”

[Official NPC]

Serin had no idea what the group of Acanthans were saying, so she simply smiled brightly at them in an effort to not look threatening, even as the two soldiers on either side of her scowled. Her smile turned genuine when they pointed and gasped in awe at sight of the city. Serin was not an engineer nor a builder, but every single Ohani had a part to play in the advancement of their colony so she took a particular pride in her home. Acantha's concept of "every man for himself", exaggerated by Danae's petty selfishness, was as alien to her as no doubt the Ohani culture of "share everything" was to them, so it was interesting to see a group of what appeared to be like-minded individuals working together for the common good — even if it did mean offending another species with their outlandish requests.

The elevator stopped smoothly on the penultimate floor of the queen's tower. Serin clutched at the silk of her skirt to raise the hem a couple of inches and closed her eyes in bliss as the doors opened to admit a rush of water up to her ankles. The soldiers, wearing knee-length wraps, refused to take their eyes off the Acanthans, instead gesticulating for the group to exit the elevator. Releasing her skirt, Serin sloshed through the water in advance, turning to move backwards so she could smile and gesture herself. “Come. This way, come.”

They entered a large, open foyer. This floor was actually the height of two storeys so the attendants (who spent most of their time here while not attending the queen or performing duties on her behalf) could be at ease. Water gushed and trickled down the reclining walls, bursting up from a black fountain at the centre of the square room. Attendants sat on the rim of the star-shaped pool there, knee-deep in water where bioluminescent fish nibbled at their fingers in search of snacks.

Spying the one she wanted, Serin raised an arm and called out, “Ilei. Ilei, here please.” As the other female stepped out of the pool and waded toward them, Serin began to explain. “These people, they wish for an egg. He—” She pointed at Jericho. “—has said not, but that female is infected with Red Mist.” Ilei blink-blink-blinked at Serin, then studied the group. “I have not the authority; I bring them to you. More wait at Dock Seven. They have one of our skyboats. The one offered to Danae.”

Ilei made a shocked noise in the back of her throat, and dots on her bare shoulders flashed red. “You did well, Serin. I thank you.”

Her duty done, Serin gave the attendant a short bow, then repeated the gesture to the Acanthans and returned to the elevator where her two guards waited. They would have remained to guard Ilei, but there were plenty of soldiers on the attendants' floor already.

Ilei studied the Acanthans, particularly fixated on Maaike, for several moments in silence. Finally, she asked, “Your intentions. What are they? Speak truth.”