As I try to explain below, she just freezes and shots lines like she's in combat. "Has the tides turned? I must press on !" this kind of things. But we grow closer in the span of a few days and she just don't do that anymore. She's a curious case.
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The travel begins
MusicSeven years ago, in 142, Takru has been saved from an insurrection in a dark pit by an adventurer by the name of Islas "Wild Sword Saint" Candoalu, and hired as part of his personnal retinue. Takru participated as a reserve soldier to the subsequent Dezor Uzol sieges of Thomocemir, but did not fought in the front lines.
Without a need to eat and an interest to socialize with her pearlite hosts, Takru quickly became reclusive and would only be seen to the east of the fort, gazing with empty eyes over the battlefield on which thousands of Osmite troops were laid dead over the years.
Takru was - or so she claimed - still loyal to Osme, but after she was branded a traitor, she was left without the means of coming back, and felt like she was rotting away in that small human fort. Because she was of Ansgeki origins, when she heard about the clerk and his trip to Bomrek-Laltur, she immediately seized the opportunity to pack and leave.
The trip should go as follows : the two of them should traverse the territory of the allied dwarves of Kodsakzul, then enter the small human Kingdom of Amegil. Then, it would be cautious walk in the disputed territory between Bomrek-Laltur and Osmestobûb, until their capitale is reached.
In theory, the travel should be safe. No big surprize. Aside from the last miles, the trip should mostly happen in friendly to neutral territory. Wulemaapasi, having some claims on the road, could be a danger, but the elven kingdom had lost pretty much all of its forces in the region. Smooth sailing this is.
Kashi took her on her offer ; he needed a companion capable of fighting, and should Takru die during their trip, he would not deprieve Thomocemir of one of their elite fighters.
Besides, Takru was not bad company - or so it seemed at first. She laughed to every joke, listened to Kashi with attention and all-in-all be a very good public. But as soon as they left the fort, troubles started to arrive.
The goblin stopped in her tracks and stopped making sounds as she was walking behind Kashi on the road. The clerk, perplexed, turned to her - and saw her struggling internally. She was visibly trying to refrain herself from attacking him. She could not talk herself into assaulting her new companion, nor could she decide to walk alongside him peacefully - as a result, she was left there, in great internal turmoil.
Kashi stopped for a moment with her and discussed for quite a time, until she snapped out of it.
You: How are you feeling right now?
Takru: Has the tide turned? I am not scared!
You: You look like a mighty warrior indeed.
Takru: I am a soldier. It is I that felled Stƒsost Coveredhexes the goblin.
You: Tell me about your family.
Takru: I have no family to speak of.
You: I have taken down one crab while stalking The Hills of Good.
You: How are you feeling right now?
The capybara whistles.
Takru: You're so perceptive!
The frail capybara barks.
The capybara barks.
You: I have improved my tracking. I am very satisfied.
Takru: This is a fight! I am not scared!
You: Let us stop this pointless fighting!
Takru: Never!
You: I finished up some work. That was very satisfying!
Takru: ... and the elf said, "Are you going to eat that?"
You: Ha ha ha... You're funny!
A moment later, she was making jokes again and the two of them resumed their travels. Goblins, Kashi thought, are a peculiar bunch. It would probably take some time before the two of them are comfortable with each other.
Friends in Kodsakzul
When the night arrived, the travellers were deep into the kingdom of Kodsakzul. Not wanting to sleep outside and in good terms with the dwarves, they stopped at a little hamlet and asked fpr hospitality. One of the hillside houses they entered was quite lifely - it looked like the dwarves of the small town were having a party.
Many dwarves noted the jeweled bracelet Kashi was wearing - they were not that impressed however by human artefacts. Surely this is difficult to impress dwarves with gems cut by humans - and surely they do not know that a dragon had to be slain for that bracelet to be made.
"You can stay, of course" a dwarf said. "But we're pretty full here, and we won't be sleeping till morning. The drinking mound is empty, tho - if you don't mind the floor, you can sleep there"
And so they did. They saw a lone drunk, sleeping dwarf lazily dropped on the floor and probably imbibed of ethanol.
Kashi and Takru exchanged jokes with the half-asleep drunkard and quickly found a clean spot to close their eyes.
Two confrontations
Kashi and Takru bid farewell to the dwarf the next day, and resumed their travel. As they walked, Kashi tried to interrogate his travelling companion on more important topics. He tried to convince her of the value of fairness and justice - but Takkru only grew more restless.
"What's the point ?" she asked. "Do what you need to get ahead, or fall behind those who do"
Kashi tried to insist a bit more, but seeing his companion's growing emotional distress, decided to call it a day. She's an Osmite, he thought - they are bred and raised to overcompete with each other. Some of that will take time to un-learn. But in the same time, those discussions really helped him to get in the head of people from Osme. That is how they view the world - the endless rat race to dominance is how they protect themselves from the domintation of their peers.
And while humans can at times exhibit a similar behavior, Osmite goblins seem to carry those ideas and behaviors to the extreme. No wonder Takru had a hard time to adapt to Thomocemir.
A couple hours later, they spotted a small camp in the distance. Probably vagrants or deserters. Kashi wanted to investigate - may it be for undefended loot or friendly drifters to recruit to their cause. He approached the camp cautiously, remaining undetected until he could see what kind of travellers they were.
But then he turned around - Takru had disapeared.
Yep, she was making a b-line toward them
Luckily, the drifters didn't pursued - happy to be left alone.
Takru, however, was left frustrated and shaken, as if she had fought the fight of her life - litte did she know that would indeed come, right a couple hours later.
As they were crossing a small hilly terrain, they suddently felt uneasy. Growls could be heard quite near, prompting Kashi to take out his long spear and sword. Takru would have done the same - but turned out she had lost her spear during the day ! Only left with her shield to protect her against attackers rushing to them fast, she stood close to her companion.
Wolves. A lot of them. Kashi threw his pike against a first charging wolf, hitting it un a back leg and pinning it to the ground, then, holding his sword tight, prepare to fend off the rest of them. Takru let out a scream - more wolves came from behind, attacking from the hill.
The fight was relatively short but seemed like it spanned forever. Kashi focused on disabling the wolves at the front, while Takru tried desperately to use her shield to cover his flanks. Both got wolf bites on them, their external clothes would soon be ripped to shreds, but thankfully the beasts did not manage to pierce deep under their mail shirts.
A couple minutes after, Takru was on the ground, wounded and exhausted. SHe had blood over her face - turned out her lip was cut deeply. They washed her wound with water - it should not be very important, but the goblin had troubles not panicking. Kashi cut some meat out of the killed wolves, and walked Takru to the next hillock.
Nothing happened in this small Kodsakzul hillside hamlet - they were well-received and slept in a communal house
Last miles toward the Kingdom of Amegil
Between the kingdom of Kodsakzul and the kingdom of Amegil stands a small, cold, sandy desert - called the Decisive Desert. Dunes of half frozen yellow sand reflected the morning sun like a mirror. In the meantime, the moon was visible directly above the sun, making a sort of partial eclipse which give the whole scenery a very eery feeling.
It doesn't have any significance but I thought it was worth mentionning.
The crossing of the desert was otherwise not very long. A couple hours - maybe the whole morning, but not much more. Kashi took the opportunity to Takru again on her values - maybe to try and teach her the pearlite culture and way of life. Takru did not try to argue... so probably something had change in her mind. Either she had learn the value of fairness and coopération, or she had learn the value of not arguing against Kashi. Either way, she had learn something.
The rest of their conversations was mostly about exchanging jokes and flattery - Takru would react positively to both and throw them back. It is uncanny how positive she acted.
She quickly mentionned not having a family, and vaguely remembering having participated to the fundation of an Osmite pit
Takru: The bronze left gauntlet really makes the outfit.
You: Thank you for your kind words.
Takru: We founded Plaguebasins after a long journey from the lands of The Chunky Hate.
You: Can you tell me the way to Plaguebasins?
Takru: Plaguebasins is far to the southeast. [You receive a detailed description.] In the midwinter of 125, The Ugly Terrors of The Chunky Hate founded Plaguebasins.
You: The small copper mail shirt really makes the outfit.
Takru: Thank you for your kind words.
After they crossed the Decisive Desert, they were truely in the Kingdom of Amegil. Little is know about this small community. Amegilians looked similar to Pearlites in many ways - their skin was a bit fairer, their eyes orange instead of yellow, and they were a bit shorter in size. They were known to wear green garments - being one of the few civilizations having discovered how to make green dye.
Being a diminutive kingdom in the middle of a frozen wasteland, Amegil never really attracted the attention of Mong Kima. The only thing we know about them is - well, their knowlege of green dye and the legends of their former leader, Prince Ashtal, who carved the territory of his people with his very sword and the help of is giant wren mounted cavalry, defating two nations of elves, the goblin empire of ANsgekstozu and keeping the dwarves of Bomrek-Laltur at a safe distance. Truely the stuff of legends.
It was around midday when they saw the cutout of a man in the distance. A traveller ? Or an amegilian, maybe ? Kashi and Takru came closer.
Turns out it was neither.
Lokum Istamsolon
A large three-eyed humanoid. It has thin wings of stretched skin and its joints are backward. Its black skin is wrinkled. Now you will know why you fear the night.
His left lower leg is cut open. His left lower leg is oozing Lokum Lightflag's midnight troll blood. His upper body is bruised.
It was a creature with a black wrinckled skin, backward joints, three eyes and bat wings. It was roaming the countryside, probably looking for food to feed his liter - it was a creature of the night common of the region - a creature called "Midnight Troll".
Kashi turned to Takru to devise a plan to either fight or flee but to no avail. The goblin was already rushing the creature, screaming.
She jumped at the monster, jamming her shield in his face, wrestling him on the ground and stomping its head. Kashi rushed to assist, but really he was unecessary. It took Takru a couple of second to spill the creature on the soil like a broken clay bottle.
Earlier, Kashi thought of trying to find her another weapon...but Takru was fighting just fine as it seems.
The Lord of Konlimones
Still shaken by the confrontation, the couple of travellers made it to the fisher village of Konlimones. It was a small, but lively Amegilian village. Because people were gathering around the well to fetch water before it turns to ice with the dropping temperature, Kashi and Takru tried to mingle with the population.
They were not really receptive, and apparently did not want to have anything to do with drifters. Hospitality was given reluctantly and the travellers did not feel welcome at all.
When the next morning came, the travellers were about to leave, when Kashi had the idea to pay respect to the local lord beforehand.
They made a short walk to the meadhall, a stone building made of blueish stone. There, they met the lonely lord of Konlimones, an old man by the name of Athem.
Born in year 72, Athem was a veteran of all the wars Amegil waged to establish their territory. He personaly witnessed the end of a rival elven Kingdom. He was polite, but cautious, visibly agitated by the presence of the travellers.
Kashi investigated and tried to push the old man into revealing more, and it did not take a lot of effort to understand. The man's eldest son was a travelling scholar, who, after a life of going from library to library, ended up trapped in a mountain fort in Dezorusol during a pearlite siege, and was killed by pearlite forces. As for goblins - Athem did not like them at all. His grandson has been captured by Osmite snatchers and was currently detained in their capitale city.
Foreigners had bring a lot of hardship in this small Amegilian village, and the old Athem was quite eager to see them gone.
"If you're going to Bomrek-Laltur" he said "then you should not continue up north. Follow the sealine on the east and you should arrive safely"
"Go in peace", he waved as the two walked away. "And do not come back".
In the back of his mind, Kashi thought about trying to wrestle the kid away from his Osmite captor. Should he succeed in his mission, then... maybe it was worth a try.
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Topic: Mong Kima - The Nation of Pearls (DF 0.47.05) (Read 254594 times)