Saga of the Horse
The night drew on, the shadows growing deeper. Qu and Zhèngniàn had wandered the market for some time, master and champion watching and browsing in quiet conversation. The godling went hooded, garbed in similar robes to the monks' own - a perhaps vain attempt to keep his divine nature a secret. Qu found the elven city a place of contrasts; wealth and beauty on one hand, squalor and slavery on the other. The market offered mortal goods from across the Plane, it seemed - goods hauled to and fro by wretched creatures in the chains of the oppressed.
'This is displeasing to me,' he noted to the Master once, as they observed an empty-eyed slave hurry down the street with broom in hand. 'It would be well if the Warriors of Light would end this practice.'
Ending the distasteful institution would have to wait another day, though. One of the strangers at the night market had drawn Qu's eye - a well traveled airship sailor swaggering through the sea of stalls. The godling gave a nod towards the sailor and led the pair over.
'Greetings. You will tell me of this city, its rulers and gods, and of the trade you carry through the skies.'
That was polite, he thought - mortals had to be handled with a silk glove, that's what his foster mother had said.
Master Zhèngniàn considers his god's request. "I will look into it, my lord, but I do not think my chapter of the Warriors of light is strong enough to correct this injustice by force. These elves are well entrenched, and skilled in the ways of magic. Not yet anyway."
---
The sailor is confused by the friendly godling, not used to seeing outsiders in his city, but feels compelled to answer nonetheless. "This is the Great Glass City, friend! Home to the greatest and most well bred mortals in all of Qiángdà. Our rulers, the council of Ageless Queens, are friend to many gods, and during times of crisis, may even worship some of them."
He grins. "As for trade, typically the routes I run export enchanted glass to the dwarves or the coastal cities, in exchange for coin and baubles to sell at this night market. A few years ago, I even got the honor of importing a load of he-slaves for a local noble who felt his personal stock was becoming too inbred, but those runs are rare and hard to get approved these days. We allow only the best specimens of the lesser races the privilege of even bondage behind these walls. The people who sweep the ground you walk on are largely descended from the kings and queens of inferior species!"
The sailor pauses for thought. "Some of the more adventurous Airship Operators do runs to remote tribes in wild places, to gather rare teas, herbs, and magical knowledge, but yeah. Most of the trade is for baubles. The people here want for very little, and thus tend to purchase and trade for what amuses them."
He grins and offers Qu a hand. "My name is Glenothe, first mate aboard
The Soaring Clover! Pleased to make your acquaintance! You two must be people of great importance to be allowed into the city as outsiders!"
"Could you tell me more about the Dire Orca? Would the lesser host you offer in trade be sufficient to dissuade their attacks on caravans? What about hunting them for captives or parts?"
Dun also considers how long caravans from Pai to Húndàn's City would be exposed to Dire Orca attacks, assuming they kept within Pai's protective fleet range where possible and descended too deep for the Dire Orcas as soon as the terrain allowed.
"The Dire Orca keep their base of power and population centered around the Roaring Islands, which is halfway across the realm from this place." Húndàn explains, "they grow terrestrial slaves and livestock upon the islands. Their entire population consists of slave drivers, hunters, and soldiers, and they swim great distances to project their strength anywhere in the oceans of Qiángdà, save for the spots that are too deep or protected by a navy."
"Physically they are quite large," the massive shark continues, "not as large as myself. Perhaps the size of the creature from your memory called a Sperm Whale, if not a bit bigger. The Warrior and hunter castes can sprout muscular arms at will, which they use to wield spears, blades, and harpoons. The Slaver caste can squeeze themselves into the discarded skin of a terrestrial beast, and walk upon the land. They have a caste of sorcerers and priests as well, but those ones rarely stray far from the Roaring Islands, so I have yet to have the chance to study them. I have also heard tell of a spy caste that can go on land, but personally, I think those stories are just about particularly cunning slavers."
Húndàn grins as he notices you are considering trade with him. "If I could make a host capable of fighting off the full strength of an organized Dire Orca raid, I would be in a much better position than I am now. But yes, one of my lesser hosts should discourage the roving small groups of raiders that they send to hunt and harass undefended ships. As long as you don't become complacent, practicing a predictable and profitable trade route, it is unlikely my father's people will send you more than a small host could handle. Trying to hunt them might also trigger a dangerous response."
You consider the logistics of trade, but fail to reach any useful conclusions. You know the distance between Pai and the Shark City, but do not know how large of an area the Navy of Pai covers, nor how fast their merchantmen ships might cover that distance.
Saga of the Horse – Resource Acquisition Lab
Koaring finds the motion of windsurfing across the lake strangely calming. It is one of the first chances he's had to concentrate on anything simple and physical since his captivity with the Hag. He does his best to pay attention to Court Scholar Chet, dutifully taking notes on whether the algae they find has any mystical properties he might use in the future. He regrets not taking a chance to collect some today, but he feels an overriding imperative to return to Peanut Village and do . . . he'll figure that out sometime.
Much to his surprise, the algae is indeed "cool" and he begins to lose some of his worries as he studies the links in its ecosystem.
He also makes sure to ask Court Scholar Chet if there is a schedule for their trips or at least a hint of what the next Age will bring.
Chet talks more about the technique behind windsurface and net trawling than he does the algae itself. You encounter 7-8 species, but Chet only really bothers describing two. The Dolphin headed god calls a bright blue bloom "maiden's tears" and explain mortals use it to brew both love potions and slow acting poisons. He also points out a species of unassuming green algae called "evergrowth" that was supposedly created by an obsessive survivalist god. "You bury that stuff in a field, it will grow vegitables. You plant it in the desert, it will yeild a cactus. Throw it in the ocean, and you get seaweed. There is almost nowhere this plant does not know how to thrive."
When you ask about future trips Chet shrugs. "I'm not planning things out too far in advance... but I'll usually have an idea of what we will do on our next meeting. I'm thinking next age, we will check out The Blissful Glacier! An enchanted place where plants can thrive even in bitter cold. You will will dig it! But on that note, if any of you ever hear of a place you want to hunt for plants or minerals, let me know. No promises, but I could make it happen!"
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Topic: Academy of the Young Gods (IC Thread) (Read 19343 times)