Part VI:The Monastery of Tangledwisps
14th of Hematite, 371The sun was blazing directly from above as the group of adventurers and their new companions walked southwards. The white sand road going through an orchard of pomelo and carambola trees was warm. It reflected the rays of the sun, making the heat at points almost unbearable to folk from cooler climates.
Elana's tale of Kadôl and his origins gave some new insight, but it was hardly anything that the heroes could put to good use in their quest for peace and the end of the evil plaguing the land.
Unlike the rest of the forest retreats the companions had visited during their travels, Styledlathered was bustling with life and, if one did not pay attention to the dead grass here and there, one could almost imagine there were no twisted towers casting their shadows on the living.
In one of the majestic giant trees of Styledlathered, the companions spotted something curiously familiar: elven merchants and their pack animals.
Ova swore he had seen them before, and so the companions took a closer look.
And indeed, these merchants had been to Waterlures. They still had with them some of the items they had traded for in the south. Clothes made my Edu, Såkzul and Zon. Carved bone crafts made by 'Zultan'.
It was pleasing to see something familiar in these distant lands, but at the same time it made the companions yearn to be back at the comfort of Waterlures.
Not only elves lived in the forest retreat. A handful of humans were seen going on about their business up in the trees, dressed and acting like elves.
They also met a woman named Tikbo, a prophet.
“And when She saweth Her devout forsake the Path and turn to false Longevity, the Permanency of Quests sayeth, 'Heed my words and warning, Young Ones, for thou hast renounced Me, and in turn, I shall renounce thee, and rain ruin upon Dreamsboarded and cast the unrepentant apostates into the Fires of Akkar,'” the prophet had preached to Suwu and her companions.
They had no clue what she meant with it and how it mattered their quest.
But the prophet did offer them words more easily comprehended, when she spoke of a group of bandits causing much turmoil and misery all around the west coast. It is something they had heard from many others who they had talked with at the forest retreat.
It seemed like something worthy of an investigation.
Looking at their map they were pleased that the monastery, where the bandits supposedly were holed up, was not far to the south. Perhaps only a half day or so of traveling?
And there appeared to be many a hamlet along the way. They would take the rescued prisoners to one of them first. Assuming the hamlets were safe places, of course.
And that was not something that was certain in these lands.
They headed west and south towards the coast, passing through several forlorn forest retreats. The contrast was sharp when compared to vibrant Styledlathered, and that was something disheartening.
When they reached the coast and saw the deep blue and green of the Gulf of Liberation, the sun was already low in the western sky.
Night was just around the corner.
The sight of large crashing waves and the soothing sound of the ocean was something new to Suwu. She had seen the sea several times during these travels, but never had she seen such towering waves as here.
It was a rather enjoyable sight.
But at the same time it was intimidating: the sea seemed to be vast and endless.
They made camp up a slope from the beach, next to the trunk of a thorny acacia.
“...And the dwarf saw the sun and vomited on the very spot!”, Mumot the goblin axeman finished his joke.
Suwu laughed heartily, “Ha ha! That was a good one and so very true. But I must say, it is no wonder they dislike the shine of Ôsed's Light in the sky. For they spend so much time within their halls cut into the mountain and the dark within, that one for certain forgets the Light. Why, spending even a few hours in the darkness of a cave is enough for the eye to not take kindly to anything brighter than the flickering of a candle's flame.”
As Ova and Rin cooked some fresh boar meat Suwu had hunted, the capybara woman turned to address Zefon, the goblin poet they had rescued.
“You mentioned having a daughter in Horrorclinches,” Suwu said to her, “I presume that's a goblin pits somewhere, no?”
“Why, yes,” Zefon answered, a bit surprised at the sudden question, “It is there. You see, I may be from the Bent Spears, but I am also a goblin. And despite the... peculiarities of many of my kind and their ways -- which I very much disapprove of -- my daughter is very fond of our kin. Certainly that is not wrong?”
“No. No it isn't,” Rin joined in, looking up from the fire.
'This one isn't telling the whole truth. I wonder what she is keeping hidden from us,' he thought as he eyed the goblin closely. “I too have lived among our kind and I would hardly call their ways only 'peculiar'. That is a very mild statement. No, what our kin does is utterly horrifying and abbhorrent. Despicable. Cruel.
Evil.”
“Yes, it is terrifying,” Suwu said, nodding her head slightly.
“Perhaps you are right,” Zefon replied and averted his gaze from Suwu and Rin, “But still, I would like to see my daughter... It has been a long, long time since I saw her.”
“Whatever the case,” Suwu stood up and stretched her arms, “We can not currently veer too far off our path and head all the way to the pits. No, we can only take you to somewhere closer by. Perhaps one of the hamlets on the coast? Provided they are safe, of course. From there, you may seek other ways of passage to the far, far east.”
“But enough of this seriousness,” she continued before the others could say anything, “It is time to make merry for the moment, and I have not sung songs for some time. How about 'Amethysts'?”
And once again the companions sang a familiar tune.
Yet, despite the many times they had sung it together, Suwu sang sloppily and Rin made a mockery of the uzo with his shameworthy performance.
15th of Hematite, 371As the sun rose from the east, the sky was clear and the journey along the coast continued.
Well-rested and stomachs full of boar, the companions were in high spirits this day. A night of song and dance had done them good after the sadness brought by the sight of barren lands with husks of trees that were mere twisted shadows of their former selves.
Along the beach of smooth shale pebbles and stones the companions made their way, passing pieces of driftwood that littered the whole of the area here and there.
Cañar and Rin took off once in a while to hunt crabs, which they apparently found to be beings of the most foul kind.
And now their packs were full of crab meat, too. They would not run out of food any time soon.
They did not have to travel long before they saw signs of civilization in the south.
Looking at their map, it was the hamlet of Lemnashra, 'Cookedattacks', and the several monasteries surrounding it.
They headed first to the nearest monastery, which was named Autumnmopped according to their map.
There they saw an open-walled temple, its supporting corners made of white dolomite and carved with intricate engravings, its floor made of smooth blocks of dark gray stone. The engravings revealed that it was a temple of the Denomination of Harvesters.
But to the surprise of Suwu and the rest of the White Fountains, this was not the Denomination of Harvesters, nor the Order of Harvesters, that worshipped Zoku the Permanency of Quests, the human goddess of longevity and youth.
No, this was
another sect with the same name, but they worshipped a different god: Tequil, the god of lightning and thunder. So much was evident from the bandfire opal and hematite statues carved in the image of the tall, stalwart god. Intimidating, awe-inspiring.
The religions of the humans were very complicated and our heroes had very little understanding of them, indeed.
The monastery had little else to offer.
Only a handful books were found in the temple, and without much thought Suwu took them.
“Might just as well take these and take them to safety. I am sure it is something Tekkud would have wanted us to do,” she had explained her actions to the others.
For a moment they thought the monastery was still in use when they met a small group of humans in a building, which appeared to be some kind of dormitory. But when asked about the daily life and going-ons of the religious community, they had laughed and said that there was nothing organized here. They were just mere peasants traveling and had taken shelter in the abandoned monastery.
So the companions made their way to the hamlet of Cookedattacks, hoping it might be a safe place for the rescued prisoners.
They came to the center of the hamlet where was a well and two humans lifting water from it to fill their buckets. Further they saw a dwarf and beyond the houses was a group of four or so humans, who by the looks of it were monks.
Suwu approached one of the humans who had round, brass-colored eyes. He wore robes made from the skin of an alligator or crocodile, and a turban was wrapped tightly around his heads, revealing a few locks of hair, which once had been brown but had now turned almost entirely gray.
“Greetings human,” she said as she raised her hand, “I am Suwu Cleanmusics and these are my companions. We are new to these lands and would very much be pleased to know more of your home.”
“Ah, well, I can spare a moment or two,” the human replied as he put down the bucket he had just filled, “I am Em, Em Froglobster and this place is known as Cookedattacks. There is not much for me tell, for we are a peaceful hamlet with not much happening here. Along with a score of other hamlets, our farmers and peddlers head to Beardbank north of here to do trade. That is all we deal with the larger world. And I very much prefer it that way.”
“I am sorry, but I must head home now...”, Em said as he lifted his bucket. As he turned to leave he continued, “However, if you want to know more, perhaps you should find the lady of the Fortuitous League. Ask around for Ngokang Kniferuthless, if you have trouble finding her.”
After asking around for where to find lady Ngokang, they were pointed out to a keep that lay in the northeastern portion of the hamlet.
When they arrived and entered, they were quite surprised with the amount of folk inside: there were humans, elves, goblins and dwarves, and most of them seemed to be priestly types or some other holy figures.
It was surprisingly easy to recognize who was the lady. Suwu walked over to her, bowed her head slightly and made introductions.
“I am the current lady of the Fortuitous League, the governing body of Cookedattacks,” lady Ngokang explained to Suwu, “And we are a part of the Relieved Realms, our glorious kingdom ruled by our benevolent law-giver, his majesty Pusap Crownshowed of the line of Em Scoldstop.”
The goblin waved her hand in a broad arc and continued, “And this is the Dance of Animals, my mead hall and keep. This is the heart of our humble hamlet built over two centuries ago when Onaf Matchcrowed was lady.”
“We have been blessed by the gods, for Cookedattacks has avoided the bloodshed and horror wrought upon the world by the evil-doers making home at our very doorstep,” Ngokang told Suwu when she had asked how this hamlet fared against the vile sorcerors, “We have stood proudly as a safe haven for those who seek solace and want to leave behind the anguish of war. For those who seek to dedicate their lives on more important matters, such as worship of the gods.”
“Unfortunately we have had our differences with the elves of Múya Loré to the north,” she continued, her expression turning more stern, “And these differences led to bloodshed several decades ago when we were forced to wage war upon the Scholarly Howl of Bearbank. For you see, it came to our attention that the elves had taken a liking to the flesh of human, dwarf and goblin -- some even ate their very own kin!”
“It is terrifying,” Suwu said, “We have heard such tales of the elves... Though, we haven't witnessed such barbarity.”
“Ah, but they do not proclaim it openly, capybara woman. Regardless, our's was a doomed campaign and the elves proved to be far stronger than us, repelling our efforts to bring justice time and again,” Ngokang went on and sighed, “We never made peace, but an uneasy truce has been in effect... Though, later things escalated with the Constructive Mirth -- another elven group from the north -- and we are currently at war with them, alas. But this far we have managed to prevent bloodshed, and I intend to keep it that way.”
The goblin then cleared her throat, and straightened the hem of her dress before continuing, “You will have to excuse me now, for I have important matters to tend to. There is to be a synod of sacred sheens and sacred lenses, and there is very much I have to talk with them... But feel free to talk to my husband Asno, if you wish to learn more.”
They learned little more from the lord consort and eventually left the keep, heading back to the center of the village.
There they had a brief discussion with the rescued prisoners and it was decided that they would have to stay here, or find other ways to go wherever they needed to go. The companions explained that their's was a dangerous quest, and could not guarantee the safety of their new allies.
But the White Fountains said that once their task in Tangledwisps was completed, they would return and check on Lat, Mumot, Mina and Zefon.
They made their way once again through the Dipped Hills, heading south.
The day continued to be hot, the sun blazing on them as they traversed through the seemingly endless fields of high grass, the shade of the canopies of acacias and various citrus trees giving some ease from the heat.
It was not a long journey they made, stopping at the hamlet of Fragrantrain on the way, before they saw buildings in the horizon.
If they read their map correctly and the directions they had received were true, the monastery Tangledwisps lay before them.
And there, possibly, were bandits that needed to be taken care of.
The first three buildings -- a dining hall, temple and possibly a study -- they searched were empty. They expected that to be case with the last one, and that they came all the way here for nothing.
However, when they approached the final building made of well-cut dolomite, sounds were heard from inside.
They approached cautiously.
They were surprised when they opened the door of the building and entered the apparent dormitory.
Where they expected to find a group of scoundrels and other miscreants clad in rags with looted jewelry adorning them, they instead saw a group of well-dressed humans draped in robes of fine cloth and leather.
And among the humans was a dwarf: he had a very long beard and hair, both arranged in double braids. His burnt umber hair had streaks of gray shining like silver, his emerald eyes had very large irises and his skin was of a pink hue -- something not common among dwarves.
He wore a toga of cotton, which added oddly to the imposing and grand aura emanating from him.
Suwu approached them, sword sheathed, interrupting the discussion the frail woman next to the door was having with a chubby human.
“I am Strohe Fluketugged, chieftess of the Umbral Scars, and this is Tangledwisps,” the lady introduced herself to Suwu after being greeted, “We have been looking over this place ever since the passing of Legu Rooterconflict, who constructed this monastery for the Silvery Cult as a place to meditate upon Us the Brass Charcoal. Without us, this place would be now but decrepit ruins and a withered husk of its former self.”
“Troubles? What nonsense do you speak of?”, Strohe looked insulted after Suwu told her firmly, but politely, that they had heard the Umbral Scars causing problems for the elves, “But, I can see that now... Why the tree-dwellers of Múya Loré would say such things... It is true, we are not in good terms with them, no. There is ill-will between us. Silly disputes of how we supposedly 'abuse plants', hah! As if one could abuse a plant or cause one pain! But to call us bandits? Outrageous! Such insulting claims! It infuriates me to even think of such accusations!”
“I-I am sorry...”, Suwu stammered, shifting her gaze to the dirt floor, “I meant not to insult you...”
“Worry not of such,” the chieftess continued, “For I am unlike the noble who would have your head for such words. I very much understand you have been led astray, deceived. The trickery of elves runs deep. It is part of their very
essence. To be an elf is to lie. To sow discord between those who would otherwise be allies.”
They then went on talking about how the place did no trade with the outer world and was very much insulated from it. Soon the discussion shifted to troubles and hardships, which faced the land.
“But such troubles are something we can deal with on our very own,” Strohe concluded and paused. She rubbed her chin, clearly thinking, before continuing, “Though, there is one matter I, nor my underlings, have time to attend to...”
“What would that be, my lady?”, Suwu asked, more of courtesy than of genuine interest.
“My family... We have lost a precious heirloom of our's,” the human replied with a weary voice, “Honorthinned it is called. A spear forged of the finest copper by dwarf hands from the Bent Spears centuries ago. It was made heirloom by my ancestor Masami Meetingshell after it was... given to him in Doomedpatterns.”
Once again she paused, rubbed her chin, and then continued, “Masami was the husband of Legu, the founder of Tangledwisps, and so he has a very special part not only in my history, but the history of the Silvery Cult. In any case, I will spare you the details of his significance, but when he passed away, Honorthinned went missing.”
“For long has my family sought its return, but its whereabouts remained hidden,” she went on, “Until I recently heard of a certain elf carrying a special and quite unique spear. A copper spear of the highest quality, adorned with distinctive rings of wild boar hoof. It can only be Honorthinned. And this elf, I have learned, is one named ÿalùmi Apexstyle. And she resides in the Forest of Helping, in the retreat of Sportpack.”
“Sportpack?”, Suwu raised her brow, “I believe we have seen that place... But if our travels take us there once more, I will see to it that your heirloom is brought back to its rightful owner.”
Finally, Suwu approached the dwarf, and as she did that, she instinctively kept her eyes lowered. There was something odd about the dwarf and the aura he emanated -- not in a bad manner, but in a weirdly soothing yet imposing way.
“Why do you look at the ground, capybara woman?”, the dwarf asked Suwu with a slight smile that could be seen from under his long moustache, “Is there perhaps too much dirt on the floor of dirt? Or perhaps a pebble or two too many?”
“W-Wha-- N-No...?”, Suwu raised her eyes to meet the penetrating gaze of the bearded one, and immediately lowered them again, “I... I just...”
“Oh, worry not!”, the dwarf chuckled, “I merely jest, for I am in a particularly cheerful mood today. I didn't quite get your name as you spoke with lady Strohe. What was it again?”
“I am Suwu. Suwu Cleanmusics the Confusing Smokes,” Suwu said and waved her hand towards the rest of her group, “And these are my companions, the White Fountains.”
“The White Fountains? I have heard not of such a group before,” the dwarf said, puckering his lips slightly, “You may call me Raqui Judgekneaded, and Zoku the Permanency of Quests is displeased.”
“Huh? Zoku? The human goddess?”, Suwu asked ever the more confused by the dwarf.
“Yes, that one,” Raqui chuckled again, “But pay no heed to my silly words, I am no disciple of her's. I am at one with Us the Brass Charcoal, the goddess of jewels. And that is what brought me to Tangledwisps in the first place. To this monastey and its temple dedicated to her and her's alone.”
“So, you are part of the Silvery Cult then?”, Suwu continued her questions, “Like lady Strohe and the rest here? You are with them?”
“With
them?”, the dwarf replied pointing at the humans, slightly taken aback by Suwu's words, “No. I am certainly
not with them. Pshsh! A bunch of outlaws taken residence in a monastery of old they are. They most definitely are no faithful ones nor members of the sect!”
Rin, who was following the discussion from a distance, noticed several of the humans glance agitatedly at the dwarf. There was some uneasy shifting among their ranks.
“No, I may be on terms with them, but I take no part in their ways,” Raqui continued, casting an angry stare at the humans, “I came here on a series of pilgrimages from Fragrantworth, a hamlet to the east of here. It is nearly a century since I arrived and I have seen and know much of the history of this place and these lands.”
“Did you become a monk here?”, Suwu kept on asking, this dwarf piquing her curiosity.
“Close,” the dwarf replied, “But not quite. I became a prophet, following the word of Us closely and listened. Observed. Waited. In the end, it was not quite my vocation. The life of a prophet, that is.”
“No. I was no prophet,” Raqui said, the smile slowly fading from his face, “But it made me understand who I truly am, what my destiny is and where it lies. Written long before I was born.”
“And what would such a thing be? If I may ask,” Suwu's questions kept coming. She had never felt like this around a dwarf. It was a strange feeling... Yet pleasing.
“I am king,” Raqui straightened himself, his imposing presence emanating ever the stronger, “King Raqui Judgekneaded, eighth son of Sedme Washtowers and Ibid Claspcyclones, and I am the rightful ruler of Ekurzuglar, the Mighty Ship.”
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Quite a long one and not much happening. Tried to get something else than just discussions, walking and loredumps, but nope, nothing happened. Seems like this part of the war-torn lands is relatively calm and safe.
Hope it wasn't too much of a drag and tedious to read...
I was a bit surprised to see crafts from Waterlures at the forest retreat. Never seen anything quite like it, and I was under the impression that merchants don't take them to their home... But apparently that's not the case then? At least not when the crafts are made by characters created with Adventure mode.
Also, I chose to head to the monastery because I had read from Legends that the king is a prophet or something over there. I didn't actually think he'd be around when I get there (often when I've expected someone to be somewhere due to Legends, they haven't been there)... So, now there's even more options on the table for the future of this world. (As a note: it's been for some time now possible to choose the Mighty Ship in Fort mode, but not Adventure. Don't think that was possible in the beginning.)
I'm a bit conflicted currently what to do with the bandit group in Tangledwisps: should Suwu and company take care of them? Or should we leave them be?
Other than that, I have some plans for the continuation of this part. Not sure if I'll play tomorrow or do some modding stuff, but I'd imagine that within a few days or so the next update will be posted (and if I won't make it, I'll notify about it).
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Topic: Waterlures - A Capybara Man Fortress & Adventure [DF 0.47.05] (Read 83610 times)