Jorune: Strange Allies game (Prologue and Seq 1.1)

Note: keshtia is the feminine form of kesht, which are the sort of elder or exalted citizens of Burdoth - a level above Drenn. Usually wealthy, always powerful, kesht(ia) are the closest thing Jorune has to nobility.

You may test some skills here. I would recommend trying Current Events, if you have it, to see how well you recognize the name Keshtia Gelicia Skay. I would also suggest Getting Around, to see how well you follow the runner, who seems in no way concerned to make sure you are following. Just post whatever other skills you'd like to bring to bear.

Note your level and rank in a skill and describe how you're using it.

Marik and Miniri recognize the name of the Keshtia. Since it was founded, Skays have sat on the Ardothian Council, the political body that administrates Ardoth and somewhat balances the rule of Khodre Dhardrenn, the current dharsage of Burdoth. Like most kesht, Gelicia Skay is a human, but the woman has distinguished herself in her service to the toth of Ardoth (the city), and, to a lesser extent, Burdoth (the nation) itself. She's heavily involved in healing activities, creating and funding the Skay learsis kim in her youth, which has grown to establish healing centers in several Burdothian cities. Perhaps closer to your hearts:

Marik knows that Skay was instrumental in opening more kerning bays in Ardoth, and has long been an advocate for the integration of muadra into Ardothian society.

Miniri knows that Skay supported allowing crugar residency in Ardoth, despite a lot of prejudice after the crugar invasion. Miniri also knows that Gelicia is daughter of Jarren Skay, former council member, wife of kesht Tane Belson (an Iscin and thriddle advocate), and mother to Luce Belson, a young gadabout who has been tauther for years.

New terms:
* Ardothian Council - The political body that administrates Ardoth and somewhat balances the rule of the dharsage.
* dharsage - "dhar" means great, "sage" means about the same thing as sage does in English now. So it literally means "great wise and learned one." This is an honorific that was created for the current monarch's father, Khodre Allonkarb, who united Burdoth despite war and invasion, and effectively became emperor. The title "dharsage" is now applied to any human monarch.
* kern - to expel all isho. Suspicion and paranoia around muadra (particularly after the Maustin Caji nearly destroyed Ardoth) resulted in the requirement that all caji kern before entering any government building.
* kerning bay - a fortified area surrounded by thick stone walls which muadra use to expel all their isho while in a city. While they were created to reduce the threat of muadra caji as a place where they expel all their isho, in practice kerning bays have also become isho learning centers, where muadra freely train, practice and learn dyshas.
* kim - a trade organization, union, or guild. Sometimes kims are associated with a particular region, and so have some political power as representatives for that district or zone.

You each follow Marik, who is able to follow the boccord runner through the crowds but makes sure that each of you are following and not getting lost. You find yourselves in a fancier area of town than you are accustomed to travel; the ratio of humans to other races gets much higher. The boccord leads you into a place called "Happy Corondon," which turns out to be a fancy illidge. Busy shasts glide about, serving various dishes to an indolent assortment of merchants, traders, sages, Iscin, and others whose jobs don't require hard physical labor. Shasts turn to you, then, seeing who has led you here, turn back to their other customers. The boccord leads you to a large table half-concealed behind a curtain. The table is laid with a place for each of you. The boccord nods to you, then to another boccord standing behind the shoulder of the woman seated at the table, bows to the woman, and then leaves back the way he came.

Keshtia Gelicia Skay looks to be early in her fourth decade (though Miniri knows that she is considerably older), with the grace and poise of someone who has always enjoyed the loyalty and service of others. She smiles and gestures you to your seats.
"Welcome, tauther. The accommodations are meager, but I hope that you will enjoy my hospitality nonetheless."



New terms:
corondon: a giant monster native to Jorune. None of you have ever seen one, but you do know that the corondon's claws are used to make "hardswords," curved scimitars with 6' blades wielded by the shantha.
illidge: a combination of restaurant and hotel; an inn.

After an interlude of dining and light conversation, during which the keshtia makes clear that she knows an awful lot about each of you, including things you would rather not be known, Gelicia Skay steers the subject to her drawing of your tablets.

(illustration to give a sense of the poise of the keshtia, not meant as actual representation of her appearance)

"You each have performed admirably and discreetly in situations where I have required prompt and effective service, though usually it was someone in my employ who pulled your tablets in the past. I have need of your skills in a particularly delicate matter now."

She pauses for a moment, to make eye contact with each of you - a particularly human affectation, but the power of her gaze is palpable even to the crugar, whose connections tend more strongly toward touch and scent than vision.

"It has to do with my son, Luce. He's missing, and I need you to find him."

"Luce is an adult, and has been seeking Drennship as a tauther like you for quite some time. He is also serving an important diplomatic function, and his absence is making our contacts in Heridoth very uneasy. It is vital that Luce is found and returned to Ardoth!"

(edit: Heridoth is the primarily human country across Ardoth Bay to the east of Burdoth. It is a loose confederacy of city-states, many of them practicing a state religion, though the church does not govern. Heridoth and Burdoth have had a long history of alternating conflict and alliance, much like Heridoth itself, which does not have a dharsage ruling over all. Instead, the rulers of the different city-states have a complex web of alliances, antipathies, and treaties; the differences between the cities is very clear to anyone living there, but to the rest of the worl d, it's all just "Heridoth."

"No, Luce was here in Ardoth. He worked all over - most recently he was doing tothis work down by the docks on the Bay - but he never took jobs outside of the city, due to the...delicate nature of the work he was to do."

She looks at the impassive face of the boccord bodyguard and then waits as some of the shasts come to take away the dishes. She continues in a low voice once they've left.

"Diplomats and ambassadors have been hard at work for years, since the end of the war, to cement a bond between Burdoth and Heridoth. Our trade agreements with Koistra and Sholis, just across the Bay, are well-known. But what isn't known is that we've been working to forge an alliance with the Monev or York as well. Luce is betrothed to Princess Gansei of York, and they are to be married on the first of Auss! The alliance balances on this union, and without Luce, the Monev will wax wroth."

She looks at your blank expressions at her archaic language, misinterprets it, and explains: "Monev is the title for the rulers of York; a bit like dharsage. The Monev is not a patient or forgiving man; it has taken years to bring him to this point, and he will react poorly if Luce is not here to marry his daughter come Auss."

She takes a moment to calm herself, and then considers the questions Miniri has posed.

"As to personal enemies, he's had a few duels, but he was vindicated each time. No, I think it is more likely that agents from another Heridoth city have somehow discovered the upcoming alliance and are trying to sabotage it. I understand that both Koistra and Sholis have extremists who would welcome conflict with Burdoth, even though they benefit from our trade. Ellemin, perhaps?" She looks at each of you, as if she expects insight into the politics of the Burdoth state from you. Then she remembers that she's talking to tauther and smiles. "Well, some rival city of Heridoth, anyway. Jates here" (indicating the bodyguard) "seems to think the ramian were involved, but frankly, that's ridiculous. It's got to be Heridoth!"

New terms:
Auss: Autumn. One of the four seasons on Jorune: Eris (Spring), Mullin (Summer), Auss (Autumn), and Crith (Winter).
Ellemin: a more distant city in Heridoth, site of a major Ardothian defeat in the last war (the Burdothian flagship was sunk within sight of Ellemin).
Heridoth: neighboring region of Jorune: a collection of city-states on the peninsula east, across Ardoth Bay.
Koistra and Sholis: the two cities in Heridoth closest to Ardoth (just across the Bay), long rivals for Burdothian trade. They are indicated by two dots on the local map of Jorune in the maps thread, just to the left of "The Ellih"
Monev: the hereditary ruler of York.
Ramian: tall, gangly aliens infamous for their brutality in battle, ramian require a particular herb, shirm-eh, to heal. Every few decades, another war breaks out as ramian from the northern continent of Voligire attempt to conquer southern lands.
Shirm-eh: a plant extract that assists ramian in healing when ingested, in much the same way that Earth life needs durlig to digest food. The plants from which shirm-eh is extracted grow well in temperate to warm climates.
Voligire: the cold northern continent which is home to the ramian.
York: a major port city in Eastern Heridoth, which controls a large region of the country and holds sway over several smaller cities. Shown on the Heridoth map in the map thread: the small dot just to the right of "HERIDOTH"

"Well, Jates here would have you look down at the docks, and I suppose that whomever took him might still be there, or there might be witnesses if someone saw anything. My problem is that all of my servants are known to the Heridothians, through our long interactions. Your inquiries - as long as they are discreet - will not be as obvious, and perhaps you can get close to the villains without their suspicions being raised." She pats the boccord bodyguard on the arm. "I will put Jates at your disposal; he can point you in the right direction, as he knows the docks. He could tell you about Luce's last observed locations. I must be seen to continue my normal routine, so that the Monev's agents will not suspect anything is amiss. I have appointments to keep with them, and I must keep them busy so that they do not suspect that Luce is missing." She pauses for a moment, pensively, apparently overwhelmed at the task of stringing along the York agents. "But I'm sure you'll find him soon. Jates can also direct you to the locations of various ambassadors of the Heridothian cities, as well as shenters where visitors from Heridoth go. You might check there first." She considers what else might be useful, though she's clearly getting more rattled as she talks this stuff out - apparently she's kept her anxiety about the whole situation bottled up for some time, and now that she's talking about it, she's getting more emotional. "I'm hoping that you'll find him quickly, so that we can get back to our normal lives and you can complete your tothis. But if it takes longer - if they've taken Luce aboard ship and you need to follow - I can help with your expenses. Just talk to Jates and he will arrange it. Obviously I can't talk with you directly again; we're trying to keep our association secret so the Heridothian kidnappers won't suspect you have anything to do with finding Luce."

Gythaar, give me a SCENT check (roll 1d20, target number is your LISTEN -1) for each NPC you want to "read."

Anyone else can also do SPOT, SCENT, or LISTEN checks, if there's something you want to detect. You can also explain how you'd use interaction or etiquette to perform a SOCIAL check.

Finally, jump in at any time if there's a skill you wish to use.

As Gythaar does his SCENT check, I'll point out that you each know that there are 40 days left in Mullin, and the keshtia has told you that she wants Luce back before Auss begins (thus you have 40 days to complete this task and become Drenn).

The Keshtia smiles at Marik. "Thank you." She gestures and Jates rises to accompany you. "If you have any questions, or if you find any information about Luce, talk to Jates."