Jorune: Strange Allies Sequence 1.2

The travelers introduce themselves as you settle around the fire pit to enjoy the roast pibber.
There's the human merchant, Hentak Xerxes, and his human bodyguard, Elonpo. He's looking to sell his wares in Kaigon.
There's the human Iscin, Gaul Virigiskit. He's doing a tour of Glounda for some reason that makes your eyes glaze over shortly after he starts talking about it.
There's the woffen sailor, Briddo Dorth. He's on his way to Ardoth on leave from serving aboard the crystal schooner Champion of Tra, and is already a bit drunk from rusper.

Miniri: the landing platform is like a treehouse hostel; there is no ready access to the forest floor, though you do spot a ladder near a trap door to one side. Probably you could open the trap door and lower the ladder to connect with a ladder that comes partway up the central support for the platform, so that people can climb up or down if they wish to start or end a journey by talmaron. They probably have it pulled up now to discourage night creatures from climbing up to the building.

Yongap immediately ingratiates himself with the travelers by pulling out a bag of herbs and spices to add some flavor to the pibber.

Barragar sits on a mat near the rest of your group and glowers at the others, particularly Elonpo. Some of you barely know Barragar, but you know him well enough to realize that this expression is actually one of polite interest, even if it comes across as hostile.

Gythaar and Vordenir both overhear a bit of conversation between Hentak and Elonpo about making sure "they're safe from thone..."

Jorune lore:
Pibber are small, blobby creatures native to Jorune who live in areas of heavy vegetation. They are sometimes kept as pets, but are usually considered a food source. They resemble small, fuzzy, eyeless thombos. Occasionally, when upset or under the influence of certain moon configuations, pibbers will extend long spikes from their furry coats in a process called thisting. When a pibber thists, watch out! A good mental image of a pibber is of a cross between a shmoo and a hedgehog.

Rusper: probably the most common alcoholic drink on Jorune, by dint of the fact that it is somewhat palatable to the most different races.

Yongap starts up a game to pass the time, inviting anyone else who wishes to play. He does not wager (yet), but he does take a moment to assess any participants while the game progresses.

"So tell me about the Champion of Tra," he says to Briddo Dorth. "It sounds like a lovely ship."

Despite his protestations, Marik is slowly cleaning up at the game of Bipak, which leads everyone to grouchily suspect that he's pulling a fast one on them. While they lose their bits, Yongap talks up the woffen, who is drunk enough now that he doesn't mind the proximity of the crugar...a fact which he makes sure to point out several times during the evening:
"I'm so happy, I don't even mind the smell in this place! Haw haw haw!"
and
"I must be feeling good, since I'm drinking with crugar! Hee-hee!"
and
"Aw, don't look so glum, kitty! Here, have a drink with me! You don't see me looking so upset, and I'm the one who has to look at you!"
and so on.

Yongap does tease a number of bits of information out of the drunken sailor bigot, however. The ship's pilot is Wen Lonson, a severe muadra taskmaster. They're always looking for crew, due to the high turnover on the job. Yongap gets the sense that there's high turnover because of high stress on the job, and not all of that because of Wen's attitude. The Champion of Tra will leave Kaigon, headed north, in two days. Kaigon has become a waypoint on the crystal schooner circuit, particularly as its the closest stop to Ardoth any crystal schooner will come, so there's a schooner stopping in the city every few days.

Vordenir attempts to engage the merchant, Hentak, in conversation, but he seems particularly close-mouthed. Though he talks freely about the difficulties of trade in Burdoth, he provides no details about his own trade affairs. (If there's a particular skill you're trying to use, or an outcome you're trying to achieve, let me know)

Miniri is attentive to Gaul, and he warms to his subject. He seems to be talking about a local warlord or cult leader named Eatoni Gray, and how his forces have spread across the south and western reaches of the forest. An aside from Barragar, however, helps the crugar to realize that what the Iscin is actually talking about is a small flower which he's been researching and logging in his journals. Miniri notes "eatoni gray = small green plant with long stalks and multiple elongated red blooms" in case it might relate to an information search in future.

Hentak admits that he deals in "produce, particularly flowers." Vordenir should give a SOCIAL check.

Eventually, the night draws to a close and everyone retires to their pallets for sleep. The players awaken early enough to see Gaul finish a cold breakfast and then, with the help of the beasters, throw open the trap door, hook up the ladder, and climb down to the forest floor to resume his trek across Glounda. Briddo is miserable this morning, his ears drooping, his eyes bloodshot, his nose running. He's irritable and snappish, and pushes past Hentak and his bodyguard to be the first aloft on a talmaron, winging east towards Ardoth.

He probably won't fall off.

Hentak and Elonpo mount up quickly afterward, and leave with a minimum of discussion, carrying a few small cases west.

The beasters are efficient and mostly cheerful (though a bit brusque with Yongap still) and busily prepare fresh mounts for each of you.

When the ritual is finally finished, the boccord joins the rest of you in line for talmaron mounts.

Once again, you are grateful for the assistance of the beasters in fixing the straps, calming the creatures, and talking you patiently through the diving launch process. You shudder to think what you would do if you had to take off on your own.

You take flight in turn and begin to wing your way further across Glounda Forest west, toward Kaigon.

Each PC should roll a check here, unless you have talmaron handling at Familiar or better (remind me if you do). The check can be:
* talmaron handling (with a -5 bonus modifier to the roll)
* agility check (straight, no modifier)
* strength check (+4 penalty to the roll, as you're basically fighting the talmaron to guide it)

These checks are to determine how well you handle the mounts this second day of flight.