Jorune: Strange Allies Sequence 1.2

Yongap demonstrates the gambling game Whellak to a number of the crew, taking three dice, everyone betting on the outcome, and then rolling. At first he demonstrates how poor bets on unlikely combinations mean adding more yules to the pot, but then he adds the rules about doubles to the patter - doubles add the capability of placing a second, side bet on a reroll of the odd die being higher or lower than the doubles - which is enough to fascinate the Jaspians. Renno and a human named Vex in particular get particularly hooked on "just one more roll" after the muadra lets them win a couple of big pots in the beginning, so much so that Yongap is able to lightly fleece the crew to the tune of 2 links, 6 yules by the end of the night. Sadly, what he gets from the crew during this gambling between Miniri's clearly hilarious stories (although Renno doesn't find the bit about woffen armpits all that funny, he guffaws with the rest when she describes her broken arm and dung fur) is a lot of political gossip and rude jokes about various kesht and keshtia back in Jasp, rather than anything particularly interesting. Still, the money is a nice addition.

Wen is unexpectedly delighted with Miniri's entertainment. Apparently he once had a lover himself who was a learsis working in a trauma center, and your story has made him nostalgic for past days. In the coming days, he has much softer work for Miniri. Every time he comes near, she fears that he's going to change his mind, but invariably it's only to awkwardly ask for details about Miniri's muadra lover. The crugar is able to walk the line of tact and lurid detail that the muadra first mate seems to want. Miniri doesn't identify with the awkwardness of muadra mating customs (or human, for that matter), but she realizes that, in the span of weirdness encompassed by all the sentients of Jorune, they're not all that different. At least they're mammals, after all.

Gythaar finds that he enjoys climbing in the rigging; there's something viscerally satisfying about sinking his claws into wood and climbing aloft to get a higher vantage over others. It's too bad Wen Lonson is such a harsh taskmaster. Though he seems to have chosen Miniri as his favorite, he is heaping all the more scut work on the rest of the sailors. Still, as long as the crugar condrij is obedient and gets his work done, the puny muadra Wen leaves Gythaar alone for the most part. Thinking of his distant family and how much Aki would enjoy the ride, there are also moments during the day when Gythaar feels traces of religious awe as the ship soars above the fields and forests of the fertile Gauss Valley. His sister, Sayomi, developed a passion for Iscinism early in life, and he's heard many times about how Iscin, the first crugar, came from the very same lush and verdant land that the ship is crossing now. That's the big reason why Temauntro will never give up trying to invade Burdoth, of course: Gauss is the land from which all crugar sprang, as well as the site of the betrayal of the human, Bomoveris. Many crugar do not wish to leave peaceably with the humans, but will only visit the Gauss Valley as conquerors.

Gythaar muses on these things when aloft in the rigging, but as he's working on deck, he recognizes another veteran of the wars, the grizzled old woffen, Jatix. A fisherman from Allidoth to the northeast of Ardoth, Jatix saved Gythaar's life a couple of times when the fighting with the ramian got particularly heavy. Every veteran had his peccadilloes. Jatix had taken a boathook off of its pole, sharpened it, and wore it on a thong around his neck. It was by this that Gythaar recognized him, so changed is the woffen in the intervening years. Now shrunken and leathery, with thinning fur and a perpetual squint, Jatix works silently and persistently at his tasks, not obviously recognizing his crugar comrade-in-arms.

Centered in the sho-caudal (what the native shanthas call the isho wind) and with a winning combination of humility and curiosity, Marik finds making friends fairly easy. The gruff old muadra sailor Agnar is happy to have an attentive audience, and takes opportunities to lecture the caji on topics various and sundry, which basking in an increasing pride to know a caji like Marik personally. The human sailor Vex is fascinated to have learned Whellak from Yongap, though he's a bit grumpy about losing money. He's picked Marik as a willing practice stooge to get a better handle on the odds of the game through repeated practice. The massive bronth Targus, of course, reminds Marik of his old friend Varyck in the way that the warlike Vordenir completely does not. When they are out of likely earshot of either Wen, Miniri, or Gythaar, Targus regales Marik with tales of his smuggling Iscin creatures out of Temauntro...sometimes on this very ship!

But through all this and all the work being done aboard ship, Marik is constantly aware of the glaring eyes of Elvar. During a break early on the first full day, Elvar rudely interrupts a game of Whellak to pull Marik aside. "What are you doing here? You're wasting your time. This is my ship, you don't belong here! And you can forget any plan to curry favor with the captain - he's already said he's going to mark my challisk!"

Elvar subsides, but continues to shoot dark looks at Marik every chance he gets throughout the next day, clearly nursing his old resentment.

Over the course of the next day, it becomes clear that Xentak and Elonpo are deeply engrossed in some affair of their own, and neither of them notice or recognize any of the PCs as being the strangers they met in the talmaron aerie days ago...unless some PC introduces himself, of course.

As the next day draws to a close, the ship continues north while the Gauss Valley turns to the west. The crystal schooner begins to rise with the isho current, following the contours of the terrain as it rises into the range of low mountains that separate the Gauss region from Lusail (map here).

Anyone watching Hentak and Elonpo as best you can while performing your duties as the evening progresses, make a roll against your SPOT or LISTEN (your preference).

Sure; there's been plenty of time for Barragar to point out that they're not what they said they were back at the Aerie.

Gythaar succeeds at his lining up the vistas with what he knows of the border between the Gauss and Lusail regions of Burdoth, well enough that he could find their exact position on a map. He is so busy with that, however, that he doesn't notice what the others do.

Marik notices Elonpo catch Agnar's eye during one of the old muadra's lectures. Agnar loses his train of thought for a moment, nods at Elonpo, and covers the interruption with an awkward cough before continuing on about how the Maustin Caji have made it worse for honest, hard-working muadra all over Burdoth. After a few minutes, Wen Lonson arrives and gives both of you the fish eye until you find something better to do.

From up in the rigging, Yongap sees Hentak in a long conversation with Lej, in a space made private by the expedience of Hentak directing Lej to set down a stack of crates in just the right spot to block them from observation from anyone else on deck. This extended conversation is also curious, because Lej has struck you as just about anything except talkative. It's mostly Hentak doing the talking, however. Hentak finishes the conversation by handing the corastin a sack of something, which disappears completely in his gargantuan fist. Yongap manages to duck back behind the mast and Hentak either doesn't look up or just doesn't notice that he was observed. Lej hefts the stack of crates again and trundles off to put them in their proper place, and Hentak saunters back to rejoin Elonpo at the bow of the ship, looking north.

It is later in the evening that Miniri creeps along a path between crates, paralleling Elonpo on the other side. She hears him stop and greet someone. "Good to see you. Have you thought about my offer?" The other voice is quiet, but her keen ears can still make out the words: "Yeah, I'll have them ready for you on the port side, and I'll make sure that Renno isn't watching." Elonpo responds: "Yes? Then here's the first part." There is a click-click of crystals exchanging hands. Elonpo: "When we're done tonight, you'll get the rest of it." The other voice responds: "When?" Elonpo: "I told you: tonight. We've got to make up the difference; he's getting too far ahead. Expect us by the time Desti rises." With that, Elonpo leaves, his boots clomping loudly. His companion is much quieter, and makes no sound leaving.

Each of you are off-shift later that night, and join one another to visit while having a late supper. Barragar, Vordenir, and Ullis all did not notice anything, but they're eager to know if any of you did.

The party is gathered together in their crew quarters, sharing what they've seen about Hentak and Elonpo.

Vordenir responds to Miniri. "Yes, it does sound like sabotage."

Barragar adds: "Whatever it is, I think they're up to something bad. So...what do we do about it? Inform the rest of the crew? Wen would probably like to know about Lej, and he'd certainly want to know that someone was planning sabotage...unfortunately, we don't know who Miniri heard talking with Elonpo. Or we could just take care of it ourselves...?"

Ullis looks back and forth between the boccord and the bronth with wide eyes, seemingly cowed by their intensity and great size.