Chapter 5: Pleased to Meet You

Verrian breathes in the fragrant scent of the tea as Elora starts to speak.Verrian lowers her cup, closing her eyes. The last thing she wants to imagine right now is fighting her own people. Still, it's a valid thing for Elora - for any of them - to ask about.

"I assume that if we stay out of Nauca, we won't have anything to fear. It sounds as though they have concentrated on closing their borders to non-Naucans. I doubt they have the resources to try and subjugate non-Naucans outside of their borders."

She sips the tea, tasting bile. Maybe Coreene will back up her assumption.

Coreene smiles at the design in the steam and looks to Ember as she goes back to the fire. (@Ember) I hope I did not upset you... she shares. She takes a sip of the tea, but moves her attention to the discussion on Naucans.
She makes a face as she answers, "I would certainly hope, but my intelligence comes from a little over two years ago. From what the regime stated, its purpose was focused on insular threats. They wanted to free Nauca of anything they deemed to weaken us, and sought to pull in Naucans from outside the borders." She sighs heavily and looks to Elora.
"I do not want to instill fear, but should they find us, we must be prepared to defend ourselves, both from their steel and their words. These people are clever, and terribly eloquent. It took very little for them to sway a crowd of a people who have become so full of mistrust and fear."

Verrian looks up sharply. "So it's possible that they are sending patrols outside of the country to bring back Naucans living abroad or traveling?" She looks at Wil. "If so, it's very possible that's what Daro was up to when you ran across him. It's the sort of job that would... appeal to him."

Verrian nods. "I'd like that, if everyone else is agreeable and there's nothing more pressing. Boslo is very experienced and politically knowledgeable. He'll be able to give us a lot more insight into what happened to Nauca."

Ember smiles at Coreene and puts her hand on her chest, hoping to signify Coreene wasn’t the one who needed to apologize. She drinks deeply of the tea and is glad to see she can focus again.

Do you think there’s any way we can get to Hara faster? That would ultimately get us to Boslo faster, too.

She tries to think of what she’s seen on the horizon, if there’s a pass they might be able to take. And she considers what she’s seen in the storm, if perhaps they can use the changing landscape to their advantage.

"We just traveled that route and I'm not sure if there is a quicker way."

Swan stands up, still saddle sore. He looks about the cabin, examining it. "What is this place? Do one of you own it, or might we expect its true owners to awaken us in the night, blades drawn against our banditry?"

He dissembles a bit, his own thoughts much too treacherous waters to wade in. Visions of social upheaval in Nauca spilling into his own neighboring Rhamia, and his family there. No, best to think of other things.

Verrian sighs heavily and holds up the iron ring she'd found when they first ferried across from Meriava. "I suppose we should try to discern whether this has the same magical properties as the one I saw Ildemu use, and if so, how to use it safely. It might help us to do some scouting work, or to get one or some of us somewhere fast. Does anyone have the ability to identify magic items?"

Swan holds his hands up. "Not I. While I had the chance to learn such divination magic, I chose otherwise."

Looking for something distract herself, Elora looks at the ring with interest. "I can try to, but I still haven't mastered the- Pip!" Taking a look through her spellbook she hardly notices Pip flying up to the ring and snatching it away. He holds it out for Elora who feels a bit embarrassed about the encounter. "Sorry Verrain, I thought we were making strides. Pip say you're...sorry...?" Looking to scold him for the theft, her speech becomes sluggish as the trance-like feeling returns in full force: time becomes distorted and her vision unfocused except on Pip and the ring he carries. To anyone observing she looks half asleep, but is whispering...something.

Her clarity returning with a few rapid blinks, Elora stares up at everyone, then back down at Pip, and finally the ring. "I-um, that happens sometimes. This-" She holds the ring up, and hands it back to Verrain. "doesn't have any magic imbued, unfortunately."

Verrian takes back the ring with a short, bitter laugh.

"Well, of course it doesn't. That might actually give us the tiniest bit of advantage, and why on earth would we expect that? I mean, they sent us out on this suicide mission with one hand tied behind us, lied to us repeatedly, and now half our party has abandoned the mission. The first person we tried to save, we arrived too late to prevent her from mutilation, and now there are forty more in Hara and we're three days away."

She shoves the ring back into her pouch and rubs her face with her hands. "I'm sorry, everyone. I'm behaving abominably. I just... I trusted Athisa's honesty implicitly. And Adaye's. It never even occurred to me that they might be withholding information from us. And it should have. I should have questioned more, trusted less. By not doing so, I failed you all."

"I'm actually glad we know. I have suspected there was more going on - what might have happened had we left a month sooner?" Yelnar takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly in order to release a tension he feels.

"Now though, it means we're free to decide what our mission is. We can still make use of Athisa's information, and who knows, maybe we'll uncover more information in the future that will renew that faith? But for now, we act on our own initiative and our own conscience. I definitely want to try and stop whatever is happening with those people, which we wouldn't be aware of without Athisa, so it seems our purposes align for now."

Swan lends a comforting hand on Verrian's shoulder. "Fear not. We haven't heard the whole story as of yet. There are a few twists to this plot ahead of us, or it wouldn't be so important." He withdraws his hand and looks about. "I'm going to find a bed. We'll ride tomorrow, yes? Learn more, untangle mysteries, and commit heroic deeds. It shall all-" (he yawns) "- seem clearer on the morrow."

Ember smirks, her usual self returning.

And maybe, once we know for certain that Athisa is in private, we tell her we know. See what else there is. Turn lies from Meriava into an advantage out here.

She does move her things to the other bed next to Verrian, assuming Coreene takes the first, but still not wanting to leave her friend unprotected, which is a strange concept.

Verrian notices Ember's move to the bed next to hers and is absurdly touched, giving her a small, grateful smile.

"I don't think it's safe for us all to sleep unguarded. There are enough of us that everyone needs only stand watch for an hour or so. I'm happy to take the first shift."

Shifts of 2 for two and a half hours gives everyone 7 and half to sleep. Try to split up the people who have low light vision.

Wil looks around.

Sorry, had to do this a lot in the early days after the mage wars.

"Let me take the darkest shift of the night. I have no problems with the darkness." Coreene says, moving her equipment over to the other bed beside Verrian's.