Parasympathicus

Parasympathicus
BLOOD SUMPTier 1
DOMAINS: Religion, Warren
DEFAULT STRESS: D4
HAUNTS:
Snow-Drifting-On-Ice, aelfir shaman from the far north, happy to practice his faith in peace (Blood, D4)
Vermissian Sage's Lost & Found Marketplace (Supplies, D4)


Once the expedition returns to Blood Sump proper, they are met with the locals celebrating the activation of the pumps. Many claim it to be a sign from the gods that they are on the right path and that the Blood Sump is indeed a holy site,

Brynmor seems happy with leaving the people to their own interpretation of the situation, and both him and his assistant join the festivities, gaining sympathies of people. He does not forget to reward each member of the group, thanking them for the cooperation and promising to reach out should he need their services again.The following week goes on in relative peace, with people getting used to their new surroundings.

Brynmor and his assistant Enzo make a small outpost in the Lost & Found office and the surrounding area. It is clear that the vermissian sage has a great business acumen, as he creates a small marketplace from the room, selling items that the occult energies occasionally bring inside.

The gnolls Waheed and Xorgash set up camp at the outskirts of Blood Sump. It is no secret they intend to return to the Plaza of Silicate Towers, but the priest needs to heal from his wounds and they lack supplies and companions for the dangerous journey.

The local shaman, Snow-Drifting-On-Ice keeps becoming a more prominent figure. He recently rallied a few locals to help start gathering materials for a chapel for the Godseeker to provide the saint with a place where she could be worshiped properly.

From the moment the party docked at Blood Sump, Ahkoura had drunk in the adoration of the crowds. They were met at the docks by a rolling sea of colorful humans, elves, and gnolls all cheering and raising their open palms to the sky (how quickly she had forgotten the wall of solid rock miles above her head!). She was glad to be a hero for once, even forgetting the dour reminder of her failure that is the presence of Elder Waheed and Xorgash. For now, there are only the praises and the celebrations: feasts, ale, songs and plays! Ahkoura even breaks out the last of her hashish, kept in a secure oilskin pocket in her raincoat, to share (ostensibly adding to whatever stash the villagers already offer).

Once all that quiets down, Ahkoura makes her way to the inn where she's staying. On the porch, she congratulates Brynmor on a successful mission. When he thanks her for her service, she adds: "Thank you for the adventure. I will have to visit you if you stick around. Please don't be a stranger!" She is delighted to hear about the new store, and, if the way is made safe and accessible, she stops in to browse the wares or say hello whenever she can.

As for Snow-Drifting-On-Ice is concerned, Ahkoura sees him more and more often, jingling down the slick, muddy cobblestone streets with in all the garments and paraphernalia that separate a priest from a peon. She doesn't mind others' religions—even the wrong ones—so she only makes note of the priest's presence in case she ever needs his aid. She's amiable enough to help with the chapel, but that's the extent of what they say to each other.

When she's not at the store, Ahkoura sits in a rocking chair in a shadowy corner of the porch, smoking a thankfully dry cigarette. The town is still miserably sopping, but the pervasive wetness doesn't feel so oppressive anymore. Rather, it almost seems as if Ahkoura went through some baptismal rite on her adventure, and now all the water in the Sump feels connective, like that of a womb, the water of Life.

It is on one of these "late-night" smokes that Ahkoura spots Elder Waheed splashing up the cobblestones towards her. She puts out the cigarette, beaming a bright, toothy smile at the Elder, hailing him with her heart already soaring.

Trinka remains amidst the celebration after the successful mission for only the briefest of moments. Truth be told the mage doing her best to suppress hisses every time anything brushes against the many bruises and small cuts concealed beneath her long coat. After exchanging some brief goodbyes, she heads out of the pier, asking around the Sump denizens for a trusty healer and everyone asked points towards some construction site where a influntial shaman is.

Snow-Drifting-On-Ice's chapel project mean they accept some sten coins for medical services, so Trinka attempts to glean some information from the elf while receiving treatment. Some simple small talk, asking about the construction project, whether they need someone to help tinkering with it, and what the payment would be for such help.

After getting healed, Trinka searches some of the recently drained areas to claim as her own little corner to stay, finding a wall hole leading to a small Vermissian employee room near the chapel. She chalks up the nonsensical placement of such a room in a place like this to post-Vermissian backlash. Trinka spends her week tidying the place, organizing her belongings, making trips outside for supplies, and building a lock and door for the room. Only when the Junk Mage feels comfortable and safe does she pull the locked book from beneath her bedroll and attempt to pry open its pages.

Jonnie did not showed much reaction to returning to the Blood Sump proper. It just happens that this is the case when he feels that he can relax at last through meditating with the electronic hum of his bees.
(Can I clear Mind stress now?)

Also, when Brynmor is less busy, he will pay a visit to him again. Half checking on if he have any other jobs in mind, and half just wanting to chat. The topic will eventually lean towards the nature of Bottomside's suit, and he is eager to explain, while still sounding monotonous, about his history with the Order of the Iron Flesh. That is where he received his first few body modifications, but when he finally had to exile himself, he went fully into it, building a suit that integrates with himself and the bees.

He can remove himself from his suit, but it is a hassle, and he feels more comfortable in it. The bees also sees it as another layer of the hive that is his body, where the air connectors of the diving suits can be quick entry ways for the bees. He admits that it is yet to be proven, but he feels that he is practically immortal from being powered by both the tech of the Vermissian and the constructive spirit of The Hive.

During her downtime, Ahkoura doesn't forget to visit Trinka and Jonnie, whom she has come to see as friends since adventuring with them, while they're still in town. She most likely sees them during the chapel construction, but she also tries to visit Trinka at her little dwelling, and might see Jonnie at Brynmor's store. Ahkoura is also interested in whether Brynmor has other jobs to offer, especially if she gets to travel with her new friends more. I have been alone too long; it has made me weary, she thinks to herself often.

Of course, when she finally has her meeting with Waheed she will prioritize the mission to the Plaza over any others, and will definitely try to get Trinka and Jonnie to join her, trying to entice them with all the lost magic and artifacts they could find along the way.

A Priest's RequestAhkoura

Ahkoura sees Waheed long before the priest arrives to her. The water flooding the landmark may be gone, but the pathways and bridges connecting the original dry spots remained, having the gnoll zigzag a few times before getting to Ahkoura.
When he finally does so, he nods in her direction and starts talking in Nujabi.
"Greetings. How have these past few days treated you?"
Waheed himself seems a little better than last time. The wounds are far from healed and fur from his snot had to be shaved to treat the injuries, but he seems reconciled with his new temporary awkwardness. As far as Ahkoura knows, he spent the last few days resting in a small tent Xorgash managed to procure in exchange for a few days spent helping Brynmor.

The First Whispers of The KeyTrinka
"I must admit, I was unsure about letting unfaithful in at the beginning..."
While treating Trinka's wounds, Snow-Drifting-On-Ice shares a bit of his life story. The aelfir man turns out to be surprisingly pleasant, contrary to the opening statement he dropped while mixing a healing ointment.

Coming to Blood Sump from the aelfir homelands in the far north, he used to belong to one of the very few surviving tribes practicing the faith of the Ancient gods. Periodically hunted by the solar paladins (DM Note: Solar pantheon is the current religion of the aelfir and the main reason of their world conquering campaign), his tribe kept getting thinner until there was only Snow. Visited by Godseeker in his dreams, he traveled on foot for more than two years until he reached Spire and Blood Sump.

Trinka finds this story fascinating, partly because as far as she knows, The Godseeker became the Chosen one just a few weeks ago. If prompted about this, Snow would just wave it off, saying that the gods do not need to respect the mortal laws of time.

The shaman does his work well and Trinka finds most of her wounds healed in a few days. If asked about help with the chapel, Snow would be eager to get assistance, but sadly unable to provide much in terms of reward aside from a blessing of the Ancient gods.Once Trinka finally opens her book, this is what she finds out:

Ahkoura grins with her fangs and takes Waheed's hand. "They've treated me quietly, Charnel be praised. Same for you, I hope? I see you are healing well." She wants to start talking about the Plaza, but she prefers to let Waheed broach that topic so as not to seem suspiciously eager.

Trinka's grip on the book tightens, her eyes darting through the words as they resonate with something the Junk Mage has felt for years. For a while, the constant nagging to build flees from her mind. She reads and re-reads the diary multiple times, sideways, vertically, even upside down, lighting up a black flame candle flickers over the pages while absentmindedly chewing on some bitter stimulant pastilles. All to try and peel any more secrets from the book's pages.

When Ahkoura visits Trinka's little corner, she first hears the womans clanking before even knocking on the metal door. Only after the Junk Mage confirms the visitor's identity through a sliding metal visor does she open the heavy metal door and let the gnoll inside. The room is now strewn with papers bearing copies of the book last pages, each with a copy of the unintelligible watermarks in different perspectives. Candles flicker in corners, and the air is heavy with the scent of incense.

Trinka sports a large grin as she talks, making sure to refer to Ahkoura as a colleague more than once during their small talk. She presses for information about their party's next journey into the depths. When the gnoll decides to leave, Trinka takes the chance to exit her temporary abode, citing the need to buy ingredients for a project and that they can reunite soon on Ahkoura's place. Meanwhile, a quick and dirty spell fuses the door lock and hinges in place.

"Very nice place. . . . Interesting décor." Ahkoura, her nose stinging from the incense, looks around at the madcap drawings and candles and can't help but worry. That place must have had a worse effect on us than I thought. Then Ahkoura is extremely pleased to be known as Trinka's colleague, and the apprehension is gone.

"I can promise nothing yet," she says of the impending delve, "but I may be on to something big. I shall come right to you as soon as I speak to the Elder. If you need me, I'm staying at the Inn. It's not much of one right now, but we're working on it. Oh, you're stepping out as well? Wonderful; take care, Trinka."

Ahkoura leaves Trinka's hole with a nagging concern relegated to the back of her mind. In the front, she is pleased to have a friend.