(IC) Lost in Dreams (Julian)

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

"My people came up here when the first stones were brought up. Riask has brought us here, and came with us, but the wingless are poorly suited for this place."

"I can't imagine Hawkin are terribly well suited to the mines. Everyone has their own place to be I guess."

Originally Posted by ericthered

"It reminds me of Awan, the mothersky.

"Have you been there?"

I suppose if Hawkin can get back, maybe I could... Wait,

"Is everyone on Riask from somewhere else?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

Gabil says he needs to search Julian before they take him back.

"Well I've got nothing to hide."
I show him my book and pen.

"How invasive are you going to be?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

Three Hawkin arrive with a harness thing they strap Julian into to, and the four Hawkin start flying him back to Bumundo, suspended below them.

I wish I had a camera; well, maybe this will do.

[115] 22-12-21 18:29:07 CET
Artist
3d6 <= 11
2 + 6 + 1 = 9 ... success

[ericthered]

"Yes, I suppose we need you wingless up here for the mines."

"Yes, I've visited Awan. I was born here, in Riask, but I have been able to visit my homeland."

"You mean all the peoples of Riask? The Mugraggle seem to have been first. At least on the floor. Its very wet down there."

"Please strip and I'll look through your things"

You are aware that Julian can't see himself being carried? At any rate, he can draw the harness, and get a decent idea, and the picture comes out pretty good.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Yes, I've visited Awan. I was born here, in Riask, but I have been able to visit my homeland."

I mumble, "I wonder if I'll ever get back..."

Originally Posted by ericthered

"You mean all the peoples of Riask? The Mugraggle seem to have been first. At least on the floor. Its very wet down there."

"So they're from here originally?"

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Please strip and I'll look through your things"

I grit my teeth and comply.

Originally Posted by ericthered

You are aware that Julian can't see himself being carried? At any rate, he can draw the harness, and get a decent idea, and the picture comes out pretty good.

Well I was more thinking that Julian would draw a picture of the view. Different perspective of Bumundo and all.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

"So they're from here originally?"

"From here? no. They're made for the floor of Riask. With all the rain and mud."

I grit my teeth and comply.

He finds the book, of course, but remarkably little else. He looks at the art in it "You didn't make this did you? can you draw faces?"



"Thank you. Had to make sure you weren't a spy with a communication stone. You really were in freefall. Lucky we found you."

Well I was more thinking that Julian would draw a picture of the view. Different perspective of Bumundo and all.

Below him is nothing but more clouds. He's able to get a better look above him though, at the giant cone that forms the ceiling of riask, and at the waterfall. He isn't able to see all of it: The green fades away in the distance.



The trip takes maybe half an hour. They all land on that first platform he showed up on, leaving him dangling below it for a minute or two before he is hauled up.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

"From here? no. They're made for the floor of Riask. With all the rain and mud."

Oh, so they were the first and then others started showing up. I guess... Pilagro was after that.

Originally Posted by ericthered

He finds the book, of course, but remarkably little else. He looks at the art in it "You didn't make this did you?"

"Well, I drew the pictures but I didn't make the book."

Originally Posted by ericthered

"can you draw faces?"

I flip back a few pages:

Originally Posted by TGLS

I stop writing and try to draw out a picture of the two men separately.

I show him the picture.
"These are two of the men I saw. I only saw the bearded man on Vasic; the other is Tarbreth."

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Thank you. Had to make sure you weren't a spy with a communication stone. You really were in freefall.

"Freefall? I wasn't falling."

Originally Posted by ericthered

Lucky we found you."

I nod in agreement.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Below him is nothing but more clouds. He's able to get a better look above him though, at the giant cone that forms the ceiling of riask, and at the waterfall. He isn't able to see all of it: The green fades away in the distance.

I guess the waterfall makes it too harsh for even the hardiest plants to grow. Blowing away nutrients, air, heat...

Originally Posted by ericthered

The trip takes maybe half an hour. They all land on that first platform he showed up on, leaving him dangling below it for a minute or two before he is hauled up.

I'm glad to have solid ground below me again, and get my bearings. Then I comment, <Hm. Full circle.>

"I guess we go see the bossman now."

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Oh, so they were the first and then others started showing up. I guess... Pilagro was after that.

"A long time after that"

"Well, I drew the pictures but I didn't make the book."

I flip back a few pages:

I show him the picture.
"These are two of the men I saw. I only saw the bearded man on Vasic; the other is Tarbreth."

Didn't the picture of Tarbreth get confiscated to try and track him down?

"Freefall? I wasn't falling."

"Not... Its a thing people say. You would have died and could do nothing. like someone in freefall"

I guess the waterfall makes it too harsh for even the hardiest plants to grow. Blowing away nutrients, air, heat...

You mean inside the waterfall? I'm not getting this comment. The ceiling of riask is overgrown with vegetation.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Didn't the picture of Tarbreth get confiscated to try and track him down?

Oh right. Instead:

"I had one, but I gave it to a guard. I think they killed him."

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Not... Its a thing people say. You would have died and could do nothing. like someone in freefall"

He's probably right; I was getting nowhere fast and probably would have starved.

Originally Posted by ericthered

You mean inside the waterfall? I'm not getting this comment. The ceiling of riask is overgrown with vegetation.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Below him is nothing but more clouds. He's able to get a better look above him though, at the giant cone that forms the ceiling of riask, and at the waterfall. He isn't able to see all of it: The green fades away in the distance.

Maybe I'm confused, but I read this as, "There's just clouds below Julian, but above he can see the ceiling and the waterfall. The green [on the ceiling] fades away in the distance [i.e. closer to the top]"

If it was meant to be read more like: "He can see along a wall whose greenness fades away in the distance," he'll instead be pondering about whether Riask is curved or if water is condensing up here."

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Oh right. Instead:

"I had one, but I gave it to a guard. I think they killed him."

"could you draw it again from memory?"

Maybe I'm confused, but I read this as, "There's just clouds below Julian, but above he can see the ceiling and the waterfall. The green [on the ceiling] fades away in the distance [i.e. closer to the top]"

If it was meant to be read more like: "He can see along a wall whose greenness fades away in the distance," he'll instead be pondering about whether Riask is curved or if water is condensing up here."

The visibility fades. Kind of like how green mountains appear blue from a distance because of atmospheric interference. The green stretches as far as you can physically see it.

I'm glad to have solid ground below me again, and get my bearings. Then I comment, <Hm. Full circle.>

"I guess we go see the bossman now."

Julian is escorted up through the tunnel and into the nice neighborhood he was denied entrance to just a few weeks ago. The doors in here have facades that look like brightly colored houses with enormous gutters and waterspouts. It runs mostly parallel to the main passage. A man in a more impressive looking uniform than the others is waiting for them.

"Julian, I am Shuzu Lorek. I understand you have seen the enemy soldiers hiding in Bumundo. If you can find them for me, I will reward you well."

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by ericthered

"could you draw it again from memory?"

"Well that is what I did before, but I'm not a good drawer."

I suppose that may or may not sound as awkward as it does in English.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Julian is escorted up through the tunnel and into the nice neighborhood he was denied entrance to just a few weeks ago. The doors in here have facades that look like brightly colored houses with enormous gutters and waterspouts. It runs mostly parallel to the main passage. A man in a more impressive looking uniform than the others is waiting for them.

I guess the rich have enough money to burn to make things feel like they're on the ground. Those spouts are probably useless built under rooves, but if what I hear about the bottom is accurate, they probably useful and common down there. I guess this is kind of like what a space colony could be like.

Originally Posted by ericthered

"Julian, I am Shuzu Lorek. I understand you have seen the enemy soldiers hiding in Bumundo. If you can find them for me, I will reward you well."

"I don't know about finding them, but I can tell you what I know and try to draw pictures of them."

I start drawing and explaining. "It was a few days ago, the 11th. I was wandering around vegetation tunnels, and I saw two men talking, one on what I now know is a communication Vasic. I didn't really understand them, but it seemed obvious they were talking about an attack, so I got out of there. I forgot how I got there, but I remembered their faces. So I drew a picture to show people and started looking around. I stumbled upon a cache of spears, which I took apart and sold."

"The next day, I decided the market was as good a place as any, so I decided to go looking for the man around there. Eventually a guard got fed up with me loitering, and had me searched. He found a bunch of money and the picture, so I explained what I knew to him. After he decided I wasn't involved, I noticed the thin man, Tarbreth, with two others. I reported them to the guard, and he went after them. He gave me this tablet; I made a rubbing of it before handing it off to another guard."

"I went back to sleep after that. I was woken later by Tarbreth and some other men. They had knives. I had little choice but to go with them, and they brought me back to their tunnel dwelling. There were six of them on this side. They contacted this guy, Paldrian, on Vasic. He's not the bearded man. I mentioned their spears went missing and they killed a guard, so they needed to 'go to ground'. In hiding I guess. They eventually decided to head downward to hire Hawkin to haul me across to Paglog."

I think there's a good chance Julian might be asked about the "why" behind the kidnapping. So:
"I don't know. They weren't making any sense when they talked about me. Nothing good probably."

"Anyway, I made a nuisance out of myself for the past few days and they responded by trying to beat some sense into me. Two of them were sent to drag me down to the Hawkin point, Reslin and Togar. They only had one watch between the two of them and when it lost time, they needed to turn around. They were attacked by this big bug, and that's when I ran. And that brings things up to now."

"There's six soldiers in total. Reslin and Togar are either heading back into town to fix their watch today or tomorrow, or maybe they were got by the centipede. Tarbreth and the other three are probably trying to pretend to be just regular poor people. It's possible they're aware Togar and Reslin didn't check in. I doubt either group thinks I'm back in town."

Roll for the lies and omissions, (Dreamt the Tarbreth/Bearded meeting, Julian knows why they want him, omitted stealing the watch to change the time)

[116] 23-01-06 01:58:16 CET
Fast-Talk
3d6 <= 12
3 + 1 + 4 = 8 ... success

[117] 23-01-06 02:00:35 CET
Artist, drawing pictures in the order of Tarbreth, Anonymous Goons 1-3, Reslin, Togar, Paldrian, Bearded Man on Vasic

3d6 <= 11
1: 1 + 4 + 1 = 6 ... success
2: 1 + 4 + 5 = 10 ... success
3: 5 + 1 + 2 = 8 ... success
4: 2 + 6 + 5 = 13 ... failure
5: 5 + 2 + 2 = 9 ... success
6: 1 + 4 + 5 = 10 ... success
7: 5 + 6 + 4 = 15 ... failure
8: 4 + 5 + 5 = 14 ... failure

I'm not sure what the penalty is like, or whether Julian's aware the drawings are wrong or not.

[ericthered]

Julian can only really get good pictures of the three he spent a lot of time talking to: Reslin, Togar, and Tarbreth. The Shuzu is mostly interested in Tarbreth: "The other two are isolated and lost in the top. Besides, if they can't keep a watch synched, they're not a threat. Tarbreth was probably disposing of liabilities."

"You only saw six of them. Hmmm. I wonder where the others were."

He is pushed on why they wanted him, but ultimately the language barrier convinces them that this won't be useful.

The rubbing of the small clay token seems to cement his story: its unique to the guard who died, and the clay token wasn't on his person when he was killed.

He's given 20 L and told "I will give you more when we catch this Tarbreth. You have done Bumundo a great service. Where do you live? How can we find you to reward you when that happens, or if we have more questions. "