Wild:45 The Purebloods Are Calling Us Freaks?

Starring: Bo, Fuelwen & Splat, Brilla, and TskTsk
Guest Starring: Jayde
Challenge: So many Lemures!
Location: Giant island, Village of Home Base
Date Played: 15 Sept 2010

The Village

Fuelwen: The villagers were stunned by our appearance. Even so, they were good and gracious hosts. When Tsk'Tsk and I learned that they were planning a feast, we felt obliged to contribute; we returned to the scorpion we killed and butchered it. We couldn't recover all of the meat, but I spread the offal about the ocean. Let the little ones feast as well.

Interestingly, they all speak a shared language that we do not. My instincts tell me that this is Common. Common survived here, but was wiped out when the stars changed elsewhere. How different is this great island from the ones that we know?

Brilla: There seemed to be some disappointment with the appearance of my companions. After some reassurances the crowd calmed a bit, though tension was still thick among us.

The elder eventually suggested a feast once the warriors and hunters returned with their catch. Tsk'Tsk and Fuelwen perked up at this and promised to bring back a feast of their own. I dread what trouble they will get into on their way back to the scorpion.

TskTsk: This village of purebloods were stunned by our appearance. Apparently crossbreeding is completely unknown to them, lacking even half-elves. Fuelwen theorizes that the common language they share is Common, which was removed from my village. Hopefully Brilla is able to pick up the language (she seems to know them all).

The Feast

Fuelwen: The village elder is, well, old. His mind is dulled with age, but his wisdom is obvious. I enjoyed Tsk'Tsk learning his place- the elder cowed him with a simple glare when Tsk'Tsk challenged his strength. I would have fared no better under that glare, but I was wise enough not to earn it. If there is one thing I have learned since leaving Algol-Nun- no matter how strong you are, there is always something that is significantly stronger. It isn't enough to fight, but to know when and how to fight to your own best advantage.

The elder offered his knowledge. He pointed out a constellation called the Maw, which looms near the Great Whale. Most interesting- I've been thinking in terms of direct action, but I wonder if there might not be a narrative approach to solving this problem. Sympathetic magic is powerful- if there were some way to tie the stellar narrative to one here on the Wilding… well, I'll think more on this.

Brilla: During the feast we got the chance to ask the elder some questions. Sadly, he does not seem to remember much from the past, at least actively. Numerous times he mentioned that he must go home to "meditate" on our questions. We did learn about demons that come to the island every so often to attack. This was something we took to heart; knowing that there may be multiple portals on this island with no degree of knowing how beneficial they may be to the natives healths.

During the feat we were also presented with some contest. Tsk'Tsk enthusiasm waned when he found it was a contest of writing and wits. To his credit, though, he did win the writing contest. There was also a logic puzzle that made us work as a group.

The logic puzzle was very important in that our solving it opened the elders mouth to the fact that there is a vault where great treasures are held. Our solution was the key to this vault, leading us to make a deal with each other to profit from this new found information.

What is interesting is that even half elves can not exist here. These random facts are something that I am taking account of. This place appears to be the exact opposite of what to expect in the Wilding.

{TskTsk}}: The elder's eyes contain a more dire threat than I thought possible. Over the last few weeks I have begun to rethink what "strength" means to me. Fortunately the elder is not without his weaknesses, as his mind has gone fragile with age and he is unable to recall simple facts from his history.

There is a contest but my joy is shortlived, as it is a creative writing contest. Somehow I won, though it feels more like a consolation prize than a victory. My reward however is good, as I train with some of their warriors, learning new techniques for battle.

The Fight

Fuelwen: During the night, marauding Devils set upon the village. Through surprise and sheer numbers, they nearly overwhelmed us- nearly. We triumphed in the end. The next day, we hunted down one of the other groups. A pit fiend was responsible for bringing them here, but we gave him a wide berth.

Brilla: Later that night, the camp was beset my lemures. Seeing how these are devils, they aren't the demonic hordes that are past due to show up on the island.

These lemures are different from the ones we have encountered in the past. Perhaps some mad mage from a distant plane summoned them to train his local guards, causing thee lemures to gain some battle experience. With some swift maneuvers and magical tricks we were able to win the day.

Most disturbing is that my crow eventually found that these lemures were being led by a pit fiend. We can't do anything about that monstrosity, but we decided to set out the next morning to remove another platoon of lemures.

Exploring

Fuelwen: The next day, we set out inland. We escorted the elder to his Elven retreat. An entire tree full of old and weak squeakies… it's almost enough to make me hungry. Still, as established earlier, "weak" is a very relative term…. Our next stop is the local county seat, where we hope to learn more about this bizarre land.

Brilla: The next morning we went out to take out the lemure squad. This went a lot better than expected with the influence of the pit fiend gone. From there it was a quick hop to the elders home. On our way there we noticed drastic changes in the landscape, much as what would happen if islands met together.

His home was a communal tree that was hollowed out and lived in by many other elves, all of which appeared advanced in age. He is going to be here for a good while "meditating" so we decided to go to the next local town and get some more information about this area.