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Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4931035" data-attributes="member: 3285">Lady Quay: Part 4 – Aegis IsleEventually, the Lady Quay weighed anchor in one of the lagoons at Aegis Isle.  The island was very small, less than five miles across, but abundant in jungle flora.  The Lady Quay moored several hundred yards off the dangerous reefs surrounding the island.  Rekello saw that the pearl-laden crates from the lower hold were put into a dinghy. “Nothing lives here,” said Captain Miro, “except the yurians.”“Yurians?” asked Vlad.“Crabmen,” said Kham.  “They use Aegis Isle as a mating and assembly ground.”“Marissa Lapideaux also lives here,” said Rekello.  “She’s a renowned sculptor that lives in a simple stone cottage in the center of the island.”“Since when does she deal in healing draughts?” Kham blinked.  “Last I heard, she was selling one of her life-sized statues.  I think they called it the Spirit of Freeport.”Lapideaux’s statue was of a pirate brandishing a cutlass in defiance of the world.  It created quite a stir, such that the Captain’s Council bought it and placed it outside the Sea Lord’s palace. Rekello and Captain Miro took the oars of the dinghy.  “Follow in the second, just in case your sword arms and spells are needed along the way.”Sebastian, Kham, and Vlad clambered into the other boat and followed them.As they came closer to the island, what looked like bizarre coral reef were actually the waving eyestalks and claws of several yurians.“This is unusual,” said Captain Miro.  “They never meet us here. We usually drop off the pearls and there’s a crate of…herbs waiting for us.”“Yeah, right,” said Kham.  “Herbs.”One of the yurians waded forward and clicked in a bizarre tongue.  “Anybody speak crab?” asked Rekello.“I do.” Kham pulled the Nkisi n’kondi out of his haversack. It was a doll with metal bits sticking out of it, that Atum had given him.  Then he pushed in one of its metal bits.“…give us five thousand pearls,” clicked the yurian, “in exchange for four chests.”“What are they saying?” asked Captain Miro.“They want us to give them pearls for the chests,” repeated Kham. “Well let’s give it to them then,” said Rekello.“Not so fast,” said Vlad.  “We want to see what’s in those four chests.”Kham relayed the message.  The yurians chattered excitedly to each other.  “They say they’ll go get the chests,” translated Kham.“No,” said Sebastian.  “We will take the pearls to Lapideaux in person.”“What?” asked Captain Miro.  “Since when?”Kham winked at her. “Don’t worry sweetcheeks.” Clearing his throat, he turned back to the crabmen. “We’d really like to hand the pearls to Lapideaux ourselves.”The yurians had much the same reaction as Captain Miro.  “This is unusual,” said one of the yurians, probably the leader.  They all looked alike to Kham.  “We must confer.”There was much claw and eyestalk waving.  Eventually, the leader returned.  “We have decided.  You will take the pearls to the Mistress’ home.  There is a path.  We will show you.”Kham smiled. “Great.”“We never agreed to this!” said Rekello.  “What are you doing?”“Ensuring you get what you’re owed,” said Sebastian.  “Trust us.”Captain Miro looked Sebastian up and down.  “You’ve got three hours. If you’re not back by then, we sail without you.”“You’ll stick around,” grinned Kham at the older captain.  “I know you can’t be away from me for that long.”Captain Miro rolled her eyes.</blockquote>

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