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Message: <blockquote data-quote="megamania" data-source="post: 7632431" data-attributes="member: 9255">DARKSUN: THE ELEMENTS OF EVILSEGMENT 034“SILVER SPRINGS AND THINGS TO COME”07/02/19SEASON: FRIEND’S VENGEANCE  YEAR 24MONTH: THE NOMADDAY: 26KA: 190As part of Choro’s training, he does some limited pulling of the half full cart.   Due to his lack of strength however, it is Koe and Drak that do most of the pulling.  Sweaty, dirty and exhausted, the five of them arrive at Silver Springs late that afternoon. The Master of Walls looks down and reconizes Lilapaul’s pet and smiles.  “Guessing you know about the storm we had last night.”“Good afternoon Basettu… The Master of Walls.  May we enter?” asks Yaesha…. Thourghly humbled.“You have no animals.   What became of them?   Oh wait…. I see them now.   A mul, a thri-kreen, a half-wit and whatever mutant that is that some find amusing to play with.” Teases the cruel elven archer.“The storm you mentioned did indeed take most of them.  Those it did not were taken by a band of B’rohg during the storm.”“Hahahha…. What poor luck!” laughs the elves.   Basettu motions to an elf whom leaves.  Yaesha suspects the elf is letting the animal keeper to know to increase prices.  Damned Silver Hands.“I apologize.  I did not speak loud enough for you to hear me from your advantageous place.   “We would like to come in.  Use your pool and resupply.  We have money.”“I’m sure you do.    A silver each to enter and another to shop and still one more to go to the water.”“15…..” He begins to growl.  “…sounds reasonable.”“No need to wash or shop….. “ begins the thri-kreen.   “Not now.  We need to enter, resupply and find shelter.”“15 silver doesn’t include a night’s stay.  That is extra.” And a new round of laughter begins.They pull their cart past the animal pens.  Indeed, there is little here and the elves here are all watching with excitement in their eyes.   The market area is attended by two elves.   Their booths look very full with various goods.  Olan looks over to Lilapaul’s tent but follows the others to the water pool.“Careful of the bog waders.” Teases a female elf.Koe stares her down and pulls off his breeches to enter the water.   The elf has nothing to say.Soon they all (except for Drak) enter the pool of dirty water and wash off the sand and silt from their skin, hair and other areas.  Koe thought he saw something on Choro’s neck but dismisses it.  They now wash their armor and travel clothes while drying off.“I’m certain you want to visit the defiler Olan.  Take Drak and Koe with you.   Choro- I want you to go with me to buy animals and supplies.”Olan nods his thanks and they leave.   As he reaches her tent there is a gentle unexplained breeze that jingles the bells and rattles the wind chimes.Olan hears the whispering invite and goes in.  The others follow.Lilapaul, as usual, is dressed only in the usual see-thru silk dress with metal bracelets and jewelry.  “Welcome back my Prince.    I watched you at the pool.   It pleased me.”Slightly nervous still, the Tiefling smiles and nods.  “It has been a while since I last came to visit.  Have you learned anything new?   Learned anything new about my family?”Drak is looking around the tent.  So many curious things to look at.   Animal skulls, ribbons, colored stones and crystals…..  Koe merely sits down and listens and watches carefully.“One of your brothers lives in a city within the Tablelands.  I still do not know which city.  Another brother lives to the north….. in the Bandit Lands”  The elven defiler circles Olan as she continues.  “You have two sisters.   Each live on an island within the Sea of Silt.”“The Sea of Silt……?” wonders the Tiefling rogue.  “Where…..-““Your mother….. do you wish to know about her?” the elf asks as she locks eyes with him.“Go on.   I do.”Koe frowns.“She is human.   I am uncertain but I believe she is alive.   She hides.  Even as she tried to hide you.”“Hide me?”“Yes.  She wishes for you and her to remain hidden.”  Lilapaul’s eyes become red and irritated from dryness.    Somewhere near silt.”“Like where my sisters are?”“Perhaps.  I am uncertain.   Magics interfere…. Block with my own.”“Is there…. Anything else?”“No.  Not now.   My magic is being blocked.  Perhaps with standard non-magical means…. But that costs money.”“I can give you more money.” Offers Olan to Koe’s disapproval.  “It is not much…. But I have some gold pieces.  More later.”She takes the three gold covered pieces and they disappear into a hidden space on her bracelet.  “Until later my prince…. Perhaps in your dreams.”Olan and Drak begin for the door but Koe has not moved.  Lilapaul raises an eyebrow.  “Can I help you Koe?”“I have people I search for also.”“Oh.    Not what I had hoped for.  I watched you at the water also.  All of you.   Is it true?   What they say about a male mul’s endurance?”“Yes but I am not here for that.”“Oh poo.” And she circles him twice then sits across his lap.  “Then what can I do for you or otherwise to you?”“Do not flatter yourself.  I seek one person in particular.”The defiler temptress smiles and teases his face with her finger.  “Go on.”“Hurrrrm.   Very well.  I seek Hugo Hart the 2nd.  He is an <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> and a noble whom works for House Shom out of Nibenay.  He carries a short sword at all times.”“Is it the sword that you want?”  she asks allowing her perfume to fully effect the Mul.“Yes.   But I want him also.”“To do harm to?”“If killing slowly and painfully means harm then yes.” Koe further adds…. “I want details.   Where is he.  What defenses does he have?  What habits does he have?   Tell me everything.”“Yes.  Yes I can do this.”“There is another.  Fyona Hark.  I want to know if she is well.”Lilapaul takes it all in.   She knows it must have pained the proud mul some to ask her to ask him.  Perhaps he is even desperate.“As Olan has paid so must you Koe.”“Indeed.  It is always about money.”“Not always…..there are other ways to pay.”“I am no weak willed male thinking with his base thoughts than higher functions.  I have…. This.”  Koe removes the true solid gold coin he found from the ruins.   He sets it down but doesn’t remove his finger from it.“Is that a real…… It is.    Will there be anything else?  Are there more coins?”“Stay out of my head defiler.  You will not charm me out of my money nor dignity.”“I have a considerable reach into the cities and the trade houses.  I can research this Hark for you.   And the woman also.”“One more thing…. To earn this coin.”She smiles and waits.“Stop lying to Olan.   I understand you fear Olan because of his father. But you know more than you are saying and that may be endangering him.  Or worse- you are dragging this out to get money from him.   Either way- No more.   Tell him the truth.”He gets up and leaves her to consider this while she admires the gold coin.Yaesha is bartering with the elves for the ONE Crodlu they have.   (strangely at night they have six more)  Yaesha tries to talk the elves down but cannot.  He pays 3x normal rates for this one and it looks like it was outside for the storm.As he is doing this, Choro wanders by the market area.  It appears the elves have explored an exposed ruin.  There are many ancient items here including….. a book.  Choro, like most people, cannot read but this one has pictures and most are in color.    This interests him even more.“Do know what the book is called?   What it is about?”“Yaramuke and the Queen.  It is called…. The Queen and Yaramuke.” Offers the elf with a smile.“Yaramuke…… we were near there a few days ago.   Maybe this came from there!”“Perhaps…. If so…. It was fate you should find it.” Says the other vender with an equally reassuring smile.“Really?  How much?”Yaesha takes his one lone crodlu and ties it to the cart.  He notices three other travelers are also washing in the pool.   After they finish getting washed, dressed and walk about they come to him.  They strike up a friendly conversation starting about the storm and then about the state of affairs between Raam, Draj and everyone else due to the plague.  These three are searching for its cause.  They believe it has a magical origin and comes from a ruin near here.They are also searching for items stolen from a ruin near here last night.   They followed some of the stolen goods to here but cannot find the key items they are searching for.  Little more is talked about on the subject.That night, Yaesha catches Choro thumbing through his new purchase.    “I didn’t know you could read.”“Can’t.”Yaesha gives him a look and shakes his head in bewilderment.  Choro is not stupid by any means but he can be a child at times.   It is the Giant in him.Choro then is caught looking at his book by Koe.   “Put it away.”Later, Koe is sleeping on top of the cart and Choro is under it….. looking at his book again.   Choro thinks that Koe is unaware he is looking at it again.   Koe merely doesn’t want to waste time going down to rip up the book.Olan spots him under the cart.  “What are you doing?”“Nothing.”“Well nothing looks interesting.   Is that a book?”“No.” he answers knowing Koe is above him sleeping.Olan teases him and wrassles the book away.   “I didn’t know you could read Choro.  Especially ancient text.”“You can read?”“I have never been taught officially but I do have a way to figuring things out.   I generally can decipher a lot of stuff- even ancient text.”“This is the book called “The Queen and Yaramuke.”   It has colored images of its people and buildings.”Olan looks at it few times…. Straining and thinking…..   “How did you come up with that name?”“The elves that sold it to me said so.”Koe snorts from above.“I can’t break down each word but it’s not about Yaramuke.  Its about Kalidnay.”The few hours are spent looking at the pictures and doing poor translations of the script.Koe wrestles with his conscious for a few minutes then says…. “Olan…..”“Yes”“Don’t trust the witch.”</blockquote>

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