A Thousand Ships

Later that day. The Inquisitor has just sailed over the horizon. It’s lashing rain.

Everyone has forgotten the events of the last few days. There is some discomfort that something odd was going on, but there is the general sense that it is now sorted. Of the money spread around, there’s still a little left, but it’s down to coppers and the odd silver.

Nagan is anxious to get back and look further at the Steinberg. Jess reckons he should at least check in with Nanda with a view to talking to the Marmoset. We speculate on the vampire, and why we were allowed to remember.
Nanda: “Do you want to go ask?”
Voice by Vasco: “There is no need to ask.”
Vasco goes into spiky mode.
The guy from last night, assumed vampire, is standing there arms folded.
“There is a certain arrangement which might be arrived at between my employer and yourselves. He wishes to know first if you are available for the making of arrangements.”
Nanda and Jess give positive responses. Nagan’s not interested, no offence. Khalid might be on for it.
“Very well. My employer prefers not to meet on a regular basis with the people of the port or of the island in general. Therefore he occasionally needs things attended to. These things might be as small as making sure that a certain parcel does indeed make it onto a ship bound elsewhere, or perhaps as large as ensuring that a certain ship soon after leaving port sinks. I take care of many of these little difficulties, but due to the fact that a great many people find my demeanour disturbing” - Vasoc laughs - “there is something of a necessity for people to handle the more diplomatic aspects. The understanding at which he wishes to arrive goes liek this. In echange for ocacsionally engaging in these diplomatic activities at his request, you will be permitted a little more leeway in any activities of your own that ordinary citizens of the port, 9of the island, might expect.”
Nanda: taking lives?
Visitor: “Generally that would be my purview, not yours”
Vasco: ever been in prison? that’s how i feel right now.
Visitor: “You are free to leavea nytime you wish:
Vasco: you screws awre throwing me a little extra leeway. That rubs me up the wrong way.
Visitor: “Taht is entirely comprehensible You do not have to do anythign oyu are asked to do, but my employer has a feeling that that leeway may in days to come be useful to you.”
J: Why useful?
“He did not see fit to communicate that particular detail to me.”
N: “Can understand vasco and myself, but Khalid has just arrived and Jess as the priest is perhaps not the first person one would consider for such things.”
Visitor: “There are times in the lives of all people when the ability to do things that within the rules are not permitted is useful. He spoke in particular of the nomad in that leeway being useful.”
He asserts that all things involving the taking of lives would be his purview.
Khalid: “i am also no thief.”
Visitor: “No, I don’t expect that you are.”
J: So what duties?
Visitor: “One such duty is coming soon.”
Um
Visitor: “A battle has been won. On the shores of the greatest island of Tajidar, a fortified port has been captured by Elbenstraz. This is the first such capture in the history of the conflict between the two nations. This news has not yet reached the people off the free ports. There is likely to be a little unrest when it does. It is very likely that when the storm ends, some ship or ships will reach port carrying this news. Your task in this is simply to ease its arrival, to make sure that there is no panic. To imply a little beforehand, perhaps, that it would not be such a terribly bad thing if major battles were won or lost, that it would increase the traffic through the free ports, make peoples lives a little easier, whatever story seems most reasonable, most likely, most convincing to any of you. But my employer would very much prefer that there is no panic when this news arrives. It should be received calmly, perhaps with a resigned shake of the head or the like, but it should not be seen as momentous or remarkable.”
Sounds okay to us.
“In that case, I shall consider this task undertaken, and your leeway granted until such time as the next task arises, at which time we shall discuss the matter again. It has been exceedingly pleasant speaking with you.”
He ambles out the door, dropping some coins in the box. The weather breaks almost immediately.

Khalid mentions to nanda that Creomor said a name, same family name as one of the people in the inns. (Rana Gehr.) He decides to go to an inn and tell some stories of other lands. Nagan likes the sound of some ale. Nanda heads to Greer’s tavern to find Charmotte Rana Gehr. Jess writes a sermon.

N: “A few nights ago a guy from the continent arrived in Jess’s place. Tall guy called Khalid.” “I heard” “He would like to have a word with you this evening.” “A word or a *word?*” “Up to you really” “When can I expect him?” “I said three hours here. He’s not bad looking really” “Has that ever bothered me before? Word of a shipment coming through, some Strazi weaponry was found and might be thought useful elsewhere.” “Sounds beneficial to everybody concerned. No doubt we’ll be getting more such things and more customers.”

Khalid and Nagan eventually turn up in the tavern. Little and Large get stared at. Charmotte (”Star”) introduces herself to Khalid. “It’s a long time since somebody’s looked for my family or clan name.” “I’m looking for a man,both your clan and family if his name is to be believed, a Darushan priest called Rannon.” She’s thoughtful: “He exists certainly. I’m not sure what else you’re looking for?” “TO find him?” “Rannon is at least accoding to the members of my family I was last talking to more than a little crazy.” “” “Well then you should get on with Rannon just fine, ’cause he’s got a friend who says roughly that.” “Who’s this friend?” “No idea, but Rannon - this is all according to my family, I’ve not seen him since I was a child - he talks constantly of lightning and writings that are not comprehensible to anyone else, and someone for whom he must read them and various other snakes or something, and the talons of the eagle, or the talons of the hawk, or something like that, and steel and bright lights in the night and many many other madnesses.” “I can assure you at least some of these are not madnesses.” “When last i heard of him, he was wandering among the free ports.” “From what little I have heard, thqt seems like quite a large area.” “It is at least a smaller area than the entirety of Tajidar and the free ports, which might be expected of others of his kind.” “Description?” “When last I saw him, 20 years ago, he was very very tall, very thin, gaunt about the face and almost bird-like in his aspect and indeed in his movements everything is sudden and swift, and he scared me and my sisters quite badly. He washes obsessively. Every hour at least and sometimes more often he’ll find water and soap and wash at least his hands. And he has an intensity about him that everybody is, if not scared of then nobody wants to see it a second time.” “I have met such men. The desert can do that to you. Well, this further confirms that he is the person for whom I am looking. I thank you.”

Nanda returns. N: “I’m sure he’ll reward you for your generosity.” Nagan passes Khalid a couple of coins, who passes them to Star. S: “Do you want me to send word to him that you’re looking for him? I’m still in touch with members of my family. Letters travel slowly, now, but I will send word certainly and say that you are here at this time.” “Please tell him I have words that cannot be read, and I have steel.” She leaves the party.

Nagan: “I don’t think you were quite what she expected. She just looked a lot surprised most of the way through the conversation.” K: “Perhaps when all she’d heard of her family member were stories of his words and seeming madness. ot have that madness potentially confirmed as truth mus tbe strange.” Nanda: “Also you were buying in formation and not her body.” K: never understood that habit.

Nagan: “Ship comin’ in.” Khalid raises his voice, invokes “servant of the prophesy” aspect, to tell the dwarf a story, hopefully others will start paying attention. Desert, trading, victory, spoils, money, etc. Decent reception. Word even seemed to spread, some more people arrived.

Vasco heads out on the town. The ship that’s come in is a Strazi warship, followed by a battered Taji ship on the horizon. He goes to tell the Harbourmaster, walking past the queue. They both go take a look, the harbourmaster taking something from the umbrella stand - like an oversized Kopesh. “This says, I am official.”

Vasco: “There used to be two inns to deal with this.” H: “I intend to inform the first soldiers from the Strazi boat that I would like to speak with their captain, and I will inform him politely of the consequences of fighting, and the other captain of the same thing, and will do so while wearing this weapon, perhaps waving it around in a meaningful fashion.” He knows there’s rumour going that there’ll be news coming in soon. A longboat is coming in. H: “That looks like captain’s pips to me, correct me if I’m wrong” The captain looks bruised, but that he gave as good as he got.

The harbourmaster helps him off the ladder and has a brief word, gesturing at one point toward the horizon. The captain slumps visibly at this, and speaks to the men in the boat. H: “That didn’t go too badly. He says he’ll make sure there will be no fighting.”

A longboat’s coming in from the other ship, which is very battered looking indeed. The captain looks remarkably young and terrified, with one old pip and two very shiny ones. Alid, the Harbourmaster, steps forward and has a quiet word, then raises his eyebrows quite a lot. Alid turns to Vasco and pulls him into the conversation.

Captain: “Sir, our ship is overloaded with refugees. We picked up people on rafts coming out from a battle that was just lost a few days ago, Kalmadiz has fallen to - to the Strazi and we have more people on board than we can possibly deal with. The harbourmaster says that you know someone who might be able to help him deal with such people.” Some urchins appear, and Vasco sends for Jess and Arkvanin, and also (quietly) Nanda.

Vasco tries to organise to get the Strazi settled in, at least in part, before the refugees come in. We all arrive. He’s got about 80 refugees. Nanda: “Why did you bring them here?” “Because we have been avoiding Strazi warships teh whole way in. The entire coast of Tajidar is rife and thick with them. Even getting to here we have had to - we did not even outrun one of them, it just did not bother to chase us.” Vasco’s face has dropped. Jess and Arkvanin reckon they can take 40 or 50 refugees each. Vasco asks the Strazi captain to lend the longboat to the harbourmaster to move the Taji refugees. Very nice move.

On the last boat that comes along is a tall, bald hawk-faced man with a crazy set of eyes. He scrambles up the ladder and stares around wildly. Smells of soap. Khalid approaches. Speaking in Taji: “Rannon Rana Gehr?” “I am known to you. How does it come to pass when I have not set foot in this plae before nor seen this place?” Introductions. “From teh deep desert seeking prophesy? I knew there was another. Have you found your reader yet?” “Yes” “You have?” “I have. Ah. THat’s good!” “Although she could only read one of the two inscriptions.” Nanda’s watching this with interest.

R: “Who is she?” He stares at Nanda then dashes around people to stare right at her. “Who are you?” “Nanda” “No, who are you?” “Define” “Clan? Family?” “None of your busines” “No I think it is” “I am Nanda, the starling, here in the free port.” “Yes. yes yes. But what’s your name?” “Why would I give it to somebody who is not known to me?” He sighs, delves into his pockets, comes up with a paintbrsha nd pot of paint. He scribbles on his arm characters like hte ones on Khalid’s blade and chest. “This is who I am” Looks like nonsense ot Nanda. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but the only writing like that I can read ison Khalid’s sword’ “Yes, but you recognise it. A moment.”

He scrambles down the ladder into the longboat and scrubs his arm in the water. Returns. “So. Your name.” “Here I am called Nanda and that will suffice to you” This frustrates him. “I need to know your name.” “Why?” “So that I know what you know.” “Yeah. I;m sure. No deal mate.” He sighs. “How am I to interpret, to aid iunderstanding, to fulfil my purpose if you will not as much as tell me your name?” “It is not me that you need to concern yourself with, it is i him.” “You read the writing./ I read the writing.” K: “I am merely written upon” “Yes. You are a living servantof hte prophesy. Mine is dead. Yours still lives. I can help you keep him alive but you must tell me your name.” “How long ago was that?” “I will trade you then. A name for a name.” “No.” He flips. “Years! Searching! To find another servant of the prophesy and when I find him he has already found– I cannot read him!” He pulls Khalid’s robes open “See?” “The only thing I can read is on his sword” He’s about to pull the sword from Khalid’s scabbard, then stops. and asks politely, “may I see?” Khalid draws his sword. Vasco is bothered by this show. “I cannot read this either, but you can. It is the first reading. YOu read it. You understand it.”

Nanda: “DO uyuo know someone called Creomor?” “Yes, yes I do. What do you know of Creomor? Is he alive?” “Just about. He gave us yiur name” “He remembrs my anme?” K: He’s on this island. Two, three days walk. “Oh. He might have been spiral, but he became disillusioned, went elsewhere. It is of no import. I need your name.” “That name died long ago” “But you remember it. I will not use it again if that is what you wish. I need to knwo who you are.”

Nanda’s visibly conflicted. “Your name” “Creomor said that you’re Darushan.” “I was. But no longer.” “Temore. Darushal.” “Oh. My apologies, if you acn accept them.” “I’ll take it.”

“Much becomes clear now! And much remains very very unclear.” To Khalid “From where did you come?” “The desert” “There’s no point of asking one of your people what route because it was by the sea. Is this the first plae tha tyou hae stopped?” “After i left land, yes” “Have any others seen the writings outside this place?” “No. Creomor.” “Both?” “Yes.” “And the third?” “the third?” Points to his head. “THere is writing on my head?” “There is writing up on yoru head” “I did not knwo there was writin gon my head.” “That as they say is natural.”

Nanda insists everyone go inside somewhere. He asks for somewhere indoors with hot water and soap. Nanda brings them to hers.

Back at the temple, we feed the refugees. Sounds like the situation in Khalmadiz is possibly not as bad as it could be - the Strazi took over in a fairly civilised manner, but ships headed in to the port still decided it was no longer a good place to go. Vasco asks where that port is on the map. Khalmadiz is one of the major fortified ports in Tajidar. It’s one of the three big fortified shipyard holding ports on that coast. Seems that most of them were coming into Khalmadiz on already fairly battered trade boats, because the better ones had been requisitioned by the army. If they got caught in any crossfire at all, they fell to bits. By the time they’d turned around again, these things were already falling to bits, and the Taji ship picked them up.

Rannon tells a story a little like Nanda’s. A man was seeking someone to explain the writing on his blade, and since Rannon knew ten languages at the time, he got sent to him. Rannon knew that it said “This is the one” though he didn’t understand the language. He stayed with him and over time the man used to get struck by lightning, and then would have new instructions to carry out. Eventually Rannon discovered that he could also read the writing on the man;’s chest (he couldnt’ previously) “There i a price to be paid”. After that Rannon fell ill, and they lost contact for eight or ten years. He finally caught up with him and met him as the man was dying, and since he was balding could see the writing on his head: “TH eprice has been paid.” These were also the man’s dying words.

He’s since been seeking out others with this writing, and their readers. But none seem to have made much sense of the prophesy. He speaks now 35 langauges in eight or ten systems of writing and this resembles none. He’s of the opinion that it is not real writing. He thinks it’s a pure form of meaning, a shortcut. Always the first writing says “this is the one.” The second writing says many different things. The third writing is not even always known of.

This all said, he falls asleep near immediately.

Khalid to Nanda: “I must apologise to you. I think my arrival here has made your life even more complicated than I first thought.” “Perhaps it will have a little more purpose, then.”

Vasco’s out socialising with the soldiers, sailors, marines and low ranking officers - the Strazi that were sent to the smaller taverns. No operatives visible. Makes up some story about being a footman, gets all the stories of all the injustices put upon them by officers, the navy, the public, not to mention the other side. There seems to have been a massive organised campaign to take Khalmadiz. There was a morning when Khalmadiz woke up, lokoed at the horizon and saw sails from one end to the other. When they got closer, they saw the second rank. Every single warship they had, with almost no exceptions, sailed straight into Khalmadiz, loaded to the teeth with anyone who could hold a sword. They stripped every other attack and half the defences in order to spearhead one attack on this port. Orders were “Leave it intact. We’re gonna use this place. It’s gonna be our foothold in Tajidar. It’s gonna turn things around.” PIty the poor sods sitting there as teh Taji take it back. “Unless they bring their whole army down -have you seen Khalmadiz these days? It’s walls that go up, and they’ve got towers on the walls and walls on the towers.” “Did they put up a fight?” “Oh yeah, it was massive. Where’s the captain gone? There he is. See him? He was the captain on our ship. They say when they get back to quarters, he’s gonna be an admiral. Not because he did good stuff, but because all the other ones are dead. They had people on the ground. They had archers and actually had wizards o the docks, on the towers, shooting fire and lightning at us.” “Unless shit has changed in the last 15 20 yeas, tehre’s maybe once I came up against wizards.” “Guys in dresses with big roundy hats, no armour, no weapons, they stand there, wave wave throw, tehre’s fire. A burst of flame the size of a wagon. There was lightning coming from four different points. I mean, them’s there rulers, aren’t they? Right at the front. None of this second rank shit.” “Any taken?” “Don’t think so. Dunno. I didn’t see ‘em took, but there was enough chaos, we’re just on our way back ’cause the captain was recalled, we were on that ship goin’ in so we were told to be on that ship goin’ out.” “Just here for the tide?” “Resupply, feet on the land for a bit, move on.”

Arkvanin knocks on the door of Nanda’s flat. “I’ve got fifty of them bedded and settled down. I’m trotting down to see if Jessen’s made any sense of his lot.” Vasco turns up. A: “You had one as well, is he alright?” Nanda: “Seems to be.” A: “Most of ours have gone a day and a half without food, they’re all scared more than anything else. Most of them were just coming into this port city, saw the flags and smoke, and turned around and went the other way. Some only saw hundreds and hundreds of strazi warships. This one Taji vessel also headed into port turned around and was picking people up on the way because most of the vessels they were in couldn’t possibly deal with deep sea.”

K: “From what I understand this was a heavily fortified place.” A: “Most were in shock not from the journey but from seeing the place taken.” K: “Sounds like it would require huge force tot ake.” N: “Or one man.” V: “No, huge force.” K: “How big can the Strazi army be? What did they leave behind? What did they lose?” V: “Not very much, and quite a bit.” K: “To capture one city - it’s like leaving your camp attended only by boys and to lose most of your warriors in a battle for somewhere that–” V: “I don’t know where you live quite well, but you live in the desert. You protect water holes? So your clan and a rival clan has water holes” There’s some crazy talk.

A: “So are we going to see more refugees coming in?” Dunno. V: “Sounds liek the Strazi are there to set up shop. I’d say they’ll keep the population there but administrate. Mightn’t be able to leave.” N: “I think that it would be important if people were reassured that when they hear about the events in the east that there will not be any kinds of conflicts here, or that they won’t panic.” A: “Ok. I’ll wander down and have a word with Jessen.” Nanda follows, V goes to drop in on the Taji soldiers in the Taji bar.

Nanda, Jess and Arkvanin discuss what to do with them all. Hopefully most of them will move on, seeing as they mostly weren’t from that place.

Arkvanin: “There’s something else coming in.” Jess looks through his spyglass. It’s of Taji cut, and we can see the crowds on the decks from here. We’re going to have to tell the duke. Jess offers to wander up and knock on the door of the keep. Nanda: “We’re on good terms.” From behind Nanda, “yes you are. Tell me, what has been happening?” She explains. “Where’s the bad tempered one?” “we left him in my apartment.” “No, not the refugee, the bad tempered friend.” “Yes, that;’s who I mean.” “We cannot offer accommodation in the keep itself,I regret, but there are some tents which might be put to use. Would this be acceptable?” “As long as there is care and food provided for them as well.” “Very well. Some of the soldiers will bring them down, most likely before that boat reaches the shore.” He steps back into the shadows, and we can’t see where he went.

The Taji soldiers are pretty damned depressed. Vasco chats with the barmaid. All’s quiet. They’re not saying much, even among themselves. If there’s more refugees in, the temples are going to need food, so she says to point us toward the inn.

As Vasco approaches the door, the employee of the duke steps into the light coming out of the door. “There is another boat coming in. There is a gentleman on the boat. He is a Tajidarian noble. It would be very good if the Strazian port were not to hear of this.” Vasco heads to the harbourmaster and barges in. “We have guests. Noble guests.” “Fuck.” “Noble Taji guests coming.” “Fuck fuck. How do you know these thingsin advance?” “I don’t want to know these things in advance. I’m todl these things in advance. Just..” “We’ll come back ot this later. Let’s go down and meet them then.” “I’ll keep quiet.” Vasco makes self-dying motions.

The boat is small enough to come up to the pier, and people pile off. They’re well dressed, mostly in shock of some variety but getting on with it ok, not underfed, but there’s a lot more than sixteen on the boat. They stretcher a guy in full robe and turban up. He’s very, very pale, looks practically emaciated and is clutching a book to his chest with such vigour that his knuckles are bone white. The harbourmaster directs the noble to his own house. The rest don’t want to be separated, so they’re all directed there for now. Vasco goes to get Jessen. Arcvanin tags along. Nanda and Khalid do too. Nagan: “I’ll take care of this lot, and maybe we’ll go see this steinberg tomorrow, eh?”

We go to the harbourmaster’s, which is bustling. 27 people came off that boat and are all here. The guy is thin, emaciated, feverish like Jessen’s not seen before. Jess fires healing spells and herbs into him. By the time he and Arcvanin are done it’s 2am and the fever has broken. He’ll live. Arcvanin’s best theory is that he jammed all his energy into spells, then chucked some more, then a few more.