Jump to Episode 2: Finding the way
Note: after character creation, we played for about an hour, which was not enough to really get going but enough for the players to get a feel for their characters, and the group to decide what they want to do next.
Dhar'en, Roosh, Feul, Rrounni and Baramas go through the administrative process of initiating their tothis on the same day. Some of them know each other and planned it that way, for others it's pure chance.
As Rrounni queues in front of the Lelligire provincial palace with the other aspiring tauthers, she meets Gerta Yon, a young boccord woman, and they start to chat. Yon is clearly not from Lusail, it turns out she's Ardothian which surprises Rrounni somewhat. Why come all the way to undertake tothis when you can do it in Ardoth? Gerta explains that her fiancé, one Malyk Mellon left her and ghosted her after coming to Lusail. So to prove to herself that she's over him, Gerta decided to become a tauther in Lusail.
Each of the five companions goes through the same administrative process in the provincial palace: first, all the would-be tauthers (about 15 of them today) are gathered in a room where the local officials pontificate about the importance of tothis and drennship for a while. Then there are individual interviews where the risks and expectations of tothis are insisted upon, and the motivation of each applicant is questions. Finally, they are handed a tauther guide, a map of Lusail and their challisks, and sent on their way.
As the exit the palace, they find themselves in a room where a board has been set with the words HELP WANTED posted on top. There are numerous listings pinned to the board.
While the five companions don't all know each other, they all know at least one person in the group, and they decide to move to an inn and discuss their options. Baramas quickly jots down the text from the board so that they can consider the various offers.
Rrounni suggests they go to the Resplendant Krill, the inn where she used to serve. The owner offers one drink on the house to celebrate the beginning of her tothis. They then review the various listings from the Help Wanted board, and decide to investigate the one about the missing muadra kid, but on the way they want to stop at the Querrid Center to see what kind of missions Gara-Hamo-Sol might have for them.
The harbor district is busy and loud, and as they walk down towards the Querrid Center they spot a Jaspian Schooner preparing for landing overhead. The Querrid House is a simple one-story building with a large square room with several tables, a thriddle seated on a high stool in front of each table, and people walking in and out and talking to the thriddle.
A young thriddle walks up to the group, introduces himself as Nilnil and politely asks what business they have with the Querrid Center. Baramas introduces himself in thriddle, which sends a quiver down the young thriddle's nodes. Rrounni also introduces herself in thriddle, which sends the young creature into a spin. Baramas asks if he is OK, and Nilnil responds that he has never met two humans who speak thriddle so well at the same time.
Rrounni growls in reaction to being called human, and Nilnil recoils. Baramas explains that his friend is probably none to happy to be described as human, and Nilnil breaks down in shame and confusion and leaves precipitously, saying he will ask for Gara-Hamo-Sol.
The rest of the group is confused as to what happened since they did not understand the exchanges in thriddle. They wonder if Rrounni threatened the young creature, but Baramas reassures them that she did not.
Gara-Hamo-Sol, an older and more dignified thriddle walks towards them with a can, and profusely apologises for the lack of manners of his young assistant. He requests the group's company for a cup of herbal tea to ease the tension and discuss matters. They move into a side room.
The group members each introduce themselves, and Gara-Hamo-Sol has an uplifting remark or compliment for each on their choice of profession. When he asks Dhar'en if he is from the renowned Kross family of Lelligire, Dhar'en snaps back "more or less", and Baramas notes that the old thriddle immediately understood the unspoken social queue that this line of questioning should be ended.
After a bit of conversation, the group asks Gara-Hamo-Sol if there is some sort of inquiry they might go about delivering for the Querrid House, and after some hesitation, the old thriddle says that there might be. He stresses that he normally would not have asked tauthers on their first day of tothis for something like this, but the formal entris training of Baramas suggests something to him.
"You see, I need to have a message delivered to someone of foreign culture who does not speak Entren. I don't suppose you speak the language of the Scarmis?" When told no, he continues: "Never mind, you might be able to learn a couple of phrases phonetically and deliver them as learned."
Baramas says that he believes that to be within his capabilities. Dhar'en further suggests that the use of dose of ambreh limilate might help with the rote learning. However, none amongst the group own such a dose. Gara-Hamo-Sol says he could procure that dose and deduct its cost from the tauthers' wages for this mission. Everyone agrees and Baramas downs the limilate and learns the phrases in Scarmis.
"This message is destined for Shoo’attris’stem, a scarmis who roams on the low plateau between the Ayns and the Orryn mountains." (E4) Baramas asks the old thriddle if he could tell him what it means, and Gara-Hamo-Sol says that while a full accurate translation would be difficult to undertake, he is essentially suggesting to Shoo that now would be a good time to make himself scarce.
Rrounni asks Hara-Hamo-Sol how urgent the message is since they were planning on investigating another lead before leaving Lelligire. The thriddle apologises and says that unfortunately it is rather important that Shoo get the message sooner rather than later.
The group decides to drop the other lead and, after one last evening and night in Lelligire, to hit the road south.
Jump to Episode 2: Finding the way
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