The group has re-united itself at the "base camp" in the delta. Mawth and Huff appear to have established a friendship during the time Varjeela, Joss and Nijehl went back to Corflu for trade goods. Since it was late in the day when the group re-united it was decided to rest there at the "base camp" until the morning came. A light rain starts falling through the evening and continues on all night and into the next day. So you all make it through the night and wake up to find a soggy delta and the light patter of rain all over the place.
Mawth> I agree on using the boats where possible. But we
don't want to get lost...
Nijehl> If we are going to pose as traders, what route would
be obvious to take? I suspect that by boat is better...
Varjeela> "Pose as"?? We ARE traders. The goods we have to trade
at present are light and easily transported, but what we get from the ducks
may not be. Hence the boats.
Dave Black> Ok. Sounds like the group has decided. After breaking
camp and loading the coracle as many as can fit in the reed boat do so
with the others walking along the river bank. Huff volunteers to not be
on the boat. No Bison also expresses a desire to stay on land.
Nijehl> Grins at Varjeela...
Mawth> How many can go in the boat?
Dave Black> One more member of the party must choose to be a
walker...
Varjeela> How many non-paddling passengers can the boat take,
anyway? (Remembering the last time we tried walking through this muck..)
Dave Black> 2. Maximum on the reed boat was 3 but one does need
a 'driver'.
Mawth> How about we take turns doing the walking, so that no
one gets too worn out...
Nijehl> Well, I can walk if you like...
Varjeela> That sounds sensible, Mawth. Walking through this
is hard work for almost anyone. (Looking up at the bison-rider).
Joss> If I paddle t'boat, you folks c'n fight 'mongst yerse'n's
as to 'oo gets to ride wi' me.
Mawth> Or we could swap that job Joss? :-)
Varjeela> No fighting, please! A little amiable discussion is
all it should take.
Dave Black> It's about mid-morning when the group sets out. The
progress is slow. After several hours the group comes to a place where
Nijehl begins to recognize the area.
Dave Black> Not long after Nijehl mentions that he remembers
the area he points out the ancient roadway of cobbled paving stones.
Varjeela> Let's take a look, shall we?
Dave Black> The group will note that it seems to lead from the
shore inland in a more or less straight line.
Nijehl> Yep, sure... let's get on moving.
Mawth> I would like to see the place as it truly is first -
would you mind waiting...?
Dave Black> Many of the stones appear to be missing or twisted
this way and that.
Nijehl> Ok Mawth.
Varjeela> Certainly, Mawth. Better to check in advance.
Dave, is there any sign of what has damaged the stones? General wear&tear,
or deliberate damage?
Dave Black> The consensus is that it is due to the sogginess
of the swamp environment. Some appear to have sunk into the muck for example...
Nijehl> Apart from the road, can we see other types of ruins in thee area?
Varjeela> Sounds reasonable. Awkward question time: what sort
of stones are they, and where might they have come from? The quarries at
Pavis, for instance?
Dave Black> Limestone slabs but smoothly worked. Origin unknown.
Mawth> It will probably take about an hour to survey the area,
so perhaps we should just move on for now...
Nijehl> "Ok then, let's get moving". I grab a backpack, and
start to point out the way.
Varjeela> As long as that? Very well. I take it we can beach
the boats safely here?
Dave Black> From Nijehl's earlier description of his sortie
you will suspect you are now about 3 hours from the Duck village.
Varjeela> And it's mid-morning?
Mawth> OK let's go
Dave Black> No it would be early afternoon now.
Varjeela> Lunch, then start walking. It looks as if it'll be
dark before we're back, so take overmnight gear with us.
Dave Black> Are you beaching your craft or continuing as before?
Varjeela> Can we take the boats? I though you said the path
went away from the shore?
Dave Black> Ahhh. I see where the confusion is. The Duck village
can be reached by continuing to follow the river. The ruins are inland.
Varjeela> More confusion. I thought the duck village was built
on the ruins? That was why we were going there.
Nijehl> Dave, but the ruins are next to the village, right?
Dave Black> No the Duck Village is further east and somewhat
south by about 2 or 3 hours.
Nijehl> Oh... I thought they were quite near. Next to the village
are some other ruins... of the road perhaps?
Dave Black> No. (Sorry)
Varjeela> Oh. Nice though it is to trade, the only reason we
were going to visit the ducks was because we all thought they were on top
of the ruins. So, do we continue with our trading trip, or shall we check
out the ruins first?
Nijehl> Hmmm...Ok... then I must have understood from the begining...
I thought that they were next to each other...
Varjeela> It would be nice to think that the ducks could tell
us about the ruins, but we don't seem to have a language in common.
Dave Black> As I recall it the group wanted to be able to justify
their incursion into Duck territory by using the "We're here to trade with
you" excuse.
Varjeela> So the ruins are in Duck territory?
Nijehl> Ok, then we can visit the ruins and if they approach
us we can say that we are here to trade.
Dave Black> Certainly. Remember that the Ducks were upset even
to find you at Skull Rock. That was considerably further west than where
you are now standing.
Varjeela> After all, we didn't know where their village was,
did we? So we followed the obvious path.
Mawth> OK do we need to reclarify our objectives?
Varjeela> Dave, I thought they were upset about Skull Rock because
it was magical/dangerous? Huff had been there before, and he knew nothing
about ducks claiming the area.
Mawth> We've been to skull rock - the other ruins are further
away - do we know where?
Mawth> The Ducks seem to have claimed the whole territory and
don't look kindly on intruders
Dave Black> I believe that is Varjeela's interpretation of why
the Ducks were upset. It isn't in fact a correct interpretation however.
Mawth> Intruders either dead or alive!
Varjeela> And claimed it quite recently, if Huff knew nothing
of them. (Does Huff say anything?)
Mawth> We don't want to tell the Lunars about all this, coz we don't trust them, despite the offer of lots of money... Perhaps we could try to make common cause with the Ducks and find out what the whole ruins business is about?
Varjeela> Well, we may not want to tell them about all
of this, but certainly enough to get paid. That was why we came here, after
all.
Mawth> And stop the Lunars trying to cause more trouble... Who
knows what they want to find the ruins for...
Nijehl> I agree with Mawth about keeping this secret from the
lunars, at least for the time being.
Dave Black> Huff tells you that Ducks of the sort encountered
are not unknown in the area but he hasn't encountered any patrols before
- especially ones that demanded he retreat. Of course he's a Baboon and
they might have a different attitude towards Baboons than humans.
Varjeela> Huff was with us at Skull Rock. Did the ducks react
differently to him then?
Dave Black> Huff had never encountered a patrol before. The
reaction was certainly different from his other Duck encounters.
Nijehl> "They are known to rewake chaos from the land... they
might need the ruins for that purpose", spoken out just loud enough so
that NoBison hears me... :)
Dave Black> NoBison looks about him grimly.
Varjeela> The Lunars, I suspect, want to find the ruins of this
ancient city in the hope that it may contain treasure and knowledge from
the past, just as the Rubble does. Their reaction to chaos in the Rubble
is usually to kill it. Not to use it.
Mawth> They are not river people. Ducks are. If the Ducks are
happy to trade with the Lunars, and allow them on their land, then perhaps
it's OK...
Varjeela> Whether they will use what they find wisely: who can
tell? They are educated people, so they may well use what they find to
bring peace to the valley.
Dave Black> Remembering back the members of the group will recall
that the reason why adventurers were being sought to seek out Feroda was
because of Duck resistence in the marshes.
Nijehl> Grumbles something as Varjeela continues to praise the
lunars.
Varjeela> I have heard that ducks and Lunars do not get on,
so a peaceful agreement seems unlikely. But how recently have the ducks
claimed this area? Perhaps they could be persuaded to move away if they
knew Lunars were likely to arrive in force.
Mawth> Protecting the river and its people is the most important
thing - if the Ducks are in danger, then they should be warned... (of course
they might react by trying to kill us to stop us telling the Lunars if
we seemed so inclined...)
Varjeela> Ensuring the valley as a whole remains peaceful, yes.
That is important. I think we can agree that we do not mention the Lunars
to the Ducks, at least on this occasion.
Nijehl> But if we have to report the ruins to the lunars, whcih
are only 3 hours away, we will be giving away the ducks to the lunars.
Varjeela> So much depends on whether we can even talk to the
ducks. On this trip, I think we simply find out about them. Then perhaps
on the next trip we warn them that Lunars are about to search the area,
and they should move for their own safety. The result would be, I hope,
no conflict at all.
Dave Black> I'm still a little unclear as to what the group
wants to do. Are you intending to go to the ruins or to the Duck Village?
Varjeela> We're pretty unclear ourselves, Dave. After all, all
our plans were on the assumption that they were the same place.
Joss> Not 'avin' t'fight nobody would be good...
Nijehl> Yes, that might be a good idea Varjeela. It will
take some time, but it is possible.
Mawth> To the Duck village - to ask for permission/ offer an excuse for looking at the ruins... and to find out what the Ducks are all about in this area...
Varjeela> But as traders, we have no way of knowing where the
duck village is, do we? Since Nijehl's little trip never happened.
Nijehl> What trip? :)
Varjeela> So we follow the obvious path. Which may, by chance,
take us to somewhere other than the duck village.
Dave Black> Nijehl's trip did happen Jane. The Duck Village
is 2 or 3 hours downstream of where you are. He has been there.
Varjeela> Yes, quite, Nijehl. They can't have guessed any of
us were clever enough to have followed them.
Mawth> Though as wandering traders we will trade with anyone
we encounter - even if we happen to stumble upon some Ducks...
Varjeela> Dave, there's a thing called "sarcasm". And another
thing called "lying". Remind me to explain them sometime.
Joss> We know there's ducks out there 'cos we met 'em. B'ain't
no reason why we wouldn't've go lookin' for 'em, is there?
Varjeela> Exactly, Joss. But since we *didn't* follow them in
the dark, we don't know where their village is, so we can't go directly
there. So, very unfortunately, we may accidentally find the ruins before
we find the village.
Mawth> Good point Joss - we went looking for them and it has
taken us all this time to find them!
Dave Black> Click. Light just went on!
Nijehl> We might as well just go to the ruins. Like they found
us near Skull Rock, it is very probable that they will find us nearer to
their village.
Varjeela> "All this time" having quite genuinely been taken with
acquiring suitable trade goods. On to the ruins, then? In the hope of finding
ducks?
Mawth> Yes but they don't know that, do they!
Dave Black> Gotcha.
Mawth> Agreed
Nijehl> Agreed... to the ruins...
Mawth> I would just sound one note of warning - if we can't
communicate very well, they may be a bit jumpy to find us at the ruins
and not wait to trade with us...
Varjeela> A risk we will have to take, I think.