<NoBison> Hello, I thought you couldn't make it Jane
<Varjeela> Sorry. You thought you'd be able to get a word
in this week, didn't you?
<NoBison> I'm the quiet type anyway
<NoBison> Does anyone know if Huff is joining us?
<Varjeela> I do hope so! We were paused waiting for him to answer
a question, weren't we?
<Gamemaster> Its not a problem. As you know if someone isn't here
I play that person's part to the best of my ability.
<Varjeela> And very good it is too, Dave (do we mention Joss' accent
here?)
<Gamemaster> Ahem... No, shall we pass on mentioning that... :(
<Varjeela> But since Huff was about to answer a question of local
geography, that's perhaps best done by the GM anyway?
(Time for another background tangent).
<Joss> Just as a matter of interest, what is the party's common
language?
<Varjeela> Languages: I believe we're using a mixture of Pavic and
Trade, with Varjeela acting as interpreter where needed.
<Varjeela> (And she's learning Boatspeech as fast as the rest will
teach her).
<Gamemaster> Most of the discussions occur either in Boatspeech
or Tradetalk. Bye now everyone has at least some ability in both of these
tongues.
<mawth> Boatspeech for the riverfolk like me and Joss.
<mawth> Varj is tenaciously teaching Mawth some Trade in exchange...
<Varjeela> I know we haven't seen him for a while, but what languages
does Nijehl speak besides Pavic?
<NoBison> I have some Trade and Pavic
<Gamemaster> His native tongue is Pavic but he has acquired some
Tradetalk and Boatspeech.
<NoBison> Oops is Pavic equivalent to Praxian?
<Varjeela> No, Pavic=Sartarite, but Pavic =!= Praxian.
<NoBison> What???
<Joss> No, Pavic is related to Auld Wyrmish
<Varjeela> That's Old Pavic, Joss. New Pavic is what was spoken
by the Sartaries who founded the place about 70 years ago.
<Varjeela> No-Bison, what was the "What??" about?
<mawth> With some late influence from their just and noble moonie
rulers no doubt... :-)
<NoBison> Pavic =!= Praxian
<Varjeela> Pavic is not equal to Praxian.
<NoBison> Ok, I'm getting by on 20 Trade talk
<Varjeela> Sounds fine. In standard RQ you add the two speakers'
skills, and my Trade is fairly good (it being the cult tongue and all that).
<Joss> So, the bottom line is that conversations are torturous
and co-ordination in combat is impossible
<Varjeela> So if we all speak Trade via me, we can converse just
as if we were all speaking English directly.
<mawth> sounds pretty much right on Joss!
<Varjeela> I think what we have is adequate communication, but with
delays. Just as if we were conversing though an IRC session with delays
and typing time, right?
<Joss> I don't speak Trade, my Pavic is poor
<Varjeela> Hence the famous Joss accent!
<Joss> my boatspeech near non-existant
<Varjeela> Joss, what do you speak?
<Gamemaster> Joss speaks some Trade and Boatspeech as I said previously.
<Varjeela> "Near non-existant?" I thought it was his main language?
<Joss> There is no Trade on the character sheet I was given
<Joss> What do you call 14%
<Varjeela> Pretty low... surely he must have some language at at
least 30%? That's "native".
<Gamemaster> I call that the skill level he had at the time the
thing began. Are all Canadians as big a pain in the butt as you are!! :)
<Joss> If my character sheet does not tell me my skills then how
am I to know them?
<Joss> I have Pavic at 30%
<Varjeela> Aha! So that's your native language. Fine. It's mine
as well, and we have a working interpreter link.
<Gamemaster> I've just about lost patience with all of this. Shall
we get on with the game (which presumably is why we have gathered here?)
(Really?)
<Joss> Great. 30+30=60, we misunderstand nearly half the time
<Varjeela> Fine by me. Give up on Huff, then?
<NoBison> Yes, let's go
<Varjeela> Joss: separate IRC window to discuss languages, OK?
(And I didn't log that one. But the conclusion was that between
us we communicate at better than 100%, since Varj's Pavic is a bit higher
than 30%)
<NoBison> Had we agreed to set up a separate trade location for the
ducks, with Huff as the guide to keep lunars away from the ruins
<mawth> yep - i'm pretty ok with that
<Varjeela> I believe so. Huff was going to advise us on where a
suitable location might be.
<Gamemaster> No, Huff has been thinking and has come up with an
answer. "There is a place north of here that would serve as a good place
for a trade point between the Ducks and people from Corflu.
<Gamemaster> Ignore first line of my last statement ok. (I'm
not sure which line that was)
<Varjeela> "Oh, good. How dry is it there? Solid land?"
<NoBison> Is there a way to go there and look it over on our way
back to the camp?
<Gamemaster> "it is drier than the more southern areas," replies
Huff.
<mawth> I think we should investigate as a high priority.
<Gamemaster> "We can go there - Huff can take you."
<NoBison> Agree, after we get the needed supplies
<mawth> And had we decided about Gharan? Or the Trader Priest position?
<Varjeela> And we can't go shopping till tomorrow. What time of
day is it, Dave?
<Gamemaster> Mid to late afternoon on Ancestor's Day.
<Varjeela> Could we look at the site today, and still be back here
tonight?
<Gamemaster> Huff looks off into space for a moment and then shakes
his head no.
<NoBison> Gharan was to be held as a pawn to confuse the Etrites
when they sent a new priest
<Varjeela> We could discuss the rest of our plans on the way.
<Varjeela> I'm pretty sure Varza was involved in getting Gharan
removed in the first place.
<mawth> Agree Varj
<Varjeela> Sorry Mawth, getting confused with delays here. Agree
with which?
<mawth> Agree to discuss on the way... :-)
<NoBison> Can Varjeela find out from Varza what is causing Gharan's
confusion?
<mawth> Shall we retire, gather supplies on the morrow and make
our way back to the Ducks via the trading point?
<Gamemaster> That would be preferable from the GM's perspective.
<Varjeela> Sounds good to me, Mawth. Perhaps a stroll by the river
first, where we can chat without being heard?
<NoBison> Ok by me (retire-supply-travel)
<Varjeela> To find out that from Varza, we need to tell her that
we have Gharan, and get her to admit to us that she did it.
<Gamemaster> The group returns to the inn for the evening then.
<Gamemaster> ?
<Varjeela> ? Stroll by the river first, so as to chat?
<Gamemaster> Ok.
<NoBison> True we don't trust Varza that much
<Varjeela> Of course, if we had evidence that she did it, that would
give us a hold over her.
<Varjeela> I wonder how much Gharan might remember with a bit of
prompting?
<NoBison> Your baliwick Varjeela, your internal Issiaries ploting!
<mawth> But also if Varza had an inkling what we were up to, she
might get involved for the huint for Feroda as well... Bad!
<Varjeela> Yes, but plotting that may get the res of the group into
trouble. Hence consultation first.
<mawth> Might be best to stay quiet for now...
<mawth> Keep it in the bag for later?
<NoBison> Ok, any more drinking tonight?
<Varjeela> I think you're right, Mawth. I can get myself in as the
only priest here, set up the route, and see what happens when the Lunars
shows up.
<Varjeela> By then we will know Varza better in any case.
<mawth> No drinking for me - river ancestors to talk to...
<Gamemaster> OK. Sounds like you guys have resolved the issues.
That evening people take care of the ir personal business or stay at the
inn.
<Varjeela> Agreed, Dave.
<NoBison> A few rounds for me & off to bed
<Gamemaster> Ok. Morning dawns. Breakfast is obtained.
<mawth> I guess we leave the trading goods to Varj - I will look
into supplies of fish etc
<mawth> fish and stuff for our own food that is...
<Gamemaster> There is some shopping to do for Joss but that takes
only an hour or so and all the requests he has made can easily be found.
<Varjeela> Then it's just some trade goods for the ducks. Worked
metal goods were requested, right? And either sell the stuff we got from
them or find a warehouse for it.
<NoBison> I'll tag along with Varj (still a bit of hero worship)
(Has he no taste?)
<Gamemaster> The goods brought from the delta are greeted with some
curiousity by the local peddlars and marketeers. Varjeela has no trouble
disposing of the goods.
<Gamemaster> I goodly selection of metal goods can easily be obtained
from the craft barns.
<Varjeela> And up go our cash reserves again! (At least, I assume
Varj is managing a profit on all this?)
<Gamemaster> Absolutely. You can assume a profit unless otherwise
stated ok.
<Varjeela> But we needn't worry about how much at present. Let the
GM do the sums in slow time :)
<Gamemaster> Right.
<NoBison> Off to the proposed trade location?
<Varjeela> Fine by me, NoBison.
<mawth> Mawth is looking distracted again, but nods vaguely
<Gamemaster> Huff directs the group northward along the main channel
for several hours.
(Got to be time for another irrelevant tangent?)
<Varjeela> (BTW, does NoBison have an actual name, dating from before
his unfortunate allergy?)
<mawth> I was just thinking what a good name NoBison is actually...
:-)
<NoBison> Former Name is gone lost when I left the tribe(downcast
look)
<Gamemaster> No proper name was ever established for him so feel
free to come up with one if you like. You don't have to share it with the
group though...
<NoBison> Shaman named me NoBison when I was cast out
(Well, that was quicker than some)
<Gamemaster> The group passes the first major channel and they continue
on to the next (which they take). Always going against the current). This
sets them on a northeasterly course for a couple more hours.
<Gamemaster> Eventually the boats come around a bend in the river
channel and see before them a place that looks quite good.
<NoBison> (BTW currents might vary with the tides)
<Varjeela> We do NOT want to get into a discussion of Gloranthan
tides! Let's just say they're very different from RW tides and leave it,
shall we?
<Varjeela> (Unless of course the GM wants to discuss tides, rain,
languages, or anything else..?)
<Gamemaster> I'll pass on that.
(I wonder why?)
<NoBison> Varjeela, you want to look this over for orientation of
the trade grounds?
<Gamemaster> Huff points to a flat grassy area on the eastern shore
of the channel directly across from a copse of trees (which could be used
as a source of building materials).
<Varjeela> Sounds good, looks good. Let's get ashore and inspect.
<Gamemaster> Indeed the site turns out to be very adequate.
<Varjeela> Huff, does this place have a name?
<mawth> should we camp here and then move on, or can we reach the
duck village by nightfall?
<Gamemaster> Satisfied with the site Huff directs the group to follow
the southward branch of the channel (think of an upside down Y for the
layout of the channels in the vicinity. The group came up one branch and
has gone down the other. The stem points northward and hasn't been travelled
by them before.)
<Gamemaster> Huff replies that no the place does't have a name.
His people seldom go there.
<Varjeela> Let's see if the ducks agree to use this as a meeting
place. But I think it should have a name.
<Gamemaster> Anyone have an idea of what to call it?
<Varjeela> Huff's Market?
<mawth> Webbed Foot?
<NoBison> Let's see if the ducks want to name it, then we could
act like they set it up and we just stumbled onto it
<Gamemaster> Huff's chest swell with pride. You can tell that he
is very pleased with this!
<Varjeela> You know, NoBison is right. The ducks may already have
a name for it. But if they don't, we can choose our own.
(A gap here: I got disconnected)
<mawth> If we get to choose our own - Huff's Market would be an excellent
choice.
<NoBison> Huff's Market is Ok by me. Maybe his tribe set it up and
we and the ducks both came ;-)
<Gamemaster> Before we sign off can we say that the group has travelled
south the rest of the day and returned to the base camp. There they find
Joss and the Lunar.
<Varjeela> OK Dave. Joss' comments become more audible :)
<NoBison> Ok to the travel question.
<Joss> Wot? More wit t' accent?
<Varjeela> ooh! The accent! Give me more!
<Gamemaster> Let's say they have gotten used to it by now.
<NoBison> keep it if you can manage it!!
<Joss> Aye, Gu'nor