npc inbox: arc vi

[groundrules]

NPC INBOX

Reach out to your (not-so-)favourite NPC here, putting their name in the comment header. Try to keep it to just quick text/audio/written exchanges or inquiries that can accept summarised answers, please!

Previous NPC inbox posts:

■ Arc I: Sa-Hareth

■ Interlude: Stairs of Sighs + Arc II: Taravast

■ Interlude: Ellethia

■ Arc III: House of Ravens

■ Arc IV: Serthica

■ Arc V: Alem

YANCAI | ALLIED NPCs | OTHERS

YANCAI

	QUANZE TSAYMIEN Elected leader of village elders. A practical man, humble but forthright, willing to do whatever it takes to rid Yancai of its curse in time. Quiet, unless he has something to say. Abides no disrespect.
	TEMIU A veteran of the seas and former sailor, now 'retired' as the village's most proficient fisherman. Slow to speak, but patient, willing to hear a story. Carps love this man.
	MIANG-SI Once a paragon of virtue, now an accused lady of the lake. In the custody and chains of village elders — either her capture or time with the witches have rendered her whimsical and feral. Takes letters, seldomly, and answers cryptically.
	ALIA Captain of the New Brigade, a military ship of the Dawn's Reach Trade Company that frequently stops by Yancai to restock. Seems hesitant to both arrive and leave the village.
	KUTHUBA Elder of Yancai's ruling council, who survived several encounters with the ladies of the lake and willingly entered the forest. Man, woman or tortured beast. At once pitiful and slithering.

ALLIED NPCs

	KARSA Sorceress, young (?). Employed by the Merchant and deferential to him. Talented but fiery and frequently impatient, intolerant of fools. She will get today's job done yesterday. Struggles to sympathise with men, objections and those who cannot absorb information quickly. Enchanted the group's translation devices.
	ZENOBIUS Former caretaker and scientist of Ellethia, site and cauldron of the first undead attacks. Fell victim to local enchantment and looked after the comatose bodies of his former colleagues for years. Fell and awoke from a long sleep, partly amnesiac. Practical, grumpy, unafraid to challenge the Merchant.
	'QUICKSILVER SAM'(UEL VANE) Pirate king of great renown, master of haunted waters. Recovering from a journey through the Crossing Seas, where he summoned the drowned dead for a foolish act of vengeance with an elusive artefact he himself misunderstands. Agile, quick-witted, charming and possessed of more street smarts than many. Intent to repay his debt to the party.
	HATISSE Revived witch of the Attaryl, partly responsible for the massacre of the Stairs of Sighs. Formerly a court witch of the Attaryl. Manipulative, vicious, a trained seductress. Formidably powerful. Buried with wards and injuries by her own sisters to prevent her return. Somewhat bound to Wrath.
	ASGEIRR The ghost of a scholar monk. Haunts the tattered execution cloak that the party stole from the La Rea bank in Sa-Hareth. Once a champion of equality and freedom, he faced ire for converting his followers against the regionally profitable trade of slavery. Soft-spoken but wise and just, slow to regain his strength. Will speak to those who visit his cloak in brief interludes. Favours necromancers.
	THE MERCHANT The patron saint of etiquette and the eastbound getaway expedition. Seems to largely trade information alongside wares. Appreciates spices, strategy and collaboration. Has an eerie and overly cautious manner. Committed. Defends the benefit of the many, to the detriment of the few. Not travelling with the party.

OTHERS

"HALTHAM" | ANURR The undead warlord Anurr, previously posing as gentle-mannered giant Haltham. An embodiment of Sa-Hareth's cold storms and wind, who regained his territory from contender Unhalad with the inadvertent help of the party in Arc I. Frostily rational and amenable to some negotiation.

Comments

Kuthuba | action/drop off

[recklessenough]

[ Along with the diary pages they found, Lockwood and Wrath also collected some of the lumberjacks' personal belongings. These they would bring back to Kuthuba to be returned to the lumberjacks' next of kin.

In addition to the belongings, Wrath and Lockwood would also have some of the wood for which these people died. Lockwood is a little more about the personal belongings, than the wood, but Wrath did make a practical argument about the wood!. ]

: )

[aprescoup]

( These, elder Kuthuba accepts gratefully with a quivering bow, as if they are artefacts of reverence of worship — as if Kuthuba more than most understands the sacrifice of these lumberjacks, for the good of village. )

We take to families. ( Spoken in the stilted, half eerie tone of the elder, containing vast multitudes. ) We give peace. Our people, debt to you. Much debt. Well lumberjacks, only cut wood at outskirts. No more forest. Like when beasts came. Like when woman came. We pull back.

[inferus]

( Wrath says little as they approach with the items they found - the personal belongings are kept in a bag. The logs were carried in what ways they could, utilizing his own demonic strength to carry more than humanly possible though they did not find many. He stands just behind Lockwood who is, at least, better than him at interacting with mortals, but what the man says brings a question: )

...what woman came? ( The villagers often speak of the ladies of the lake, but he appears to refer to one woman in particular. )

[recklessenough]

[ It's Lockwood's turn to step to the side, as Wrath asks his question. The youth holds his tongue for now, curious about the answer. ]

[aprescoup]

Woman... strange woman.

( There is something amiss with Kuthuba's mouth, a pull to it as if the muscles strain around a unnatural reshaping of bones beneath. As if perhaps Kuthuba's jaws were once broken and refitted, poorly. )

Two years ago in the forest. Running. We banish her! To her husband. This respectable Yancai. Honourable Yancai! Not for... strays. But she, beautiful. Our men walk nights to see her.

( Kuthuba now spits to the side, seemingly disgusted. ) Get lost in forest. Mists were only rising then. They die lost. Animals. For what? For woman.

[recklessenough]

[ Kuthuba's speech is a little hard to follow, especially since Lockwood is a new arrival to so much of this. The scenario the elder spins is one as old as time; a siren leading entranced males to their doom, but he wracks his brain trying to give this story some context in their current situation. ]

This woman. Is this the woman with whom Miang-Si is supposedly obsessed?

[ Lockwood was no where near marrying age, nor did he have any interest in having his attention misconstrued, so he had left that part of village life well alone. That said; he still had ears and it was hard to complete escape the gossip that surrounded Miang-Si. ]

[inferus]

( This woman could be anything, anyone at all, but a woman who is exceptionally beautiful, who has a husband, who lures men out to the forest where they end up dying - the talk of beasts as well within the trees. He knows this place is likely touched by the Undead Liege as many others have been in their travels, but this one in particular is the one who managed to control him,

And so he will only add on to Lockwood's question to ask: )

What did she look like? ( a longer pause. ) ...was she clothed? ( and on a horse? )

[aprescoup]

( For a long, pained, slow-blinking moment, Kuthuba seems to consider, deep in thought over the younger man's question. )

Miang... Si... Miang... who, Miang... ( Then, epiphany, and Kuthuba slaps a hand hard against a bony temple, in seeming epiphany. ) Old Luomiang's daughter! Young, eh?

( ...then again, so is this lad. Supposedly, this justifies his interest. It seems that Kuthuba, for one, has little more to offer on the matter of Miang-Si. Perhaps the age difference or Kuthuba's... particular obsession with the forest have restricted the opportunity to keep abreast of village rumours.

But then, there is the second question, and here, Kuthuba nods in the loose way of a mantis. Each word comes more and more passionate — )

Red hair, long. She bare, no clothes! Not one! ( — until Kuthuba's head tips back, to scream towards the skies. ) Whoooooooooooooooore!

[recklessenough]

[ By the nature of his birth and upbringing Lockwood was a bit of a prude. At least when it came to his friend group. When Wrath asks about the woman's state of dress, Lockwood looked a little taken aback, but he actually took a step back when Kuthuba howled out that last word.

O-kay ... someone feels strongly about the situation. Taking a quick breath to steady his initial startle in response to Kuthuba, the younger man's eyes focused on Wrath. Lips parting, he's about to ask what Wrath knows that the man asked such a specific question, but he catches himself before the words can leave his throat. His expression, however, is quite clear; 'someone you know?' ]

[inferus]

( Wrath's expression remains unreadable as the man screams, as Lockwood looks to him in question. Inwardly, he imagines taking this creatures tongue from his mouth. Mortal beliefs in morality are infuriating - as if there is any sin in nudity, any sin in having as much sex as one wants with whoever they wish.

No matter. He has confirmed Wrath's suspicions: The Huntress.

Wrath mentally lists further evidence of her influence: Life withers near her as it had in the forest where they found the pages. The hauntings force individuals to view their past as many had to when they met her gaze when she came to Taravast. She can control those related to death as she controlled him, and his wife had to lock him away so he would not decimate the world under the Huntress' control - instead of fighting at Emilia's where he would choose to be. )

What manner were the beasts that came?

[aprescoup]

Beasts? Beasts...

( Now, Kuthuba appears — for once since the beginning of this conversation, less eerie than wary, frightened by slim and dark and previously hidden memories that glimmer awake.

Whatever hurt was put in Kuthuba, whatever distorted this sickly, twisted body, seems to have taken an even greater toll on the mind. )

Uncommon, unnatural... claws and fangs, long, sharp. Hunting all night, hunting all day. No fur. Wet skins. Gnawing. Do not eat what they kill, always. Game to them. Sport. Only blood matters. Cruel! Disgusting.

[recklessenough]

They sound horrible. [ Lockwood says, his tone compassionate and understanding. It is a genuine tone, though where it would have come from the heart were it Lucy or George speaking, for Lockwood it is more about practicality.

Kuthuba in a highly agitated state wasn't the easiest to get a clear answer from, and Lockwood -at least- was still in need of clear answers. ] It is a testament to the strength of you and the village that so many survived.

[ It's all in the way the boy uses his posh, graceful tones. The way he puts inflections on the words, the way he smiles and at the same times steps forward to engage the man.

He's attempting to lead Kuthuba to share more. To perhaps share what happened to him, what was his experience, and -for Lockwood at least- how had the village managed to survive at all? ]

[inferus]

( Wrath raises an eyebrow at the response - he does not immediately recognize a monster by that description, but he also does not know how accurate the man's descriptions are. He does not know that it will be possible to get any clearer of an answer from him given the state of him. The Huntress was an incredibly important piece of information to learn at least.

He'll step back presently, allow the mortal to approach this how he would like to, trying to determine the best way to draw the Huntress out if she is lurking here. )

[aprescoup]

( In the end, a wide, jutting nod. Quiet acceptance. This is all that Kuthuba gives, as no questions were asked. And much of Kuthuba's attention has already slipped towards the distant horizon. )

We keep out of forests. Only outskirts. For wood.

( In Kuthuba's hands, the lumberjacks' belongings seem to scream the warning of what fate becomes those who do not heed that wisdom. No, death is not worth whatever young, brave men thought they might gain. ) I take these to their people.

[recklessenough]

[ Ah well. A partial answer, though not a well defined map. Lockwood has worked with less more often than not, and most importantly Wrath appeared to have gotten answers beyond answers enough for both of them. ]

Thank you. [ Lockwood said, swallowing his disappointment and making sure the two words, in response to Kuthuba's promise to return the items to the families, were genuine.

He glanced to Wrath quickly, unsure whether or not the older man might press another question, but already the youth was beginning to move back and away. ]

[inferus]

( Wrath has already begun to step away as Lockwood gives his thanks, and he nods, all demon politeness: )

Your time is appreciated.

( Before he leaves and begins to take out his item that connects to the network, it will be more efficient to answer Lockwood's question about the Huntress at the same time he must tell the rest of the group. )