At the Feisty Jelly...
Niklas, seeing that there's a lot of people within, believes he'll need help on this. particularly since he doesn't actually know what the captain looks like. He pops his head out of the inn.
"Well, are ye coming or staying behind, Skelly?"
And it's even right on time with Sigmund and Scott getting over there as well. Ah, wonderful.
"... it's better to do things right. Remember, it's not the same thing to be enslaved to a poor moron that to be enslaved to a King. And, as far as it goes, we have no other choice now. Prove your usefulness and you will be rewarded, even if it is by only a mere congratulations. It's best than being treated as crap."
"But, now, we have to find that scammer. I'll investigate inside, try to not make a racket."
He appears to be explaining something to him. Oh well, none of Niklas' concern. Or Mark's, for that matter. Mark abandons his commitment to watching the entrance and follows Niklas inside, joined by the two others. First things first - observe the room!
Well, it's full of people of varying looks, walks of life and seemingly professions as well, though Mark doesn't really see anyone that looks like the good captain. And that guy was pretty conspicuous, mind you.
Sigmund, meanwhile, walks to the bar and takes a seat on a stool, then calls on the barkeep.
"Barkeep, your cheapest wine! I have prominent concerns to drown! And make it snappy!"
The barkeep gives him a peculiar look.
"Sorry, we don't got wine. That stuff's expensive, ya know."
No wine? Truly Sigmund is among savages. Not that he really wants any, to be honest, but still.
On the shrieking ship of Shriekpot...
Morton, having carefully considered the captain's story offerings, makes a choice.
"When it comes to stories, I prefer the ones of strange and wondrous places, new things, Master Artiste. Kingrape Island sounds like one of those, for a place that used to be talked about much but now is no longer."
"KINGRAPE ISLAND IT IS! Let's see, where to begin. Hm. Oh yes, I've got it."
The captain flies up closer to the listeners, then adopts a seated position mid-air with his legs crossed.
"The STORY of KINGRAPE ISLAND begins, as such STORIES often do, IN THE DISTANT PAST! TWO AND A HALF CENTURIES now, I BELIEVE! MY, how much time has PASSED since then! Anyway, this sea, the SEA OF PLEASANT SCENTS, is host to a MULTITUDE of islands, EACH MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN THE LAST! With EXQUISITE beaches, WONDERFUL weather, LIVELY locals and ABSOLUTELY MAGICAL nations along its coasts, YOU'LL NOT FIND A MORE DELIGHTFUL PLACE in the world!"
As the captain explains, there is a distinctly nostalgic look about him.
"WHY, I DARE YOU to find a place with such WARM CONDITIONS in WINTER! YOU WON'T, I assure you! NOW, naturally, since this is SUCH A PLEASANT LOCATION, it has been a FAVORED VACATION SPOT for the RICH! The POWERFUL! The MIGHTY! You couldn't sail a MILE without running into a PRINCE'S FLEET back then, there WAS SO DANG MANY OF THEM! And on EACH ONE OF THE ISLANDS, there was AT LEAST ONE PLEASURE PALACE periodically frequented by someone NO LESSER THAN A DUKE! This, naturally, ATTRACTED A GREAT MANY OPERATORS in the EXQUISITE DELICACY MARKET such as MYSELF. And if not for SUCH AN ASSOCIATION WITH THE AREA, I may have NEVER FOUND OUT the GRIM TALE OF KINGRAPE ISLAND!" the captain explains, dramatically outstretching his arms at the very end and looming over the listening people for a moment, then settling back down.
"Now, FIRST THINGS FIRST, it WASN'T always called KINGRAPE ISLAND. Come to think of it, it IS ONLY CALLED THAT in CERTAIN CIRCLES! VERY FEW DARE SPEAK OF IT NOW. You see, it was originally named THE KING'S ISLE, and this was mostly because KING FERDINAND OF ANSOLIA, PROTECTOR OR OWNER of virtually all the STATES surrounding the sea, had built HIS VERY OWN SOLITARY PLEASURE PALACE ON IT! It was MAGNIFICENT, even moreso that THE OTHERS OF THE SEA! It was THERE that he SPENT HIS SUMMERS, and I HEAR that there WAS AN ENTIRE TOWN built specifically to HOUSE HIS SERVANTS ALL YEAR ROUND! The palace WAS THE CENTERPIECE of the KING'S collection of various properties, and he put ALL HIS FAVORITE GIFTS, TREASURES OBTAINED IN WARS, and even FAVORED CONCUBINES there! There were TREASURE CHAMBERS BRIMMING WITH GOLD, WEAPONS, ARMOR, MAGICAL TRINKETS and so forth! Why, there was EVEN A GREAT LIBRARY there, housing ALL OF THE KING'S FAVORITE LITERATURE. It was his PERSONAL SLICE OF HEAVEN, that's what I'm trying to say here."
The storyteller seems a few steps short of openly salivating as he gushes about the contents of the king's home away from home.
"SADLY, as it often happens with such things, IT WAS NOT MEANT TO LAST. One PARTICULAR WINTER SOLSTICE, on the night of the GREAT FEAST, there was some sort of UNFORTUNATE HAPPENING! Some say the KING OFFENDED VELUSIUS with an ILL-CONCEIVED REMARK ON THE IMMORTALITY OF HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS! Some say it was instead a MAGE that he UNWISELY MISHANDLED, though WHAT mage that might be, it is UNKNOWN! Some whisper that HE MADE A DEAL WITH A DEMON! Truth is, NOBODY KNOWS! But it was CERTAINLY SOMETHING! THING IS, something HAPPENED! The KING WENT MISSING FOR A MONTH! Just DISAPPEARED, POOF! GONE! ABDUCTED? MAYBE!" the ghost says, making vaguely mysterious gestures.
"He DID get back EVENTUALLY, THOUGH! And when HE DID, he was A BROKEN MAN BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY! NO LONGER THE PROUD KING, this was more a DOG than a HEAD OF STATE! NOBODY COULD EXPLAIN IT until a SERVANT ACCIDENTALLY HEARD HIM TALK IN HIS SLEEP! And what SHE HEARD..."
The captain pauses dramatically.
"... well, let's just say THERE'S A REASON they call it KINGRAPE ISLAND. Shortly after HIS REAPPEARANCE, the KING ORDERED EVERYONE TO LEAVE THE ISLAND with him, TAKING NOTHING from it as HE LEFT. ALL HIS TREASURES, left there JUST LIKE THAT! PRESUMABLY the place was TAINTED FOREVER IN HIS EYES! Back in his palace, HE ORDERED THAT NONE SHALL SET FOOT ON THE ISLAND EVER AGAIN. And in two and a half centuries, PRESUMABLY NONE HAVE! At least, NONE THAT BRAGGED ABOUT IT OPENLY. AND THUS KINGRAPE ISLAND remains, totally SILENT AND ABANDONED, and the SUCCESSORS OF KING FERDINAND have made VERY DANG SURE that NO MENTION is made of the place in POLITE SOCIETY. PRESUMABLY, all of the treasures of the GREATEST ANSOLIAN KING still lay there largely undisturbed. SAILORS PASSING BY THAT WAY have told TALES of it looking very much LIKE IT USED TO. ALMOST UNTOUCHED. Almost as though the CONCEPT OF THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM had been given SHAPE and put on the most MAGNIFICENT ISLE of the SEA OF PLEASANT SCENTS. And that, MY FRIENDS, is the tale of KINGRAPE ISLAND."
"Seems like a rather interesting tale. Why does nobody speak of it much?"
"They DECAPITATE any who DO publicly for the last HUNDRED OR SO YEARS. HOLDOVER from the TIMES of KING TERRANCE THE BRAVE. They CALLED HIM THAT because he SYSTEMATICALLY ELIMINATED any who DIDN'T. LUCKILY, I AM IMMUNE TO DECAPITATION. As well as most OTHER FORMS OF CONVENTIONAL PUNISHMENT."
"Ah."
Back in Emlocke...
Darren, overtaken by a powerful flight instinct, does just that - flies upwards!
Well, more like floats upwards. It's a bit slower than he would hope, but he's currently a tad busy with certain other things. Like not dying.
[Darren will roll: 2-1]
Oh dear gods, that is so incredibly painful. Seriously, worst feeling. Ever.
[Darren will roll: 6-2]
Darren tries to think happy thoughts just as it feels that there is no hope left! This seems to help somewhat, actually. The sensation of his innards getting pulled out through his nose becomes merely a dire sense of urgency as Darren sighs with relief. He keeps on flying, making it faster as a result of his heightened sense of a need to live. He's about a mile up now, though the sky is literally the limit now.
[Darren will roll: 2]
And here it comes again. Beautiful.
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Topic: Life Begins At Death - Epilogue: We Live And Live Again (Read 542658 times)