Ememsha was sweating as the caravan wove its way through the jungle, the cries of a few tropical birds in the throes of mating season piercing the air. The dark skinned woman twisted and checked the baby basket that sat in the cargo space behind her. Her firstborn lay there, only a few weeks old, lay there sleeping, suckling on a wooden totem toy her father had carved. Letixia stirred lightly, drooling running of the smooth wood, her tufts of lavender hair that matched her eyes all askew. Ememsha smiled at the little one, before looking up at her husband, riding on a horse behind them, shield always at the ready.
She turned back forward, watching their Miqo'te guide, a woman named Ilya. As with all lands, beastmen were an ever present threat, and these jungles were no exception. But their guide had ensured them that she maintained good relations with all these tribes, and paid the appropriate tributes for a caravan to travel unmolested. Her services weren't cheap, but so far, two weeks into the jungle, she'd more than earned it. Her ability to hunt with the bow ensured they stayed well fed, so that they needn't dip into their rations. Many a time she'd stopped the caravan when all seemed fine, only for a jungle bear to mosey on by, kept at bay by her intense glare. She taught them all how to recognize quicksand, vinesnakes, and what plants were to be used or avoided. And for a caravan of twenty people, these things were invaluable.
Ememsha cast her thoughts toward their mission. They were on a small continent hidden in the Sea of Jade, one that had only been discovered a few years back. The merchants and governments had commissioned an expedition to search this continent for an Aetheryte. If they could find one, they were to secure access to it by any means necessary, so that people and goods could be teleported back and forth more safely and quickly. This continent had many resources that all of the city-states desired, wealth beyond measure, but the sheer distance, as well as the difficulty of the Sea of Jade, made it near impossible.
The captain who discovered it was named Kombol, a large Roegadyn even by their standards. He named the continent after himself, and established a small coastal colony which became known as Respite. It's establishment was necessary because the trip to locate the island had severely crippled the Sunspark. For two years the crew fought off beastmen while repairing the ship. Much of the crew left with the ship, leaving behind only a few families to care for the village.
When the Sunspark made it home, it was greatly celebrated for many thought it was lost for good. But Kombol and his crew were changed men, the Sea of Jade and his namesaked island had been too harsh. They wrote it off, refusing to share any information on the hidden continent. Kombol himself threw his rapier, chipped and tarnished from wear in his time gone, at Merlwyb's feet and spat on the ground. If he'd been anyone else, she might've killed him herself. The resources brought back were examined and found to be of the highest quality. Woods lighter than any they knew, yet just as strong as their finest steel, sand that made glass of incredibly strength and sharpness, poisons capable of killing a whale with a single arrow shot.
The greed in the merchants was too great, and they threw ship after ship into the Sea of Jade trying to find it once more. But none of them ever made it back. Eventually the island of Kombol was considered too expensive to bother with, and the merchants gave up on it. But then Captain Kombol was pulled from his darkness by his first mate and wife, a Hyur woman named Sivik. Kombol had been withering in his retired life from the sea, refusing to sail again. After the Sea of Jade, any other ocean was too simple and boring, and yet Jade stood out as an exciting terror. Sivik managed to coerce him into taking up the rapier once more, if only to get back to Respite and hope that those people had survived. They would travel on their own terms, and for their own purposes.
But the Sunspark was owned by the city, for ships of her size and capacity were beyond expensive, for all but the richest merchants. So Captain Kombol was forced to accept the aetheryte expedition, as well as many others on a second ship, the Windkissed, to establish a more permanent hold for the colony. Captain Kombol and many of his former crew, managed to reach the island without much incident, if one can call a Kraken attack and a whirlpool so wide the opposite side couldn't be seen, minor.
Respite still stood, but it was empty. It had been a decade since Captain Kombol had left. When they explored the village, everything seemed untouched aside from several graves, marked with shells. But if all the people that had lived there died, who had buried them? Certainly not the beastmen that killed them. After a week of reestablishing the colony, a young Miquo'te approached the gates, a freshly killed boar on a litter behind her. When questioned, she revealed herself as Ilya, the only child that was in the village when the Sunspark departed. Captain Kombol asked why she had waited so long to approach them, she smiled back mischievously and replied, "Because I was busy negotiating with the tribes to prevent your destruction, again."
She turned back forward, watching their Miqo'te guide, a woman named Ilya. As with all lands, beastmen were an ever present threat, and these jungles were no exception. But their guide had ensured them that she maintained good relations with all these tribes, and paid the appropriate tributes for a caravan to travel unmolested. Her services weren't cheap, but so far, two weeks into the jungle, she'd more than earned it. Her ability to hunt with the bow ensured they stayed well fed, so that they needn't dip into their rations. Many a time she'd stopped the caravan when all seemed fine, only for a jungle bear to mosey on by, kept at bay by her intense glare. She taught them all how to recognize quicksand, vinesnakes, and what plants were to be used or avoided. And for a caravan of twenty people, these things were invaluable.
Ememsha cast her thoughts toward their mission. They were on a small continent hidden in the Sea of Jade, one that had only been discovered a few years back. The merchants and governments had commissioned an expedition to search this continent for an Aetheryte. If they could find one, they were to secure access to it by any means necessary, so that people and goods could be teleported back and forth more safely and quickly. This continent had many resources that all of the city-states desired, wealth beyond measure, but the sheer distance, as well as the difficulty of the Sea of Jade, made it near impossible.
The captain who discovered it was named Kombol, a large Roegadyn even by their standards. He named the continent after himself, and established a small coastal colony which became known as Respite. It's establishment was necessary because the trip to locate the island had severely crippled the Sunspark. For two years the crew fought off beastmen while repairing the ship. Much of the crew left with the ship, leaving behind only a few families to care for the village.
When the Sunspark made it home, it was greatly celebrated for many thought it was lost for good. But Kombol and his crew were changed men, the Sea of Jade and his namesaked island had been too harsh. They wrote it off, refusing to share any information on the hidden continent. Kombol himself threw his rapier, chipped and tarnished from wear in his time gone, at Merlwyb's feet and spat on the ground. If he'd been anyone else, she might've killed him herself. The resources brought back were examined and found to be of the highest quality. Woods lighter than any they knew, yet just as strong as their finest steel, sand that made glass of incredibly strength and sharpness, poisons capable of killing a whale with a single arrow shot.
The greed in the merchants was too great, and they threw ship after ship into the Sea of Jade trying to find it once more. But none of them ever made it back. Eventually the island of Kombol was considered too expensive to bother with, and the merchants gave up on it. But then Captain Kombol was pulled from his darkness by his first mate and wife, a Hyur woman named Sivik. Kombol had been withering in his retired life from the sea, refusing to sail again. After the Sea of Jade, any other ocean was too simple and boring, and yet Jade stood out as an exciting terror. Sivik managed to coerce him into taking up the rapier once more, if only to get back to Respite and hope that those people had survived. They would travel on their own terms, and for their own purposes.
But the Sunspark was owned by the city, for ships of her size and capacity were beyond expensive, for all but the richest merchants. So Captain Kombol was forced to accept the aetheryte expedition, as well as many others on a second ship, the Windkissed, to establish a more permanent hold for the colony. Captain Kombol and many of his former crew, managed to reach the island without much incident, if one can call a Kraken attack and a whirlpool so wide the opposite side couldn't be seen, minor.
Respite still stood, but it was empty. It had been a decade since Captain Kombol had left. When they explored the village, everything seemed untouched aside from several graves, marked with shells. But if all the people that had lived there died, who had buried them? Certainly not the beastmen that killed them. After a week of reestablishing the colony, a young Miquo'te approached the gates, a freshly killed boar on a litter behind her. When questioned, she revealed herself as Ilya, the only child that was in the village when the Sunspark departed. Captain Kombol asked why she had waited so long to approach them, she smiled back mischievously and replied, "Because I was busy negotiating with the tribes to prevent your destruction, again."