Kallak and co get on a boat Some time after they emerged from the goblin mine Kallak and Silandrazz boarded a ship headed back to Sancta Civitas. Joining them were Stoshri, the goblin Servant they had met in the mines and Gosyor, one of Stoshri’s many brothers who had convinced him of the merits of heading for the Library to improve his newly discovered magical prowess so that he might help his tribe in the future. Their journey began on the shores of a lake nestled against the volcano’s base (within which Kammek dived and retrieved some Water mana honey from the bee’s he had made there) before sailing down the river that began in the lake and ended down in the ocean next to the great city. The vessel they were on was a barge filled with partially refined metals dug from the mountain by Stoshri’s tribe. They were going to trade to the city so they could then buy grain, wine, varios manufactured goods and silk harvested from the massive cloud moth caterpillars that grazed in the fertile plains surrounding the city for their tribe. The vessel itself, which had been built in the city’s docks and purchased with metal ore deliveries, was crewed by goblin tribes-people and powered by a combination of sails, oars and the river’s currents. “Hope get blowy figurehead with this” Gosyor told the two bug people, gesturing to the barrels of metals stacked in the center of the ship “move more ore, get back faster, will be nice. Rowed before. Is pain.“ Several of the nearby oar goblins piped up in agreement to this statement. “Or maybe u learn how make Stoshri?” “Maybe? Can learn?” Stoshri asked Kallak hesitantly “Yeah, can we?” Silandrazz asked “If you want, though I believe the people who make those are fairly specialized, at least for the time being. Lots of demand for them at the moment, but it’ll die down once most of the ships have one. Odds are by the time you learn to do it they’ll already be alot easier to get than they are now.” “Understand,” Stoshri said, discouraged, “what learn then? From what said, there is much. Had to choose” “Anything, everything, what help tribe is good” Gosyor insisted “Suppose” Stoshri replied, before thinking for a bit and asking Silandrazz “what you go to learn” “I’m going to figure out how to make my hive’s Swarmlingz lezz aggressive” “Oh? That good. Things nasty. How do that? Controle like chompy?” Stoshri asked, referring to Kallak’s giant ant mount who was currently resting next to the ore barrels. “There’z way too many to do that. So I think I might be able to change them so that they are like the Sancta Civitaz onez? They're all calm as can be right?” she looked at Kallak who nodded “Yeah, so I want to change their nature.” “Change nature? Can’t change nature. Gods made nature.” Gosyor said “Same way I can make light, or the figureheadz make the wind blow. With magic” Silandrazz replied, missing the thrust of his question “That create, not change. Why change what made by gods? It perfect” “I. uh. But not everything is made by the godz. Our preacher taught us how most of this land waz made by the lifeblood. It is chaos incarnate, so how could everything that waz made be perfect?” Silandrazz tried, floundering as a result of not expecting to have to defend the idea of changing nature, despite Artifex’s warning that she would. “But he make you” Gosyor retorted “The gods didn’t make perfection” Kallak interjected, mostly due to his own personal feelings about his father, eliciting a chorus of gasps from the ship’s goblins. Upon realizing he’d have to justify this he tried “I mean… I’m not a builder-priest but aren't both Cadian and Artifex about working towards something greater? To chase perfection? To build a better world? They wouldn't want us to do that if the world was already perfect“ “Yes!” Silandrazz said, happy that someone had her back even if it was just a result of Kallak trying to cover his own thorax again “Why stop with just building stone and wood, why stop trying to become better by just practicing and training. Why not change thingz, change nature, build with it, make it serve our needz.” The goblins grumbled at this, dissatisfied with the reasoning, but before the arguing could continue Stoshri asked “Change nature of Goblin?” “What?” Gosyor gasped “Help tribe by make tribe better goblin? Goblins is-” “Shh. no.” Gosyor cut him off before he could finish “we done. Talk about other things yes? No good arguing when on ship together” before forcibly steering the conversation towards where a good place to stop for midday rest would be (goblins slept twice a day, once around midday, when it was too bright and hot, and once around midnight, when it was too dark and cold) and what they’d be doing about food. Silandrazz however refused to let it go. [i]What was that? What were you going to say? Goblins are what?[/i] she asked Stoshri though the telepathic link they had as Servants [i]Should not say. Is goblin. Not for others ears[/i] Stoshri he replied [i]You were going to say it though! You were agreeing with me right? I liked where you were going, with making ourselvez better too. Maybe I could make it so I don't have to staff walk everywhere, that'd be great![/i] [i]Is not bad to say. Won’t say. But do agree. Use magic. Make people better. If change nature of swarming, then can change own. Become better. Get stronger. Be Tougher. Live longer.[/i] Stoshri said, before going quiet. He’d all but communicated what his brother had tried to stop him saying, what the goblins hated to admit. They lived short lives, they were small, the sun hurt their eyes and they lacked remarkable traits like natural armor, flight or water breathing. Compared to the other races, Goblins were weak. [hr] It took them some time to get talking again. While the silence hung in their minds the crew ship parked on a sandy riverbank, where stone anchors were cast into the water and other ropes were tied to sturdy forest tree trunks to prevent it from floating free. Their vessel secured the crew headed for the cool protective shade of the forest. A decent campsite was located where they lit cooking fires, posted sentries, and rolled out a collection of tents and mats for sleep. As the sun rose higher those goblins who intended to not simply hid in the tents fished out sunglasses made of bone, cloth or other materials with horizontal slits cut in them in a manner akin to [url=https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.FunPT748gKem0J4cpzE_4gHaDt%26pid%3DApi&f=1]snow goggles[/url] to reduce the impacts of the harsh midday sun on their more sensitive eyes. Not wanting to be left out, Silandrazz popped her hood over her head, covering her own eyes with a fine paper mesh (made mainly to keep sand out of them, leaving Kallak the only person with their eyes exposed. “Stoshri. Come. We go hunt forage.” Gosyor told his brother once the camp was mostly set up, more or less dragging the sullen Servant along with him and a number of other goblins who knew the ways of the forest. [i]You’re not in trouble are you?[/i] Silandrazz asked though their mental link as the goblin moved off into the woods. [i]Is alright. Only words.[/i] Stoshri thought back as he vanished from sight [i]Oh good. Words can still hurt though. I remember how mad my sisters were when I snuck out at night to find out what Kallak was upto. See it’s really cold out there in the desert. You can easily freeze or get nabbed by a land fish and [/i] she ended up telling the goblin about the night she’d met god, leaving out the fact that Kallak was an Avatar as she had promised him, only to be interrupted during her tale before she could get to the part about divine intervention. [i]S-rr-. S-un- -ad[/i] came Stoshri’s muffled and broken words through their mental link [i]What was that Stoshri? Your words were all fuzzy. Are you alright Stoshri? Stoshri? Stoshri![/i] she thought back, with increasing panic as nothing came back before calling out “Stoshri!” and talking off into the air and dashing off into the forest in the direction the foraging party had gone, much to the surprise of those still at the camp. “Silandrazz! What’s the matter? Ah beetle spit” Kallak called after her, before he ended running through the woods after her. [hr] [i]------i. S----r-. ---shri! Stoshri![/i] For his part Stoshri had been in the middle of being chastised when Silandrazz’s fuzzy mental messages suddenly, and seemingly arbitrarily, snapped back into clarity despite the fact that she hadn't actually gotten that much closer to them. He could hear her buzzing wings far to the left of the goblin group. The Vespian he was finding, had a knack at getting lost. [i]Am here[/i], he told her, before mentaly giving her an indication of the way she needed to go “Can’t say that. Goblin pride important.” Gosyor was saying when the sound of her wings coming closer caused him to drop the subject. She managed to fly right over their heads, missing the small green people in the undergrowth, before Stoshri yelled at her to come back. “There you are! I was so worried when the mind thing got messed up. I’m glad your ok” Silandrazz said “Was strange. Was quiet. Then suddenly back when you over there” Stoshri said, before pointing “Mind thing? You talk. What I just say not do?” Gosyor said exasperatedly “It just story. Hers” Stoshri replied “Fine fine.” Gosyor sighed “Yeah. Then it all went weird. You said it started working again when I was over there?” Silandrazz asked while Kallak caught up with her, a little breathless “Yes. Odd. Thought was distance. But got closer than there buzzing around.” Stoshi noted while scratching his head, his rainbow speckled eyes scanning their surroundings but not seeing anything amiss. “Is like something in way? Muffling link?” “Maybe you should see if you can narrow it down,” Kallak suggested, having poked Artifex and gotten the answer already “and work out where specifically the thing that caused the issue is?” “Yeah! Stay here. I’ll go fly around a bit” Silandrazz said before talking off “And I’ll make sure she doesn't get lost again” Kallak said, forming a glowing mote above them to indicate their location to the flying wasp woman It took them some time to figure out the source, the two Servants moving to and fro in the forest to resolve the area that was causing the disturbance before closing the distance till they found themselves on opposite sides of a maple tree. “Cant hear!” Stoshri called, causing Silandrazz to buzz around the base of the tree to join him. After a few moments of staring at each other he concluded that “still nothing. So. Is tree?” “Red Maple Tree,” Gosyor, who’d spent more time in the forests than the other three had combined, said as he squinted up a t the tree’s leaves, “Sap tasty. Keep awake. Good find.” “And it seems to hate magic” Kallak said, indicating to the light globe they’d been using to stop Silandrazz from losing the ground party which was fluttering as he approached and which then promptly died as he joined them at the base of the tree. “Why tree hate magic?” “Who knows. The gods make strange things sometimes.” Kallak replied “God, not lifeblood?” “Just a guess. Anyway, guess you’ve got another thing to add to your list of barter. ” “Why would anyone want a magic killing tree?” Silandrazz asked “Protection against hostile magic? I’m sure they can think of something constructive to do with it, but mainly it's useful to know why Servant communication doesn't work like the Emissaries say it should.” After that Silandrazz buzzed her way to the top of the tree, hacked off some branches using her spear, raided a few bird’s nests for eggs they could have for lunch and then rejoined the party before they all headed back for the camp. “So what was story in mind talk anyway” Gosyor asked, “Oh it was about how I made my sisters really mad after meeting Kallak. I was just about to get the the bit where I talked to Artifex before the link got cut” “Uh huh...” the goblin replied before he suddenly halted and glared at her disbelievingly “wait what!” [hider=summary] Kallak the avatar, Silandrazz the Vespain Servant and Lord Over Nature, Stoshri the goblin servant and his brother Gosyor all set sail for Sancta Civitas onboard an oar shipment. While traveling down river they get to discuss what the servants might be able to learn at the Library. Stoshri is uncertain, but Silandrazz is set on finding a way to modify her Swarmling sisters (the big feral wasps) to be calmer and less aggressive, thus allowing increased cooperation with other species. Gosyor argues that they shouldn't change nature, as it was made by the gods and is thus perfect. The amature theological argument goes back and forth for a bit over whether the gods actually made things to be perfect until Stoshri suggests they could use magic to improve Goblins. Gosyor completely shuts down the conversation at this point and moves them away from the topic entirely. When Silandrazz questions Stoshri via their mental connection he says that he’d like to make goblins better, and in doing so indirectly admits what Gosyor didn’t want aired, namely the fact that goblins know/feel that they are, individually and comparatively, weak. The ship then stops for a midday siesta in the forest. Gosyor takes Stoshri out with a foraging party mostly as an excuse to talk to him about the importance of maintaining goblin pride away from the insects. Silandrazz simultaneously talks to Stoshri over their mental link about the day she followed Kallak out into the canyon at night, but ends up panicking when that link starts to break up and races into the forest to find him, followed by Artifex. Silandrazz manages to get lost in the woods, but also moves past the obstruction to their communication, after which Stoshri guides her to him and the rest of the Gosyor who was in the middle of chastising him. Politics and theology are set aside for a moment as the Servants investigate what’s interfering with their mindbond. In the end they discover a [url=https://divinus-mk4.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Star_Maple_Trees]Red Star Maple Tree[/url] is the source of the interference, and discovered it’s magic nullifying properties. It is hypothesised that these trees are what is preventing the two Servants from connecting with the known Servant pair back in Sancta Civitas. A sample of the tree is acquired to be brought to the Library for research purposes. The group head back for camp, during which Silandrazz is asked what she was talking to Stoshri about when the connection issue. While answering she casually drops the fact that she spoke with Artifex, much to the disbelief of the goblins. [/hider] [hider=mp/dp/prestige] 11k +chars Lords over nature +5 (total 15) Servants + 5 [@Legion02] [/hider]