"Council by the Campfire"

Log Date:
	3/19/2002

Log Cast:
	Vardeus, Coralfire, Xhosa, Shelbor, Kephissa, Quietharm, Shay'la

Log Intro:
	Much to their mutual relief and delight, Vardeus and Maerro have been
reunited with Kephissa and Valnek, two members of the missing crew of the 
Windrider. The reunion's come about with the very welcome help of the elves
Raven and Quietharm and Shay'la, all of whom have helped the Vraeyans find 
each other, and all of whom continue to aid them as they make plans for how to
seek out the rest of their number. The human woman Coralfire is aiding them 
as well, and once Vardeus and Maerro joined the camp on the beach, they met 
two more of Coralfire's human tribe, Xhosa and Shelbor.
	Before the restless Vardeus can set out to find the remaining members
of his crew, he'll need to better understand those who have elected to aid 
him--and that means learning more of their words so that he and his so-far
reunited crew of three can better know what to expect when they begin their
search. And this includes learning a bit about the gods that the local humans
worship, and in some cases, even claim as kin....

	[Note: There was notational confusion as to who was speaking what 
language when in this log.
	If Vardeus is speaking, (( )) signifies the Vraeyan language. < >
signifies the language of the Olbar tribe. No markers indicate elfin.
	Xhosa had been using < > for elfin, << >> for Vraeyan, and nothing
for the Olbar tongue.
	Shelbor was using ( ) for the elfin tongue.]

----------
Dancer Beach(#1537RAJL)
The white gleaming sands reflect the light of the [v(light-[u(timedesc)])]. 
  The bay is shallow and warm, and suitable for wading or swimming. A long 
  ridge parallels the beach along the edge of the dunes and shelters the beach 
  from cool winds off the mountains and from the view of folk who might walk 
  by in the forest. Here and there a gnarled madrona tree or a wind-twisted 
  dwarf pine rears its head above the horizon. 
Evening at last and the first moon rises setting the beach aglo with the 
  silver light. The soft onshore breeze is warm and the tide is out again.
Contents:
Yellow
Shelbor
Coralfire
Xhosa
Silentstep
Shiver's Tent <Sh>
Rock Spire
StormCurrent's Raft
Obvious exits:
Towards Mainland Beach <S>  On the Sea <W>  North along the beach(N)  
  Southwest to Strait <SW>  Inland Trail(E)

Ever since he and the others have arrived from the Raft Elves' island, the 
  captain called Vardeus has been scarcely still. With the boy Maerro eagerly 
  tagging along, he's begun thoroughly investigating the immediately 
  surrounding area, talking extensively with Kephissa and Valnek to get their 
  reports on their own impressions of this strange new land in which they've 
  found themselves, and any who might happen to have observed him might well 
  have noticed a continuance of a sense of purpose about him... and a sense of 
  self-command. That sense is lingering about him now, as Vardeus comes 
  striding back towards the campsite he and his crewmates have made, five 
  fresh-caught fish snagged on a makeshift spear. Eyes agleam with 
  satisfaction, grinning to himself, the Vraeyan makes his way for the firepit.

Yellow, tail wagging, rises to greet the incoming humans.

Coralfire has been in the woods by herself for a short while, and she returns 
  as silently as she can. The huntress heads over to the firepit, bringing 
  some berries and fruit with her. Today, she wasn't hunting meat at all, but 
  some of the less dangerous things that can be found around here. She smiles 
  as she spies both Yellow and Vardeus, shaking her head. "Begging again, 
  Yellow?" she asks, amusement clear in her voice. "(Hello, Vardeus.)"

Yellow abruptly changes course and increases speed, hurrying over to Coralfire 
  to see what she has.

Xhosa mmms, looking up. "Yellow is always begging." She peers over at Vardeus 
  and smiles. "<Captain....feeling better?>"

The dog's the first thing to provoke a greeting out of Vardeus, who flashes 
  the creature a broad lopsided grin. "((Ach, and a hello t' ye too, me 
  boy,))" he tells Yellow. Hands occupied, he can't pause to give the canine a 
  proper ear-scritching, but he does grin after Yellow as the dog bolts over 
  to Coralfire. As he himself crouches down by the fire and starts rearranging 
  some of the wood on it for proper cooking of his spear-ful of fish, he then 
  greets both of the women, keeping again to elfin as that still appears to be 
  the most spoken tongue amongst this ragtag group on the beach. "Taydes, 
  Coorelfair, Zo-sa. I good, ((aye)). Bring fish. I cook."

Shelbor watches curiously as the other man prepares the fish.

Xhosa archs a brow, looking at her cousin. "He cooks too. I told you it would 
  pay off to follow those stars." She smiles at Vardeus. "<Thank you>"

Coralfire chuckles as Yellow comes running, and she sets her basket down. 
  "Sorry Yellow. I don't have anything for you this time. You should have 
  stuck with Vardeus." She does reach to give the pooch a good scritch, if he 
  lets her, and then picks up her basket again. "Tides, everyone. Having a 
  good day?" She finds a rock to sit on, and then she gives Xhosa a sidelong 
  glance, managing not to comment. And no, her cheeks aren't pink at all.

Yellow follows, sniffing at the basket.

Shelbor says "Careful; he does like berries."

He's not an inspired cook, perhaps, but he does seem to know what he's doing. 
  Vardeus parks himself on a makeshift seat -- driftwood logs are handy for 
  that -- and whips out one of his daggers to start in on de-finning and 
  de-scaling his catch. Under his breath, he hums a few snatches of something 
  unintelligible, murmur-singing a word or two in his low rumbling baritone; 
  as he does, though, his gaze still actively roves about his surroundings. 
  Shelbor gets an amiable nod of greeting and the dog gets a couple more 
  amused and even a little wistful glances, as well as an amused if awkwardly 
  phrased, "What he? How say?" His tousled head nods over to the dog.

Shelbor says "Yellow. (His color in our tongue is his name.)"

Yellow lies near Vardeus, watching for some discarded treat the silly humans 
  won't eat.

Xhosa smirks at the dog, reaching over to tossle his fur. "<Don't mind him. 
  He's an unapologetic begger.>" She frowns, looking over at her poor bear, 
  poking her head out of the tent once more. "<I still don't have a name for 
  her. But I don't want to call her Brown.>"

Coralfire raises a brow, and then she laughs outright, blue eyes sparkling. 
  She fishes out a couple of berries and tosses them to the dog, before she 
  tells him in Olbar, "No more for you, until /after/ our supper." As if it 
  matters what language she speaks. But hey, he's been raised Olbar, so to 
  speak. Course, since he's deserted her now, it probably doesn't much matter. 
  She switches to Elfin, so that everyone can understand her. "Call her 
  Pokenose, Xhosa. That's what she always does." And then to Vardeus, "Want 
  some fruit and berries to go with the fish?"

Yellow deftly snaps the berries out of the air.

Speculatively, Vardeus rolls the one word he's managed to secure as an answer 
  to his question around on his tongue; in his accent, it comes out closer to 
  "yelluh", the last sound swallowed back and almost cut off. "He 'yelluh'? 
  Like I Vardeus?" he inquires of Coralfire. "Or like I huimin? Berries good, 
  ((aye)), all eat."

Shelbor nods, and speaks in elvish except for two words "Yellow (is his name). 
  Dog (is name of what he is.)"

Xhosa takes some of the berries, letting her cousin explain the difference in 
  names to Vardeus, and teases her bear with them. The poor creature creeps 
  out of the tent, mewling pitifully. Xo laughs, shaking her head and tugging 
  the bear into her lap before feeding her. She peers at Vardeus, curious. 
  "<Do you have bears where you're from?>"

Coralfire tilts her head a little and then replies to the question in elfin. 
  "What Shelbor Said. Yellow in human is his name. And his color." She pauses 
  and then repeats the word in Olbar. "Yellow." Just to make sure.

"Dog!" That particular word seems to satisfy the Vraeyan greatly, as he 
  pronounces in the middle of scaling the second fish, "I have dog, home. Dog 
  good." Vardeus blinks then over at Xhosa, as he realizes again that that 
  young woman does seem to have a rather odd creature following her around and 
  even eating out of her hands. "Nae," he says then. "Nae bear, home."

Yellow preens at all the attention.

Xhosa nods, rubbing the bear on the forehead. "<Pokenose. That isn't a bad 
  name for her, I think.>" She turns to look at Vardeus again. "<What about 
  horses?>"

To Xhosa's last question, Vardeus looks up from his work on the fish, brows 
  knitting over his ocean-hued eyes. Horse? Okay. The dog and the bear have 
  been identified, so since there's only one other creature in immediate 
  range, he jerks a thumb over towards Spirit. "Is 'horse'? ((Aye!)) Have 
  horse, home. Many horse. Elfs ride woolfs, ((Vraeyans)) ride horse."

Shelbor grins, and responds in elvish "(Xhosa rides horse here.)"

Xhosa smiles. She knew she liked him for a reason. "Oh, good! You can ride?" 
  She looks vastly relieved by that. And a bit smug? "She's not just a horse." 
  She looks over at the animal and, clearly, she dearly loves the creature. 
  "Her name is Spiritwind and she's my Sister."

Coralfire goes quiet again, listening. Though she does interject. "What's 
  horse in ((Vraeyan))?" she asks, since she's not come across that word 
  before. She pulls out some of the fruit, peeling it, and absently setting it 
  up for the upcoming meal.

"((Horse))," is Vardeus' sage reply, and to Xhosa he begins, "((Aye)), I ride 
  horse good. Nae fall." An easy, crooked grin curls his mouth -- until, that 
  is, he works his way through the rest of her words. Wait a minute; surely he 
  can't have heard what he thought he heard? He pauses, dagger still against 
  his half-scaled catch, staring at the young human woman bemusedly. "Zo-sa 
  say, horse... _sister-?"

Shelbor makes a slight coughing sound, as if choking on something.

Xhosa nods, not finding the thought of the horse being her sister at all odd. 
  "Yes. My father is Hipolite, the Horse Father." She reachs over to snatch 
  some of her cousin's fruit. "So, all horses are my brothers and sisters. 
  Although," she looks at Spiritwind again, "Spiritwind is...closer to me." 
  She smiles brightly. "I found her when she was just a little foal and 
  brought her home."

Coralfire's cheeks go a bit pink as she tries not to laugh. She usually 
  doesn't consider how strange Xhosa's beliefs are, any more, but you know ... 
  Vardeus' reaction brings it all back to her. "Xhosa is close to many 
  animals," she says softly, making sure to memorize that new word she got, as 
  usual. She mutters it under her breath a couple times, trying to get the 
  accent right.

His meager vocabulary in the elfin tongue has just been surpassed, and Vardeus 
  has to hold up a hand, waving it back and forth to try to stop Xhosa before 
  she goes any further. "Nae, nae... Zo-sa stop. I nae say elf words good. 
  Zo-sa say, horse is father?" Is that a hint of a blush on _his_ cheeks? It's 
  harder to tell with him than Coralfire, perhaps, as a good portion of his 
  countenance has been commandeered by his beard, but the widening of his blue 
  eyes is unmistakable.

Shelbor is paying _very_ close attention to the cook fire.

Xhosa mmms, trying to decide how to explain this. She shakes her head slowly. 
  "Not exactly. My father is the Horse Father." She looks at Vardeus to see if 
  he understand. "He's a <god>. You have <gods>?"

Coralfire doesn't chicken out. She stays in the conversation, as much as she 
  can anyway. She listens, and prepares to try to translate, if she has to. 
  Though Xhosa does have a reasonable command of elfin by now. She wants to 
  see Xhosa explain this though. It took a while for the Olbar to explain it 
  all to her, after all.

Wait. 'God'. This is a new word, in the elf tongue, and the Vraeyan has to 
  pause in his fish-cleaning efforts for a few moments, focusing all of his 
  attention on the new notion being thrown at him. Yet again he curses the 
  lack of his crewmate Arnos, though he has to pull himself back hard from the 
  belief that his word-talented linguist is very possibly dead. "Zo-sa mean, 
  'High Ones'? Kyethaerm tell I, elfs have High Ones. Is like ((gods)), home." 
  His stare grows more intent now, as he studies Xhosa keenly. Is this maiden 
  actually claiming to be the daughter of a god?

Xhosa thinks, looking at Coralfire. "High Ones...they're like our <gods>? To the 
  elves?" She thinks that's about right. And actually, it's a very good analog 
  for what she's saying. Since, like the elves, she is claiming to be the 
  direct descendant of a god.

Shelbor says "(They are elves ancestors. Beings of great power.)"

Xhosa thinks about that, then nods. "Yes, then. My father is a god...one of 
  our High Ones." She think she likes that, High Ones. She smiles, nodding.

Coralfire thinks about that. "<well, close enough, I guess. Yes, Shelbor is 
  right.> I think <gods> and High Ones are the same."

Vardeus has seen a number of extremely odd things since his vessel first came 
  into the local waters -- first and foremost, the monster that had attacked 
  the _Windrider_. Elves, in general, and the shaping of rock and metal he's 
  seen a couple of them do, not to mention the way that one of them had laid 
  hands upon _him_ and mended his broken ribs. Somehow, he can't exactly find 
  it in him to be entirely surprised to hear such a claim coming out of Xhosa 
  now... for all that it's not the first time he's landed in a foreign place 
  and been told by the locals that they're kin to their gods. "((Ach))," he 
  rumbles then, "Zo-sa say good, how make Horse Father nae angry." Abruptly, a 
  shadow passes across Vardeus' eyes, as he returns his attention to scaling 
  the fish, and he adds gruffly, "Good, different, nae have <gods> angry."

Xhosa mmms? She looks curious at that. "My Father doesn't get angry. Well, not 
  very often anyway." She frowns, trying to remember the last time that 
  happened. Hmmmm. She grins, impishly. "Just be nice to me. And Spiritwind."

Coralfire just shakes her head, as she listens to this conversation. She's 
  seated on a rock, with a basket of fruit by her. Xhosa has her bear cub with 
  her, as well as the horse somewhere around. Shelbor and Yellow are about as 
  well. Coral doesn't know what other locals might say, only what the Olbar 
  say. It's a touch odd to her, truth be told, but she's not about to argue 
  with her cousin. "It's enough to make my head hurt still."

A stretch and a murmur signal Kephissa waking from a nap. She's finally 
  feeling comfortable enough to sleep better now that she's reunited with the 
  captain. She sits up and yawns, blinking blearily, listening to the 
  conversation threads around her, but quite awake enough to take it in.

To this, truth be told, Vardeus has to let out an audible snort, showing that 
  there is still some humor there in his thoughts... even if it doesn't quite 
  dispel the shadow behind his eyes. "Coorelfair head hurt? I wake up on 
  beach, I see elfs, head much hurt. Nae stop hurt now."

Xhosa laughs. "It must be strange....but at least you're safe. The Sky 
  Children watched over you."

Coralfire can't help but laugh, but it fades quickly. "Can't heal that head 
  hurt," she says, with a grin. She looks over at Kephissa at the murmur, and 
  waves a hand, in case she's awake enough to see it. She doesn't comment 
  about the Sky Children either. But then, they did follow the sky fire here, 
  where you all are. Interesting. Very interesting. Maybe there's something to 
  all this babble?

Kephissa tilts her head as she concentrates on the elfin words, still not 
  exactly easy for her to talk in them, certainly not when she's just woken 
  up. "Sky Children? Stars?" Coming in in the middle of the conversation she 
  has no clue what's going on.

The Sky Children again. Vardeus' brow crinkles anew, as it occurs to him to 
  wonder whether Andros Skyfather and Lerain Seamother might have made progeny 
  who might be less annoyed with his crew than their parents. "I more happy, 
  Skae Children protect ((crew))," he hedges, not wanting to mean any 
  disrespect, but still fairly certain he wouldn't be in the straits he's in 
  if he hadn't angered some god or other. Now his hands grow a bit more intent 
  in their motions on the fish, and he's focused upon the task quite intently, 
  unwilling to give away anything of his internal turmoil to these women if he 
  can help it. He's undergone enough of that, lately. Kephissa's arrival is a 
  welcome distraction, though. "((Ach, Kephissa, glad to see ye. I'm after 
  scalin' some fish. Coorelfair's brought fruit and berries, we've a dinner o' 
  sorts.))"

Xhosa nods, trying to catch as many words in their language as she can. "The 
  Sky Children live in the stars, yes." She smiles, nodding to Vardeus. "I'm 
  sure they're watching over your crew. That's why they lead me here, so we 
  could find you and take you where you'll be safe."

Coralfire glances over at Kephissa and shrugs. "Sky children are <gods>. Like 
  High Ones that live in the stars." Well, maybe? She isn't all up on this 
  pantheon, though a few of her relatives and friends have tried to teach her. 
  Her tone is no doubt a little wry though. Nah, it's just a coincidence. 
  Xhosa just got lucky - she didn't really know what she was looking for.

Ahh, it looks like Kephissa woke up in the middle of a theological discussion 
  of some sort. At this point, all Kephissa cares about is that she not offend 
  any native gods, so she just nods at Coralfire's explanation, and drawls an 
  "Okay." She hasn't quite gotten enough words in either of her new languages 
  to really get the metaphysical stuff. She does grin wryly at Vardeus though, 
  "((Seems to me that everybody here keeps wanting to take us somewhere 
  safe.))" She moves over to start preparations to cook the fish when its done 
  getting scaled.

From where Vardeus is sitting, it seems the Sky Children have a bit more work 
  to do; after all, so far he's only managed to rebuild a crew of two. Well, 
  three if you count Maerro, but the boy hasn't earned his earring yet. "Skae 
  Children show I place make ((ship))," he says then, trying to strike a 
  middle ground between respect for Xhosa's evident deific connections and the 
  evidence of the last several months of death and deprivation he's undergone, 
  "show good stars go home, I more happy. Give gift Skae Children, I." He 
  gestures for Kephissa's benefit at the two out of five fish he's already 
  finned and scaled, willing to share the work with her. He smiles a bit at 
  his crewmate, not answering her quite yet; he might not be good at 
  languages, but he'll at least try to keep to words everybody can understand, 
  here and now.

Xhosa mmms. "You can give them a gift if you want to. They'd probably like 
  that." She smiles over at Kephissa. "Awake at last, I see. Sorry if Pokenose 
  bothered you. I caught her trying to go through your blankets last night."

Quietharm appears from the north, walking along the soft golden sands.
Quietharm has arrived.

Coralfire decides that maybe now is a good time to go help with those fish? 
  After all, there's got to be one left for her to clean. She might even 
  already know how, but she won't be as good at it as the other two. "May I 
  help you, Vardeus?" she asks, getting to her feet and moving closer over to 
  the fish cleaning folks.

Xhosa frowns at something, standing suddenly. There doesn't seem to have been 
  any noise to call her attention, but something did. "Excuse me...I need to 
  see to...something." She moves toward the treeline, where her horse is 
  grazing, the bear bumbling along behind her.

"((Aye)), Coorelfair, hilp, all eat." Vardeus is already starting on arranging 
  poking sticks through a couple of the scaled fish, to try to best prepare to 
  cook them over the fire -- again, crude, but effective. Xhosa gets a polite 
  nod from him, in farewell.

Kephissa eyes the bear as it trundles off. That's just what she needed to 
  hear, that the bear wants to sleep with here. She pokes a stick through one 
  of the scaled fish too, with a slight frown. Gotta be a better way to do 
  this. She smiles at Coralfire, and than looks at Vardeus, "Maybe try hunting 
  soon. Been eating fish for many moons." Some nice red meat would be nice 
  after all the months eating fish on the ship and now on the beach.

Coralfire just blinks. Hunting. Well, of course she could do that. Specially 
  now she's here. She sits down though, pulling out the knife she's got, as 
  she sets to work. She is slow at it, a bit puzzled by the fish. "I can bring 
  back some meat if you like. I'll hunt today and tomorrow." It is after all 
  what she does, normally.

"Need good--" Ach. Another elf word he doesn't have yet, Vardeus realizes, is 
  the word for weaponry. By way of visual aid, and for Coralfire's benefit, he 
  gestures at the spear he's managed to make, as he goes on, "--((weapon)), 
  hunt. I tired fish too. Need good ((weapon)), carry, go find ((crew))."

Kephissa nods. Weapons would definitely be good. Kephissa managed to save her 
  knife but that's it. She puts some of the fish over the fire to start it 
  cooking. She nods emphatically at Vardeus. "Need ((weapons)) to be safe 
  searching for ((crew))." There are a lot of strange things in this world and 
  not all of them are nice.

"((Weapons?)) Spear?" Coralfire asks. She has to get this right, no doubt, and 
  if you two don't have the elfin word, then she doesn't know the Vraeyan. She 
  looks at her knife though, as she thinks for a moment, and then she holds it 
  up. "((Weapon?))"

"I more happy, have ((sword, aye, Keph...))" Oh. Right. Another language 
  lesson needed. Vardeus nods first to Coralfire, then, as the smell of 
  cooking fish begins to waft up from the campfire, he clarifies, pointing at 
  each in turn as well as the daggers at his belt, "((Spear, knife, knives... 
  weapons. Sword... big knife.))" Fretfully, he appends in the elf words, "I 
  nae have sword."

Well, at least language lessons on weaponry are somewhat useful. Kephissa 
  reinforces Vardeus, "Need big knifes, swords." Pointing at one of the 
  daggers. "Bows, arrows, spears. All good." If there are any of those things 
  like the monster they ran into just before they came to this shore, the more 
  weapons the better.

Coralfire chuckles as it seems Kephissa has a few words that Vardeus doesn't. 
  "We can manage bows and arrows, I think. And spears." You all could have got 
  coral ones from Fathom or some nice wooden spears from Morningtide, over at 
  Raft. But here? "((Weapons)) all? All bows, knives, big knives, swords, 
  spears. Weapons." Another word for everyone perhaps. "But for good ones, 
  we'd have to go back to the village."

Vardeus abruptly straightens. "Village. What 'village'?" he asks, insistently, 
  eyes turning keener of gaze. Dare he hope there's actually a _settlement_ of 
  some kind on this shore? "Is where Zo-sa say, we go?"

Kephissa shakes her head, shes gotten some scope of the distance. "Zo-sa's 
  village far." She guestures eastward. "Zo-sa tell me. They come long way to 
  here." She shrugs. "Maybe another village closer?"

There is a noticeable rustle in the bushes, and moments later Quietharm 
  emerges from the flora. Her eyes sweep the immediate area, instantly 
  recognizing the humans before her. Cheerfully, she bursts into a light jog 
  to close the gap between them and herself, "Vardeus! Kephizza! Coralfire!"

Coralfire takes a breath. "Olbar village is far, but there's only elves 
  between here and there." Okay, the Hoan might be somewhere closer. Coral 
  doesn't really know where their village is. "Tides, Quietharm," she says, as 
  she looks up to see the small elf who's calling out. "Are there any villages 
  near here? Places where Vardeus, Kephizza can get their hands on spears and 
  bows and such that will be big enough for them?"

"Kyethaerm, taydes--" Wait, now, though, Vardeus wants to be clear on this 
  'village' concept. "Village. What 'village'? Village is... is live place?" 
  He shoots to his feet, vigorously gesturing around at the makeshift tents, 
  by way of trying to get his point across. "Tents here. Elfs have tents on 
  little land, is camp. Village is camp?"

Kephissa wrinkles her nose, all these different languages is just a bit 
  confusing. She slips into the Vraeyan language to try and explain to 
  Vardeus. "((Its like a small town I think. Huts/houses, people. More of a 
  permanent settlement. That's how Zo-sa explained it to me. Her word is)) 
  <village>. ((And I think that corresponds to the other word)) village." She 
  shrugs.

Quietharm comes to a complete halt before the gathered humans, flicking her 
  eyes from one to the next. Confusion is the companion tied in with her 
  features, although she doesn't appear to be intimidated in the slightest by 
  being the only elf among them. At all the talk in a spattering of elven, her 
  eyebrows reflexively furrow.

Coralfire nods to what she understands of Kephissa's words, which isn't 
  everything. "A village is not a camp. There are huts made of wood, and a 
  well. It's where my other family lives. Human, not elf. Elves don't live in 
  villages, mostly." She's heard rumours, after all. And well, some of those 
  elves in Raft did come from the Sun village.

Nodding swiftly and gratefully to Kephissa, Vardeus paces a bit, seeming to 
  need the motion to burn through the energy of his own thought processes. 
  "((Nae sign of a city or twa here, I take it, Keph?))" he asks his crewmate, 
  agitation slurring his accent, before going on in elfin for the benefit of 
  Coralfire and Quietharm, "I say to Keph, ask if ((city)) here. ((City)) 
  is... big vill-ij. Many, many huimins in ((city))."

Kephissa shakes her head. "((No signs of anything on that scale. I just don't 
  get the impression that they gather in that large of groups))" She turns to 
  the natives to see if they might know. "Any place with many people?"

Quietharm falls silent, picking up the mixture of Vraeyan and Elven in stride. 
  She lets the humans talk, unable to repond.. for now.

Coralfire has travelled a bit, but she doesn't know. "I know of two villages 
  of humans. Olbar, where I-we come from, and there's Hoan. That's all. And 
  the elves? Well, they live in small groups too." Like Raft, which you've 
  already seen. "I heard stories, when I was a little girl, about maybe bigger 
  groups of elves. But I don't know where they are. And maybe they were just 
  stories."

Vardeus doesn't really like the sound of that -- if there aren't any cities, 
  chances are high that there aren't any shipwrights, either. He keeps pacing, 
  only to eventually have to change tactics and return to the fish to move the 
  sticks that bear them around a bit, to make sure they're properly cooked. 
  Nor does the shadow of frustration leave his gaze, either. "Nae ((city)). 
  Vill-ij nae long go, we go vill-ij, ask see ((crew)). Go up, down beach, 
  look for ((crew)), look for--" Ugh. How to say 'pieces of what's left of his 
  ship'? That makes Vardeus frown broodingly at the fire for a moment, before 
  he forcibly shakes himself and goes on, "Look for ((ship)). ((Kephissa, how 
  far have you and Valnek gone?))"

Kephissa purses her lips, this is a little to complicated for either of the 
  new languages she's learning so she sticks to Vraeyan to answer Vard's 
  question, "((Went south aways. Saw a few pieces of salvage from the ship, 
  but no sign of it or the rest of the crew. That's when I ran into Zo-sa and 
  her group. Came back here to find Kyethaerm with news of you so we haven't 
  gone far in search since than.))"

Quietharm crosses her arms against her chest, wearing patience as a general 
  ambience. It was a lucky thing, too, for if she were any less at the moment 
  she would most likely be in a bad state. Not the wisest behavior to be in 
  among her fellow travelers. When Kephissa speaks, she nods fluidly, "((Yes, 
  'Zo-sa' friendly to me and others..))" What was that about?

Coralfire goes back to get the fruit, offering some to everyone while the 
  conversation continues. She gets lost in Kephissa's words, but just ignores 
  them, instead trying to answer Vardeus, at least what she understood. "We'll 
  keep looking for your ((crew))." And she's sure they'll find some, besides. 
  Well, if the Sky Children are willing that is. And the High Ones. She does 
  look over at Quietharm now. "You've run into unfriendly humans?" That 
  figures, since Coral has run into unfriendly elves.

Vardeus pulls one of his daggers, poking experimentally at the middle of the 
  body of one of the fish, trying to judge how well cooked it might be. It 
  seems to satisfy him, for he then pins it deftly on his blade. "Fish done," 
  he pronounces. "This mine. All take, more fish." Dishes would be nice, but 
  well, the captain will make do, using his other knife to start slicing off 
  smaller bits of fish-flesh in an attempt to elude the bones. "Kephissa and 
  Valnek look ((south))," he says then, nodding in that direction and then in 
  its opposite, "look ((north)) now." To Quietharm he adds staunchly, "We many 
  now. We all here, all safe. Kephissa, Maerro, Valnek, I, hilp look out, see 
  elfs, huimins want hurt. Make nae hurt."

Kephissa has a nice flat rock she flips her own fish onto, easier to eat that 
  way. She breaks off a few pieces to nibble. "((North)) good. Ship must be 
  somewhere." They weren't that far from shore that some sign of the ship 
  wouldn't still be visiable, unless it was dragged off somewhere. Ummm, no 
  thinking along those lines. "Stay away from anybody want hurt."

Quietharm chuffs with amusement at the suggestion, beaming up at Vardeus and 
  Coralfire, "I know you won't hurt any elves, you have already proven that to 
  a point." She jerks slightly, catching herself. It would be unlikely that 
  Kephissa and Vardeus received that well. She swallows, trying again, "((I 
  know you help and no hurt. That good. Not all (humans) good. You are.))"

"Nae," Vardeus says gravely, his eyes still stormy, "nae all huimins good." 
  And some of them who have tried all their lives to be fairly decent men 
  still apparently have managed to anger the gods enough to get their crews 
  lost at sea and wrecked on a foreign shore... but let's not go there. That 
  way lies brooding, grief, and getting elves to look at him with uncanny 
  wisdom in their eyes and asking him awkward questions about certain seconds 
  in command he'd really rather not consider right now. Craving any frame of 
  mind but that one, he settles for maintaining in Vraeyan, smiling a bit, 
  "((We don't bite.))"

Coralfire sets the basket with the fruit in it down, after taking some for 
  herself. She goes over to the fire and helps herself to some of that fish 
  that Vardeus is sharing. "Not all humans are good, and not all elves are 
  good," she says softly with remembered pain in her own eyes. "But we stay 
  away from the bad elves and the bad humans, ((aye)). I think maybe I will 
  hunt tomorrow, find us some meat."

Kephissa thinks running into "bad people" is part of being an explorer, and 
  Kephissa is less worried about that than not finding anything because 
  they're too concerned about that. "Go soon. More time we wait to search, 
  less we find." She nods to for emphasis.

Shay'la slips out of the water. She hasn't been about much since coming to 
  this beach. She actually spends a great deal of time by herself, either 
  staring out at the elf shaped rock spire just in the water, or actually 
  sitting out in the water by it. For the moment she walks to a gathering of 
  rocks and perches on them, pulling off her glove and opening up one of the 
  rocks to pull out a pouch of dried fruits, which she begins munching on. Yes 
  she made rock flow like water... should be old hat for Vardeus.

Quietharm backs off, her mood somber. She lets the others continue to converse.

Shay'la's approach is indeed noted, and though Vardeus is possessed of a sense 
  of urgent purpose, still, he's been quite aware that the odd elf out -- as 
  it were -- from the Raft Elves has been hanging on the fringes of their 
  motley party. "Taydes, Shayla," he greets her, expression gentling just a 
  touch, before he nods firmly to Kephissa. "Go soon. Go tomorrow. Start look 
  ((north))."

Coralfire glances over and she smiles too. "Tides, Shay'la. I have some fresh 
  fruit if you would like some." She gets up to bring the basket over to the 
  other elf, after a few more words. "I'll hunt while you search, and catch up 
  with you tomorrow night." That works, right? Well, she thinks so, anyway.

Well if it's old hat for Vardeus, it's definitely not old hat for Kephissa. 
  She blinks and rubs her eyes and looks from Shay'la to the rock and back. 
  Maybe she just hasn't had enough sleep. Or maybe this all some huge dream and 
  she'll wake safe and sound in her bunk on the ship a day's journey away from 
  home. She looks down at her fish, maybe it sat in the sun too long.

"((That's Shayla, Kephissa,))" Vardeus murmurs sidelong to his crewmate. 
  "((She, ach, she... has a little trick with the rock, she does. There's at 
  least one other, does summat alike, wi' metal.))"

Shay'la nods to Vardeus, "Tides." She then looks to Coralfire, "Thank you." 
  She opens up the rock again and sets the dried fruit back in it as she takes 
  some of the fresh fruit. Her gaze keeps getting pulled to that rock spire as 
  she lets out a sigh, "Maybe I should just pull it down." The last is said to 
  no one in particular.

Rock Spire
        From a distance, it appears to be a simple rock spire that rises up 
  out of the water, but as you approach it you can see it is far more than 
  that. It gives off a tingle of magic, proclaiming it to all as having been 
  shaped. 
        Up close, the simple spire is, in fact, an elven maiden, lovingly 
  shaped from the rocks below. Her back is to the shore and her head is tilted 
  upward, with her face to the sky as if she is basking in the sun. She wears 
  a cloak and hood, so that the back gives very little detail. The front, 
  however, is painstakingly detailed. The elven maiden is young, with fine, 
  aristocratic features. She calls to mind the looks of the Underworld, with 
  her billowing cloak, caught by the breeze behind her. The clothing she wears 
  is simple tunic and breeches. Wisps of long hair fall from under the cowl 
  and seem caught in the breeze. The look on her face is one of peace and 
  serenity. Her hands are held together in front of her and cupped in her palm 
  is a small representation of a wolf, a wavedancer, and a dagger with an 
  Underworld house symbol... it is as if she offers these things up to the 
  sky. The whole thing has a look of a monument or memorial. 
        The elven maid is actually standing on a pedestal, raised high enough 
  out of the water that even at high tide her boots would not get wet. Even 
  the pedestal is lovingly shaped, as far down as one dares to go. There is an 
  ivy vine pattern that traces up the column of rock on which she stands.

Coralfire is near enough to hear Shay'la? She wasn't around for the whole 
  thing, but she asked a couple questions, having seen that statue on her way 
  to the Raft. "It's beautiful. You could leave it - unless it causes too much 
  pain?" she tries answering that question, just cause she can. "And you're 
  welcome for the fruit."

Comprehension dawns, and although Vardeus is still half-leaned towards 
  Kephissa, intending to help clarify for her some of the basic things to know 
  about the assorted persons he's brought to this shore with him, his gaze is 
  still on Shay'la... as well as the elegant creation of which she appears to 
  be speaking. "((It's Leenar,))" he murmurs then, very softly, to Kephissa. 
  "((It's her daughter. She told me she lost a daughter to summat called a 
  'manyarms' -- I'm after thinkin' 'twere an octopus.))" More loudly, and this 
  time in the elfin tongue, he speaks up, "Rock elf beautiful. Nae take away 
  beautiful." It's not the most eloquently expressed sentiment in the world... 
  but well hey. It's there, a sign that at least in better days, Vardeus 
  Alirreus is a man with an appreciative eye for beauty, especially when it's 
  beauty lifted up in honor of something that has gone. Or someone.

There are some very strange people in this land. She mutters under her breath. 
  "((Spooky, Flying, and now being able to melt rock and metal, what's 
  next?))" She shakes her head and keeps eating her fish. Taking a little 
  while to process this new info. She turns towards the spire. She nods. 
  "Leave for memory. No one forget daughter." Such monuments are not unknown 
  to her.

Unthinkingly, Vardeus rubs for a moment at his ribcage, as he catches 
  Kephissa's last muttered question to him. "((Fixin' me ribs, too,))" he 
  appends, looking strangely discomfited. "((I dinnae mention that, did I?))"
Wait a minute, though. Vardeus glances a bit more intently at Kephissa, s he 
  really registers something she'd said. "((Fly?))" he blurts. "((Ye saw an 
  elf _fly_?!))"

Shay'la nods her head, closing her eyes. "She stays...." How could she argue 
  with what was said? Her people would call it sentimental... and there is 
  nothing sentimental in the Underworld. She begins munching on a piece of 
  fruit... She knows she has to eat. She picks up a rock in the other hand and 
  it begins shifting shape... something Shay does when she is thinking... 
  fish, bird, flower, etc.

Kephissa chuckles, she managed to surprise the captain. Keeping one eye on the 
  shifting rock in Shay'la's hand she guestures towards Coralfire. "((Yes. I 
  think she was an elf. She flew by while I was talking with Koralfir right 
  after I met her and Zo-sa.))" And lets just say it was quite a shock for 
  Kephissa to see it. "((I think we landed in the land of magicians or 
  something.))"

Vardeus isn't gaping, honestly..... much. He snaps his mouth shut, tries to 
  look as nonchalant as possible, and gruffly answers Kephissa, "((Ach, well, 
  another of 'em made me ribs move about after I got a wee bit banged up... 
  hurt, it did, but next mornin' it dinnae hurt nae more. The Little People 
  have some passin' strange tricks an' that's a fact.))"
Then, to the others, he adds in his stunted elfin, "I tell Kephissa... see 
  rock shaper, metal shaper, with elfs. Tell Shayla rock shaper. Kephissa say, 
  see elf fly, I say, I hurt, elf fix I."

Shay'la whips her head around at the mention of flying elves, both brows 
  arching, "Gliders? Here?" The last time the raft had gliders about they 
  kidnapped a sunfolk and took her off to the mountain and things went 
  downhill from there. Let's just say that gliders are too close to 
  underworlders in temperment for Shay's tastes.

Coralfire is glad that the statue is going to stay. "Good." she says, though 
  the gliders idea doesn't set too well with her. She knows that Gliders do 
  cause trouble, some of them. "Saw some that way," she says pointing towards 
  Blue Mountain. "And I think the one that Kephizza saw is friendly. We helped 
  her, found her a healer. There was trouble between wolfriders and gliders."

All the elfin/human politics somewhat go over Kephissa's head. But from 
  Shay'la's reaction she does glean something. "Flying elfs bad?" Hmm, 
  probably something to keep in mind. Anybody that their new friends don't 
  like it's probably good to be wary about. She shrugs. "Only saw one."

Shay'la looks at Coralfire, "Trouble? What trouble?" The more she hears of the 
  gliders the less she likes them. Their leader reminds her too much of some 
  Underworld Lords. She then turns and looks at Kephissa, "Some are. So are 
  some like me."

In between munching down fragments of fish off the edge of his dagger -- a 
  practice which fortunately seems to be one with which Vardeus is long 
  familiar, for he does no damage to himself with the edge of the blade -- the 
  Vraeyan peers intently at the others. "'Glaeders' flyin' elfs? Fly like 
  bird? Wi' wings?"

Coralfire shrugs. "I don't know entirely. Shelbor knows more, I think. But it 
  seems to me that the Gliders had kidnapped one of the wolfrider chieftesses, 
  and they wanted her back." She didn't hear everything, just enough to decide 
  she was staying away from those gliders. "The one that Kephizza saw, 
  Areelia, she's okay. She helped the wolfriders, I think."

Kephissa shakes her head. "No wings." She slips back into her own language. 
  "((She was just sort of floating there in the air, like a feather. But 
  moving against the wind.))" It was quite a shock to see. Even more than the 
  shaping of rock she's seen, or the other magic she's heard about. Most of 
  that at least are things which can be mimiced with tools.

Shay'la looks over at Vardeus and shakes her head, "No wings... Gliders fly 
  like I shape rock... just do." She then looks over at Coralfire again, "A 
  chieftess? The Glider Lord must have lost her mind... no wolfrider tribe 
  would let that go." She knows... she's stayed amongst wolfriders enough to 
  see the fierce loyalty they have.

Coralfire nods her head. "It seemed like it. there were just more and more 
  elves gathering and they were all upset over it. Even the wolfriders who 
  didn't know that chieftess were willing to help rescue her." She shrugs a 
  bit. "Let me go find Shelbor. He might know if they did rescue her or not."

Vardeus blows out a breath. "We -- Kephissa, Maerro, Valnek, I -- nae go near 
  Glaeders," he asserts, nodding restlessly to Coralfire, then. "We go search 
  tomorrow, go ((north))." With that, the captain gestures in that direction, 
  with his blade. "You hunt, you come, we look for you."

Having long since finished her food, Kephissa finally sets the rock she was 
  using as a dish aside. She nods in agreement with Vardeus. "Tomorrow search. 
  Get much sleep tonight."

[End log.]