[mission: hyrypia] not fare well

[onemind]

CHARACTERS: Everyone
WHERE: The Red Coast
WHEN: MIDDAY :023 - DAY:027
SUMMARY: A half day's journey from the far side of the Finger Maze sits a village of stone against a red sea.
WARNINGS: None! Will add as appropriate. Have something you want noted here? PM the mod account.

HYRYPIA - THE FAR SIDE OF THE MAZE
MIDDAY :023

A SHARP RELIEF
BY THE TIME the shadow of the airship has sailed away from them, the members of the pilgrimage have had time to take in their surroundings. Gone are the acres of endless grasses, and behind them are the whistling cliffs. What lies ahead is rocky highland, not bordered by steep walls of rock but stretching around them and meandering downward. The ground here is mostly stone, almost barren outside of the occasional scrubby tree and the small, hardy looking creatures with rounded haunches and blockish faces that dart behind the scattered stones and into clumps of pale violet grasses that they seem to eat, along with the lowest leaves of the trees.

It's a half a day’s journey to their next destination. The path they follow meanders, and though it's some kind of a road there are far more potholes for the baggage cart wheels to catch and the hardness of the ground comes as something of a surprise after their opulent journey over the Finger Maze. The Envoys are again left to mingle and make their way, the sounds of music and chatter beginning again. After some hours, the scent of the air has noticeably shifted. The sea-salt air is the first sign that they have neared their destination.


HYRYPIA - THE RED COAST
LATE DAY :023

A WARM WELCOME
THE RED COAST does not come upon them all at once. Instead as they continue wandering the twisting stone paths, the Pilgrimage is brought ever downward and the coast's features slowly reveal itself. First comes a view of a dark sea on the horizon, then the shale eventually gives way to reveal the tops of buildings and narrow, winding streets of a small town clinging along the coast. The town - or fief - almost perfectly compliments the landscape which it hugs. The buildings are small and stone, rough hewn or perhaps simply worn down over the ages. The streets, much like the path the Pilgrimage followed from the Finger Maze, seem to wind their way randomly through the town, following the natural curves in the stone down to the shore which is lined with docks.

In the distance across a misty stretch of dark water, a great towering city can be seen. Sky ships fleck the air around it - a reminder of the realities of the modern life of this planet. However here the Hyrypian locals seem removed from that. They populate ancient looking stone and bobbing wood docks and go to sea in vessels made almost entirely of either wood or some kind of hardened fiber. Divers can be seen distantly in the red waves of the coast, bobbing up in the surf then disappearing under the water again.

As the Pilgrimage comes into the town, they are greeted by local Hyrypians which line the sides of the streets. They stand against the sides of their homes and places of business, daily tasks set aside for now to greet their guests. There are smiles and waves. Several locals pass trinkets into the hands of the passing envoys. None of these are quite the same - there are some beaded bracelets and other small jewelry, hair pins, flowers, and small paper figures of animals and boats and Rabadocean-like figures. All the gifts have a handmade feel to them.


A MOMENT'S REST
THE PATH leading to Tyrisson village doesn't actually lead down to the beach, though it may seem to. Instead it weaves out away from the town towards a low manor above the town. Just beside the manor sits a large stone clearing - the most level ground they've seen since the Graze. The courtyard consists of stone bricks arranged in intricate circular patterns. Covering this large stone yard is an almost overwhelming number of identical, simple stone buildings with single entrances covered by cloth and several broad windows similarly curtained. Each small unit is lit and from within there is the scent of food - the walk and the scent of salt piquing appetites. The members of the Pilgrimage's many envoys are lead to these buildings. Each unit houses roughly fifteen individuals, complete with rows of beds and long dining tables - all of which are far simpler than the great berths of the airship.

The Carbauschians are lead to a cluster of three of the barrack buildings and are politely informed that these will be theirs for the length of their stay on the Red Coast. Then they are left to their own devices to unpack and enjoy the hot dinner that has been prepared and left for them inside.

DAY :024

SIMPLE HOSPITALITY
FROM THEIR BARRACKS the sunrise over the shores of the Red Coast is breathtaking. The red sun sits in a red sky, all of which is mirrored by the red water along the coast. Late in the morning, a polite knock at the exterior of each dwelling summons all of the members of the pilgrimage out into courtyard where they're greeted by pleasant-faced and loosely dressed members of the Tyrisson household. The envoys are provided with a breakfast - warm buns stuffed with savory filling. Many of the local Hyrypians seem deeply curious and eye the Carbauschian veils and layers with interest. When the twin heads of Tyrisson house come before their gathering, the assembled servants bow deeply. As on the airship, they deliver their prepared speech smoothly between them:

"Welcome to the Red Coast and Tyrisson village. This place was once the very definition of Hyrypian industry, the very busiest place on the entire continent. Now, we hope you welcome and enjoy what has become a more sedate way of life. With all that's happened in the last few days, we invite you to take your time - to relax - to partake in the history of this place at your own pace and to enjoy the hospitality provided by the people here.

"There might be a special surprise or two to be fished up toward the end of your stay here," says one of the twins with a wink. "But we can promise they're good ones."

With that, the twins step down and the servants file back into the manor house. The guests are left to their own devices. The town below is open to them, ready to share their skills and traditions with visitors. Over the next few days there are a number of tasks for the Pilgrims to take part in, including:

SEA WEAVING - Along the edges of the docks there are a handful of Hyrypians in small outbuildings, open to the sea breeze and light. Inside the artisans - mostly older and with a certain paleness along the edges of their facial crests - weave grasses taken up from the seafloor. Their skilled fingers fold the strands over and under to create baskets, mats, and even the beginnings of the odd, lightweight boats which line the edges of the docks. They are eager to teach and many seem to be delighted by the chance to tell stories of ancient weavers that their younger family members have tired of hearing.

LISTLE DIVING - At the farthest edges of the port there are high cliffs over deep waters. From these, local Hyrypians dive into the red tinted waves and go deep to the edge of stones to pry off clustered, barnacle like creatures. When they are brought up it is revealed that the secretions they use to glue themselves to the rock form translucent resins somewhat like amber which are tinted in a variety of colors. The divers are eager to teach those who wish to learn their skills --which isn’t you. Robes and water don't mix. Still, they are glad enough to talk and the diving is exciting to watch.

FISHING - The lightweight woven vessels are almost all at sea on these fine days, each one occupied by one or two anglers standing on the boats' broad bottoms. They dangle their swarms of lines away from the hustle and bustle of the shore; when they return to the docks with their prizes, the fishermen are perfectly willing to allow a couple of passengers along as they head back out for their next catch. The boats cut through the red waves using long pole-paddles. Once out on the water, the locals are happy to hand over their poles and teach you how to haul in the wriggling eel-like fish that seem to be the most common catch.

JEWELRY MAKING - In the high village there are numerous open stalls, some of which are occupied by jewelers, hard at work turning the resinous listle pearls into beads or hammering the half-hard portions is listle resin into fibers that are then spun into thread for weaving. Sea grass and metal are made into cords and chains. These artisans tend to have focus lines between their eyes and they talk less than many of the other craftsmen, but they will nevertheless hand over their delicate tools to teach the skills necessary to shape the valuable listle resin into art.

POTTERY - While the sea-grass is beloved - lightweight and shockingly sturdy -, it’s not nearly as abundant as the clay from the cliffs. The red tinge seems to be from the microbiol life that has given the water and the coast its rusted color, staining even the ground. In the stalls besides the jewelers, Hyrypian potters shape clay into anything from common flower pots to fine dishes. The off sideways spinning wheels have many open seats.

HUNTING - Where the Gryer and the Elin ruled the Graze, here there are the small scrappy goat-like Ridin. They are fleet and agile, capable of fitting into shockingly small spaces and disappearing behind rocks and scrub and trees. It’s no surprise then that the denizens of the Red Coast prefer hunting on foot with the help of Britt. The britt are small amphibious creatures with a passing resemblance to seals-- if seals moved like whippets. The Red Coast Hyrypians use them to drive the ridin out into the open where they can be brought down with small slings. They ridin are hunted for their meat as much as to keep them out of the small orchard of trees behind the manor where salty-sweet fruits are grown.

---

((OOC Notes: This log serves as a general catch-all for events from midday DAY :023 through DAY :027. Please feel free to create your logs outside of this one and be aware that there may be additional mod-driven posts/logs which occur within the timeframe of this log. Please be sure to review the MISSION: HYRYPIA ooc information to find setting information for the Red Coast. If you have any questions, please hit up either the mission's question thread, the FAQ or MOD CONTACT pages!))

NAVIGATION • GAME CALENDAR • MISSION: HYRYPIA • FAQ • MOD CONTACT • GLOSSARY

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[wrackful]

[Oh. Murphy looks at him, but it's pointless, the veils in the way of being able to read anything in Bellamy's expression. Instead he just has the bracelet, and he turns it over again in his hands, finally look at it instead of trying to see what else it could be. Golden-coloured, somehow woven into shape from many strands, the light shining through in a dappling pattern across Murphy's gloved palms. He knows the word that comes to mind, but he almost doesn't want to think it.]

You bought me a bracelet.

[Said a little slow, looking up again. Like he needs it clear, confirmed, what this is. But before Bellamy's answered, he's already thinking further, wanting to ask why?]

[deployed]

I wanted you to have it.

[ There's no deeper meaning. Bellamy knows it's the same impulse that pushed Gina to bring him back the Illiad from Mount Weather; it's as simple as wanting a tangible expression of devotion.

Like most things between him and Murphy, Bellamy suspects the gesture isn't enough while simultaneously being better than anything he could tell Murphy. Mentally connected or not, the two of them had always been better at getting their points across with actions. ]

[wrackful]

[It's never as simple as that, except that it is. He can feel it radiating from Bellamy already. There's no ulterior here, no repayment of something Murphy's done or expectation of Murphy owing something later. He can't remember the last time someone gave him something not because he needed it, or because it was useful, but because they wanted him to have it. When he was a kid, maybe, before his father had died; a haze of time he knows existed, but can't remember much of clearly, the rest tainted through by what came after.

The two ideas connect, for a split second, on the memory of Bellamy with Seviilia's hand around his throat. Murphy's fingers tighten over the bracelet reflexively as it spikes (fear, anger, desperation) and passes. He looks at the weave which has been pressed flat, merged into one while the definition of the strands it had been still remain. He can't quite figure out what he's feeling. And he can't think of what to say.]

[deployed]

[ The silence stretches. Bellamy finds himself as unsure of what to say as Murphy is. Giving gifts to Octavia had been easy. He'd always known how his sister was going to react. But even with their minds connected, Bellamy can't tell exactly how Murphy's taking this. ]

If you don't like it...

[ Bellamy trails off. He can't exactly take it back, but he could wear it himself. Or trade it away, maybe. He hasn't considered it. He hadn't really considered the possibility Murphy would reject it. ]

[wrackful]

[It breaks him out of his thoughts a little, Bellamy speaking again. But what he says doesn't really help. Murphy liking it, like that was a even factor here, and not just the plain fact of the gift itself.

But he does like it. And he doesn't want to see how Bellamy might react to the idea that he doesn't.]

No. [He shakes his head. His hand lifts to rub at his nose, stops part way as he remembers the veils.] Just... It's nice.

[Both totally inadequate in explaining anything, and the most encompassing way he could express it. It's nice. The bracelet, the gesture, all of it. And nice isn't something he's used to.]

Thanks.

[deployed]

[ Bellamy shakes his head over the gratitude. It's unnecessary, and he isn't entirely comfortable with it. The confirmation that Murphy likes the bracelet itself is better. Bellamy holds onto that as he steps in closer to Murphy. He hooks a finger into the bracelet to tug it free of his grip. ]

Give me your hand.

[ As if putting it on Murphy will give them both some confirmation of the gift being accepted, and Murphy really liking it. ]

It should fit over the gloves.

[wrackful]

[Murphy almost doesn't let go of the bracelet for a split second, a weirdly immediate instinct to keep hold of it. But Bellamy isn't taking it back.]

I could do it.

[But it's a pretty pointless objection. He's already giving Bellamy his hand.]

[deployed]

[ Bellamy shifts the bracelet as he takes Murphy's hand in his own. He flashes a smile beneath his veil before remembering that it's not going to be seen. ]

I know you could.

[ It takes some pressure, but the bracelet slides into place. Without the robes, it'll be easier getting it on and off. If Murphy wanted to wear it in the future, that was. ]

There.

[ Though Bellamy finds himself a little at a loss about what to say now. He likes the way the bracelet looks on Murphy's wrist, but he doesn't know how to comment any farther on it. ]

[wrackful]

[He can hear it, that warmth in Bellamy's voice. It makes Murphy look to his face again, gaze catching there even if he can't see. He wants to. It's a feeling that buzzes a little, under his skin, and he looks away, back down to his hand just as Bellamy manages to get the bracelet on.

It was a little tough, but Murphy thinks it might be better that way. Actually tests it, gripping the bracelet and pushing it down against the heel of his hand a couple of times, making sure there's no chance of it just sliding off.]

Thanks. [He says, again.] I'll try not to lose it.

[Half a joke, but he's lost enough clothes in the past. Not that he'd been that torn up about them. They hadn't really mattered.]

[deployed]

[ Possessions are still a novelty. Bellamy's library, stacked neatly in his room on the ship, still feels more like a wish than a reality. He understands what Murphy's saying, even couched in a joke. They were both used to having so much less than they did now. Leaving it behind wouldn't phase either of them, but he doesn't want Murphy to lose this bracelet. Bellamy doesn't know when he'd have another chance to replace it. ]

I don't have a back up. So you better keep track of it.

[ Between them passes the obvious fact: Bellamy would regret Murphy losing it, because he already likes seeing the bracelet on him too much. ]

Let's get back. I want to watch the weavers this afternoon.

[ And break the tension between them. ]