-= OOC =- Ledaal Kurnaz says, "ok so heres what I was thinking"

-= OOC =- Ledaal Kurnaz says, "Kurnaz just jacked up a demon cult in C-town"

-= OOC =- Ledaal Kurnaz says, "so maybe while pursuing leads from that he ends up in the east where he runs into Div, who is pursuing great justice!"

-= OOC =- Ledaal Kurnaz says, "as he is wont to do"

-= OOC =- Div says, "/justice/"

-= OOC =- Ledaal Kurnaz says, "then we'll fight a demon and some cultists and call it a day? Hows that sound?"

-= OOC =- Div says, "sure :D"

-= OOC =- Ledaal Kurnaz says, "you have a village right? Want to root out a demon cult there or is it too small for that sort of thing to take root unnoticed?"

-= OOC =- Div says, "Probably too small. XD"

-= OOC =- Ledaal Kurnaz says, "ok we're going to city-ville then"

-= OOC =- Ledaal Kurnaz says, "http://www.geocities.com/terrorsmartyr/boe/citynames.html New Holly Breeze it is. I'll set"

 

Ledaal Kurnaz checks the name of the town on the shipping manifesto for the box and compares it to the road sign, "New Holly Breeze." /Seems a little pastoral for a bunch of demon worshipping monsters but hey, who am I to judge./ Kurnaz activates his mask to appear as a nondescript merchant while the Wicker Men pull their cloaks up. He rides into the town with the rest of his men, seeking out the nearest inn.

 

          "Hah! Another wonderful town of wonderful people to meet!" About twenty metres back down the road, as Kurnaz and his people ride into town, stands...a /man/. He's wearing a conical straw hat to protect himself from the weather, although the grey buff jacket he wears probably does a good job there as well. For a random wanderer, as he seems to be, he's...armed. A bow and a quiver over his shoulders and a short in a scabbard at his hip. Nonetheless, the joyful expression doesn't suggest intent for violence!

          And as he walks forward, ruffling his blue hair for a moment, he can't help but wonder if these wonderful people might need his help. It always feels good to help those in need, after all.

 

            The Wicker Men, ever vigilant, notice the armed man behind them. Harpo taps Kurnaz and gestures over his shoulder with his thumb. Kurnaz glances nonchalantly back and notices the armed westerner strolling into town. Their actions are subtle and likely beneath the notice of the average mortal but Divine Justice of Heaven is no mere mortal and sees a small and subdued flurry activity from the riders in front of him. All are swathed in dusty, poor quality travelers cloaks and carry a large wicker basket over the shoulder.

 

          Div, indeed, does notice that little flurry of action...and he keeps on walking towards the riders, raising an arm to wave cheerfully at them with a smile, the other hand bunched in a fist against his hip. It is maybe kind of a stupid pose, but he thinks it looks inspiring!

          "Hello there! This is the town of New Holly Breeze, yes? Do you live here?" Hey, a flurry of activity from a bunch of suspicious looking people with odd wicker baskets could be anything! Maybe they were all eating something and were just finishing when they saw him and decided to give him a welcome without their mouths full!

 

-= OOC =- Ledaal Kurnaz says, "what languages do you speak? Kurnaz doesn't speak Riverspeak so basically just presume everything he says to you is translated by one of the henchmen"

-= OOC =- Div says, "Right now he's speaking Riverspeak. Other than that, being Western, he speaks Seatongue! ...which Kurnaz probably /also/ doesn't speak."

-= OOC =- Ledaal Kurnaz says, "and by the by you are painfully adorable in your good will :D"

-= OOC =- Div:D

 

            The men seem a little startled by traveler's good cheer which crosses the language barrier easily enough. They look at each other blankly until one of them says something in firetongue. The apparent leader of the group replies something back in the same language before the original speaker responds in Riverspeak, "Greetings honored companion of the roads. We believe this is New Holly Breeze yes. You are not a native here then? What brings you to town?"

         The last question seems to carry undertones of suspicion, as if the men are seeking out something in particular. "Or if you would be more comfortable speaking Seatongue...?" he trails off in that language, his accent quite good actually.

 

          Div seems about to answer the original question...and then the man speaks in Seatongue! Immediately, the smile on the Westerner's face grows much wider. "Ah, you speak the language!" He's speaking in Seatongue now. There is every possibility this sounds like 'arr yahar yoho avast rum' to anyone not versed in it. Maybe.

          "Well, i'm just a wanderer, here to right wrongs and protect the innocent! For my name is..." Suddenly, Div strikes a heroic pose, both hands now on his hips, his head raised a little more, somehow managing to look...just a /little/ more inspiring in his stance, even though nothing really changes. "The hero of justice, the man who defeats evil! I am...Divine Justice of Heaven!"

          There is no drumroll in the background to state how impressive he thinks this sounds, but he imagines one anyway.

 

-= OOC =- Ledaal Kurnaz says, "there will be soon of course!"

-= OOC =- Div says, "that there will"

-= OOC =- Div says, "I mean, I could just cheat and use my followers/band"

-= OOC =- Div says, "But I don't normally have them around. :D"

 

            The men talk amongst themselves for a moment before replying once again in Seatongue. "You are here investigating something then? Something evil perhaps?" he asks very leading questions. The others have dismounted, ostensibly to be polite but they have become noticeably tenser as they await they a response.

 

          At this question Div seems to hesitate...then one hand comes up to the back of his hand, scratching there. He actually looks a little embarassed of all things. "Well.../no/, but that doesn't mean there isn't something I can help the people of this town with." He seems to regain his confidence once more, the hand returning to his hip. "They could be preyed on by bandits, or suffering under the rule of a corrupt leader! They could even just be having trouble with trade or with wild animals! And if they don't..."

          He laughs, then. "Well, I can still get to know a lot of good people! And that's just as good."

 

            The figures shrug at one another, perplexed that such a man could actually still exist in the age of sorrows. Believing Div to be honest Kurnaz takes an uncharacteristic chance. "If you are as good as you say you are, perhaps we could use your service. We are here investigating a demon cult we damaged in Chiaroscuro. We have traced the shipping manifesto for certain items acquired there back to this town. It is our belief that there is some sort Malfean activity here, part of a larger network that seems to stretch across at least two cardinal directions."

 

          At this, Div suddenly takes on a serious expression and brings one hand up to his chin, looking like he's solemnly contemplating this news. "I see, that could indeed be bad! It could be my duty to aid you with this! But there are two problems with this, good sir!"

          He pauses for a few more moments, then crosses his arms over his chest and looks at the talker. "What do 'Malfean' and 'Cardinal' mean, exactly?"

 

            "You are certainly full of surprises aren't you. By Malfean we mean a cult that worships the demons in Malfeas. By cardinal we mean the five cardinal directions of creation, North, South, East, West, and Center." As Kurnaz steps forward he extends his hand and the translator continues, "This is our leader Kurnaz. We are the Wicker Men." He introduces the rest of the six men (seven with Kurnaz) in turn, all shake hands and give a polite bow to Div saying a greeting in firetongue.

 

          "Ah, Malfeas, right!" o O (Hrm. I'll ask Humberh what that is when I get back. But it sounds bad! It can't be good!) "And...cardinal directions! Of course!" Div smiles wide, although there's a hint of uncertainty there. And then, handshakes! Each one is given a firm, energetic shake and a rather flourished bow in return, and then he just nods towards the village. "Well, my friends, shall we continue on? Demons certainly don't sound good, so we should deal with them at once!"

          He almost sounds.../eager/. But wouldn't you be eager to defeat EVIL and protect JUSTICE?

 

            Zeppo leans over to Kurnaz as he leads his horse (all have dismounted out of respect for their new unmounted companion), "I worry that we have bitten off more than we can chew with this man."

         "Well he's obviously insane, but it appears our goals coincide at the moment. Just don't shoplift in front of him." Kurnaz replies with a grin. Zeppo looks at his hands and then casts a worried sideways glance at Div as the group makes its way into town.

         Via translator, Kurnaz asks "Where to first? I think the inn would be a good first stop, but you may have more experience in these matters."

 

-= OOC =- Div says, "Can I assume they /aren't/ speaking Seatongue/Riverspeak for that little conversation between themselves? XD"

-= OOC =- Ledaal Kurnaz says, "yes, flametongue all the way, and whispered at that :)"

-= OOC =- Div reads their lips. From a reflection from a dewdrop on a blade of grass ahead of them.

-= OOC =- Ledaal Kurnaz says, "good thing he can't speak flametongue then :)"

 

          Div just smiles, walking with the men and their horses. "The inn is always a good place! Meet the people, get to know them, and maybe find out about this evil cult! After all, if there is such an evil group here then these people are probably being oppressed and downtrodden and are in desperate need of such saviours as ourselves, you see? Truly, it is good people like yourselves that help keep the innocent safe!"

          And, so, still walking he points towards the most likely looking building he can see. "There! That's probably the inn!" Hopefully there aren't any signs around stating that it isn't, or this could end up with some...embarassing confessions.

 

            Luck is with Div this time though, the picture of the boar with the apple in its mouth does indeed indicate the inn. The group makes their way there and enters, the loud boisterous chatter and some music from a wandering minstrel washes over them and their noses are assaulted with the smell of warm food and plenty of ale.

         "Unfortunately not everyone is oppressed in these situations. Some turn to demons willingly to fill the hunger for power that naws at all men's hearts"

 

          Div seems to perk up as soon as his nose catches the scents. He's already happy and eager, but now he looks...well, hungry. "Perhaps, but everyone is good deep down. It's just bringing them back to justice and goodness that's the hard part, or..." He pauses, looking a little troubled for the briefest moment. "...well, dealing with them if they're too far gone. If there's too much at stake." He coughs quietly, then returns to confidence again, "Still! That doesn't happen /that/ often! The power of friendship is strong, and even the offer of understanding can help bring a man back from his misguided actions."

          He doesn't seem too bothered about talking openly like this despite being in the inn full of people. Perhaps he realizes the unlikelyness of these people speaking Seatongue. Or, y'know, he might just not have considered that this is 'hush-hush' talk.

 

            The crowd seems used to travelers and does not take much note of the newcomers despite their being obvious foreigners. No one seems to react to the discussion in any particular fashion. Either they don't understand Seatongue which is fairly likely for a small town in middle of the East, or they're exceptionally good at not spitting out their drink at the casual discussion of execution.

         After the group takes a  seat a serving boy comes up and offers drinks. Again he seems used to foreigners and waits patiently for the translations of options and orders to go back forth.

 

          Div, with his usual bravado and impulsiveness, promptly orders the strongest thing available to drink. Well, two of them. After all, you need at /least/ two drinks to have a good time, and even if you're there to root out evil that doesn't mean you can't have some alcohol in you first if you're in a good mood, and he's /certainly/ in a good mood after meeting these new allies of justice!

          "So, Wicker Men, where do you come from then? I haven't heard anyone speaking Seatongue outside of my own village for quite some time now. It's a long way from the West; i'd know, we travelled from there!" He grins widely, immediately getting into talk.

 

            "We come here from far off Chiaroscuro. While firetongue is most prominent there we find it useful at times to be able to speak the various other languages of Creation, and between the lot of us have all the major languages of creation covered and some of the more important tribal tongues as well. I personally picked up sea tongue when I lived in An-Teng. Its a good language, I enjoy how it rolls off the tongue."

         He begins relaying the conversation to the others and their responses back. "What brings you this far from your homelands? Surely there is justice to be done in the West?"

 

          Div smiles at this, leaning back, suddenly looking...pleased? Satisfied? "Ah, a tale! Well, i'll keep it short. In my land, things used to be troubled. There was always trouble round every corner and our little islands...well, things were never peaceful. Not totally. However, one time I went to petition one of the local gods, trying to get some favourable conditions, and it turned out that I was...a natural at it, I suppose! After that, I talked to the others around our islands as well, some of whom had been quite..." He pauses, seeming to ponder on an appropriate word. "...malicious. As well, around the same time we started to protect ourselves a little better and, with one thing leading to another, life got better." There might be a hint that he's leaving details out here, or altering them at least.

          "Still, some of our people decided to head East. They'd heard it was a land of opportunity, where a man could start a life of greatness!" He laughs then, shaking his head. "Didn't turn out quite like that, but it was an interesting journey. I'd came along with them, you see, because I...felt I should keep helping my people wherever they went. At home, things were all fine, so these travellers would need me most, you see?"

 

            Kurnaz nods, pondering Divs words. "So you shepherd your people then? This is a grave responsibility, but it is good that you are enthusiastic about your task. There has already been much chaos in recent years and I do not think it will get better any time soon. Even then it will certainly get worse before improving."

 

-= OOC =- Ledaal Kurnaz says, "Well I'm gonna need to stop now (or if you're in the middle of posing I'll wait for that), but we can pick this up whenever. We can either just run NPCs and critters ourselves or find someone to ST for us when we do this again :)"

-= OOC =- Div chuckles. "That's fine, then." :D