Everyday Life in Beachtown

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SirOwen
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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#421 Post by SirOwen »

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Jax looks upstream, watching the river disappear under then the canopy of the jungle. "I don't know, Marge," he says. "I've never seen an ogre up close before. Aren't some of them yellow?"

He follows the women away from the rotting corpse, and helps fill the buckets. He stands frequently, looking about for enemies or predators. As they finish, he signals them to wait just a moment, as he retrieves the javelin he threw earlier. Then he comes back, replaces all his weapons, shoulders his now-full yoke once more, and waits for Marge to give the order to move.
"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#422 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Marge has a quick belly laugh.

"Well, I recon they could be yellow. I aint never seen one up close myself, truth be told. I was just going by what's been writ in them books and such, is all. Seemed like they were all green to me."

She sees to it that all of the pails are filled properly and that the water collected hasn't been tainted by the dead carcass. Once she sees that everyone is ready to depart, she looks back at Jaxsen one last time.

"You sure we should just leave that thing laying in there? What if something much bigger comes by for a snack tomorrow morning?"

The rest of the group seems willing to get moving back to town.

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#423 Post by SirOwen »

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"That's true," says Jax. "I suppose I could try to push it back out into the stream and let the current carry it the rest of the way out into the sea."

Jaxsen takes his halberd and attempts to dig out the soft river silt around the body before he tries to push the dead ogre out. He suspects that the 'meat' of the monster is pretty soft after a long soaking, so he pushes against the sternum, hoping the skeleton is still strong enough to take the pressure. He uses the disciplines he's been taught since he was a child to ignore the stench of rotten ogre.
"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#424 Post by OGRE MAGE »

The job is rather unpleasant, with the intense stink and swarming insects surrounding the body. Jaxsen simply embraces the suck, wishing to get it over with as quickly as possible. It is easy enough to pry the bloated mass away from the soft, sandy bank. Unfortunately, once the body starts to float away, the monk needs to use his halberd to guide it down the rivers path. He accidentally pokes through the thick hide of the dead beast, causing the bloated mass to explode, sending rotting blood and guts flying out in all directions.

As if the heat, humidity, blazing sun, insect swarms, and other general unpleasantries weren't bad enough, now Jaxsen is also covered in the stinking slime of rotting ogre goo. Eventually, he is able to get the dead carcass pushed into the center of the heavier water flow, causing it to drift out slowly and harmlessly into the beautiful Azure Sea.

The woman keep their distance from the monk now as Marge chuckles under her breath.

"You really don't mind doing the dirty work, do you?" She says with a kind smile as she pinches her nose shut with her thumb and forefinger.

"We better get moving before something big catches a whiff of you." She looks up to the clear sky to make sure nothing is about to sweep down for a taste.

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#425 Post by SirOwen »

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Jaxsen tries to grin through it all. "It is a test, you see, Marge. No more than a grub, I tried to brag about my ability to treat the insects as my brothers. Bralm wished to show me what real concentration requires." He takes a deep breath and grimaces."Now THIS is a test worthy of my Goddess." Jax wipes the slop and filth from his weapon and once again slings it into place before picking up his yoke.

Although he tries to keep up a jovial appearance, Jax understand that this is no laughing matter. He knows that Ol' Scraggly likes to pick off stragglers and that his current state makes it more difficult for his team, both as a discomfort, as well as increasing attraction to hostiles. He tries to find a good compromise, not too close to the others, and not far enough away to make himself attractive to the Troll. He tries to remain especially alert.

"Ready, Marge."
"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#426 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Some of the water gatherers giggle a little as Marge calls out for them to assemble again. They thought for sure that the brave man with them would surely need a few minutes to splash around in the surf to wash off the stinking dead ogre residue. They seem in better spirits once the man suggest that he should be the one bringing up the rear of the line on the march back to town.

Leaving the river just as it was, the group departs. Jaxsen keeps a close eye out behind the group and above, hoping that he isn't endangering anyone with his pungent scent. He notices the bloated ogre carcass drifting further out to sea each time he looks back. Then, after another short while passes, he hears some distant splashing and slapping on the top of the water. When he turns to look, he watches the bloated form eventually disappear below the surface for good.

About a third of the way back, Marge stops to listen intently at the edge of the tree line. She turns around to the others with her index finger pressed tightly to her lips. After a few seconds pass, she directs the line to march due south, through the soft sand, straight down to the shoreline, where she picks the pace back up to its normal speed again. The hike back resumes right at the waters edge where the waves lap slowly up onto the sandy beach.

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#427 Post by SirOwen »

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Jax closes the gap between himself and the team by at least a third. Their being this close to the water worries him. The stories of Scraggly have remained in his mind. So he keeps a close eye on the water for any signs of trouble.
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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#428 Post by OGRE MAGE »

The train keeps right on chugging along, now walking with their feet at the edge of the sea. Jaxsen catches up to the others, worried about them being this close to the shoreline. After another while, Marge shrugs her wide shoulders and admits that her concern must have been a false alarm.

The group moves back up to the hard packed trail where they usually walk, easing the monks tension, but only slightly.

About half of the way back to town, the water gatherers see another group heading straight for them from the direction of town. The group looks to be made up of a half dozen males, and they are carrying armfuls of stuff down the beach with them.

Marge scoffs at the sight and exclaims out loud for everyone to hear.

"Must be another group of treasure hunting adventurer types. At least they are smart enough to only travel in bigger groups. I don't know how many folks have died out here when they went off alone of with only one companion. Keep an eye on em gals! Oh, sorry. Gals......and Jaxsen!

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#429 Post by SirOwen »

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Jax does exactly as Marge says, keeping a close eye on the men. But more than just looking at them, Jax tries to follow their eyes and their hands, tracking what they are focusing on and looking to see any bad intent on their behalf.
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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#430 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Jax watches intently as the train gets closer to the group of men. He notices that they have brought what looks like bundles of rope and long sticks or branches of some kind and are placing them near the tree line.

Marge strains her eyes as they close the distance.

"I think that some of those folks are the crab people! The ones who brought us all of that delicious crab meat to enjoy. Oh boy! I hope they are setting another trap. That meat was delicious as well as highly nutritious!"

She picks up the pace again, trying to get to their position to see if they have had any luck.

You can RP to your hearts content in this thread now.

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#431 Post by SirOwen »

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Jax is glad to be moving again, as much for a love of work as a suspicion that moving leaves the worst of the smell behind him. "Marge, you know you probably made that group's hunt a success? The idea of raising the net was very smart of you."

He lets the walk proceed for a bit, and then asks, "Was the man teasing me about free clothes? Are there really free clothes in the hive? I think the ones I am wearing are ruined. I'll be glad to get them off me."

Upon finding out that the rumor is true, Jax reiterates his request to Marge about getting some of those clothes while he washes off the ogre funk in the shore line at the town. He'll also wash off his weapons and his small amount of gear. He carefully removes his formal outfit from his pouch, careful NOT to get anything on it.

After the cleaning and bathing, he will remind Marge that she wanted to take an offering of water to Raythan to welcome him.
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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#432 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Marge beams in the hot sun at the young man's acknowledgement.

"Their net was a good idea, but I sure wouldn't want to be around a creature like that if it don't work. I am always happy to help out. You know that."

When Jaxsen asks about the extra clothing, the woman tries to help again.

"Just be careful with the clothes, friend. Most all of them are hand-me-downs from those who won't be needing them anymore, if you follow my meaning. We get a lot of folks who come here that don't last long, but even Nehru wouldn't sell items collected from the unfortunate souls who don't make it."

"I'd give em' a good washing first!"



Once the monk is washed and changed, Marge meets him outside of Raythan's log home with an armful of water and a few other simple offerings. She waits for Jaxsen to do the introductions.

"Before you knock.........does my hair look ok?"
The house is just outside of town near the newly cleared area to the east on the second map in this post.
viewtopic.php?f=446&t=6346#p294684

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#433 Post by SirOwen »

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Jax thanks Marge profusely for picking up the clothes before he washes them, and lets them dry before beating the salt out of them.

Jax is no authority on women's hair styles, but as long as it is neatly combed, he'll tell her that she looks great.

He knocks on Raythan's door. "Hello again,
Raythan. How goes the building today?"

"A friend asked to join me. This is Marge, and she heads up the water collection team. I think she brought some along as a welcoming gift. But I'll let her take that from here."
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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#434 Post by OGRE MAGE »

At the log home of Raythan

Marge, obviously joking, just laughs at the response about her hair, never being one to care much about her looks.

Raythan does not answer the door right away, but after a second knock, he greets his hard-working friend.
“Hello again, friend Jaxsen. Every day gets me closer to completion. I look forward to this project finally being done. Just another day or so of weaving thatch together for my roof, and all of this hard work will finally pay off.”

The half-elf looks over the large human woman at his door.

“Yes, hello there. I have seen you around here before, yes? You are the one in charge of most things work related around the community? If so, we badly need to talk.

Raythan takes the water and gift of edible roots from Marge with a smile. He puts them inside and invites you both into his humble log home. The place is rather bare and void of any furnishings other than a mat of piled greenery in one corner that he uses for a bed. Once inside, the spellcaster continues.

“The treefolk”, he rolls his eyes at his own statement. “Excuse me……I meant to say.....the Phanatons around here don’t like you or your town, and they DON’T want any more of their trees cut down. I have been dealing with them to try to get Owen back, but they are not happy with us being here at all. Their chief is not totally unreasonable though, and he can even speak to me sometimes with the help of some magical sphere that he carries.”

The half-elf gets very serious when he asks his next question.

“Tell me the truth……..did you exterminate hundreds of these harmless creatures when you first arrived here?”

He looks again at Jaxsen. “Did you know anything about that?”

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#435 Post by SirOwen »

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Jax shakes his head. "No. I have only been here for a few days. I know the man, Randall, who sells food and drink, asked me to kill them. He told me they steal from the hive and murder children. I went into the forest and stalked one for a bit. But when I saw that they seem to be harmless, I followed it into the trees. They have quite the hive of their own up there. But they seemed peaceful enough to me. Randall got quite upset with me when I told him that."
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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#436 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Marge looks completely dejected when Raythan asks about killing the monkoons. She stares at the floor, unable to look either man in the eye when she responds.

“There were more of the tree folk here when we first arrived, it is true. In fact, they were everywhere. They seemed nothing more than a nuisance at first, stealing food stuffs and making lots of noise. But that soon changed. The priest that came over with the first settlers did not like the creatures at all and thought it best if they were simply eliminated. But, I myself took no part in their slaughter!”

"It was pretty obvious that they didn’t want us here after some of the men started hunting them for their meat. But once we cooked a few of them up, we found out that their flavor is not exactly palatable for us humans.”

“Once the men realized that they would never be able to eliminate them all, they simply stopped trying. There are still a few people around that want them gone, and Randall is one of them. But for the most part, we have all learned to cohabitate this area together. I haven’t had any issues with the little buggers for some time now, so I assumed that they just accepted the idea that we were here to stay.”


Raythan just looks at the large woman in anger.

“What?!? You tried to EAT them? Then what their chief has told me is the truth........ and you should all be ashamed of yourselves.”

“They have told me that some of the adventurers here are attempting to kill the sea troll, trying to win the favor of the Phanatons and the release of Owen. Do either of you know anything about that?”

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#437 Post by SirOwen »

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"Yes," says Jaxsen. "We saw them earlier today. I am no expert, but they seem to have a good plan. It seems to involve luring it in, getting a net over it, and then hitting it from all sides at once, if I understood it correctly."

He looks at Raythan pleadingly. "Please don't blame Marge. It sounds from her story that the previous leaders of the hive were the ones responsible for those attacks. Now that they are gone, the predation on the ... Phanaton? ... has stopped, and with Marge leading the workers, it has been very peaceful. If we can convince Randall, then perhaps all the hostility can end."

Jaxsen stands and bows to Raythan. "You have my word. I will do whatever I can to bring peace and prosperity to this hive. I am but a grub, but I toil mightily. There is no work too hard, no enemy too strong, for this hive to overcome."
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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#438 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Raythan nods in agreement as Jaxsen speaks. “The Phanaton chief is quite interested in what is going on with the hunt. If the others can kill the troll, it would go a long way in securing his belief that not all the people here are like the ones who came before us. I can only hope that their group knows what they are up against. That monster is nothing to mess around with, I myself witnessed it rip apart an elf that I was growing fond of recently. That was a hard thing to watch.”

The half-elf spell caster invites you to come into his new home if you want to. He seems to have some interest in gaining more information from the large woman who leads the settlements masses.

“I would like to speak more with you Marge, if you have a few minutes to spare. What will you do with yourself now, young master Jaxsen? Do you have any plans now that you are here on the island? You must desire more than accomplishing hard work?”

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#439 Post by SirOwen »

I must be getting addicted to this game. The gap seemed MUCH longer than it really was!

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"The work is a means to an end," says Jaxsen. "My Goddess tells us that industrialness is the path to growth. It is how hives prosper and overcome both adversaries and obstacles." He points down and then up. "Both the ants and the bees work together to build their homes. I want the same thing.... to make my home successful. I will work for it, fight for it, and if necessary, kill for it. And hopefully, I will set an example that others will see and value."

Jax nudges Marge with an elbow. "That's why I work with Marge....and you. You're both like me... you toil mightily."
"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#440 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Raythan smiles at the monks compliment.

"It is said that hard work makes you whole. I believe that you are living proof of that, friend."

"I have one more thing to ask of you, though you owe me nothing. I feel that I myself am responsible for what has happened with Owen. It was for my benefit that he was cutting down these trees in the first place. So, I have decided to try to make my own amends for upsetting the balance of the tree dwellers. If I am successful, it will go a long way in repairing the rift I have caused here."

"The phanaton elders have informed me of a creature that dwells in the jungle, a creature bred from the jungle itself. These humanoid monsters have taken a liking to a certain area in the jungle that the phanatons consider to be a sacred place for them. These monsters harass and try to feed off the animals whenever they come around."

"I have offered to travel deep into the bush to this area to see if I can find the monsters and either eliminate them, or chase them out of the area. I will go alone, if I must, but I would much rather have the added assurance of another like minded soul or two with me in case I get in over my head."

"Does that sound like something I could interest you in? It might be dangerous."

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