Everyday Life in Beachtown

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SirOwen
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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#321 Post by SirOwen »

"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#322 Post by SirOwen »

Jaxsen Reiter

Jax keeps climbing, enjoying the workout and hoping that if he gets high enough, he'll clear some of the canopy and get a good look around.
"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#323 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Jaxsen climbs and climbs, finding it fairly easy to ascend the massive tree with all of the thick vegetation around. Eventually, he can no longer see the ground through the thick branches and leaves.

He gets pretty darn high before finally poking his head out above the jungle canopy. To the south, he gets an absolutely fantastic view of the massive Azure Sea that spreads out across the entire southern horizon. He stares out for a second, forgetting the reason he climbed up this high in the first place.

The bugs are far less plentiful at this height, not that they ever really bothered the strong willed young man that much anyway. When he turns towards the north, he sees another ocean. A green ocean of tree tops that spreads out as far as he can see. There are a few small clearings here and there, and of course the winding logging trail that cuts through the center of the jungle, but otherwise all he sees is huge trees for as far as his vision allows.

He realizes that the island must grow in elevation the further you go inland as the trees seem to be higher there than where he currently is. That is when he spots his curious tree dwelling friend again. The creature is still in the adjacent tree that grows another 40 feet or so higher than Jaxsen can climb in the one he is currently in. The monkoon waves his spindly arms over his head to be sure to catch Jaxsen's attention. Then, he jumps......

The lone adventurer watches in utter surprise as the monkoon spreads his arms and legs and begins to float through the air on the strong warm trade winds. The creature isn't actually flying by flapping its arms, but by using the soft thin membrane in between its arms and legs, it glides slowly and fluently to the next tree over. That tree is just a little shorter and has a long rope tied from it to another cluster of trees a few dozen feet away. The monkoon glides safely towards that rope and grabs ahold of it just as easy as pie. Jaxsen watches as the monkoon uses the rope as a makeshift bridge to gain access to the next cluster of tall trees. The creature soon disappears into the foliage again and is gone. Jaxsen spots a few other ropes tied here and there from tree to tree, assuming that the tree dwellers must use them as some sort of extremely elevated mid air roadway system.

Though still seeming a bit surreal, this aerial place is far better and more peaceful to the monk than anything that he has seen on the ground here so far. He begins to realize that there is a good reason that the monkoons live and thrive this high above the ground.

Action?

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#324 Post by SirOwen »

Jaxsen Reiter

Jaxsen takes a moment to enjoy the high, cooler winds and the beauty of both seas, blue and green. But it is simply not in him to waste time. The Hive Queen loves hard work. With a smile, he begins to look around more carefully, trying to commit to memory the positions of the clearings and the logging path as they relate to Beachtown.

He considers the ropes the Monkoons use and how the one he followed up knew exactly where he was going. 'They've been here longer than the humans,' he thinks. 'They've been here long enough to hang all these ropes and learn the ways and paths of the jungle. If the man from the watering hole didn't lie, he certainly is seeing things as he wants them to be. No, I will not kill these creatures. Even the one I met could have knocked me from this tree, had it wanted to do so. They are not an enemy.'

Jaxsen stops distracting himself and begins focusing his thoughts on the task at hand. He plans his way back down, steadies his breathing once more and begins the long climb down. When he reaches his halberd again, he drops it to the ground, making sure no one is under him.
"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#325 Post by Bluehorse »

Monocar

Sometime between the events at the Treehouse and bed, he will seek out Avaala, presumably finding the carpenter-cum-mage in his newly aquired permanent residence. When the mage opens the door he'll grin. "Hey! I heard about the fancy desk you made for Mr. Yahoo or whatever his name is. I can hardly wait to get a look at it. I have some woodworking background myself. I know we are pretty busy with the troll killing, the smoothing things over with the Treefolk, and hunting beetles and all, but what I have really wanted to do ever since getting here, was to build a lumbermill for this place. Think about it! What could a pair of guys like us do for these people if we had a steady supply of real, straight cut lumber? I was thinking, if you have some paper and ink, we could pen a letter to my father back in Hochoch and see if he would help by sending a milling blade. I know the plans for the mill we have back home like the back of my hand. Spent enough time there I could walk it out for you right now. Assuming we find a good spot near the river or can get a donkey to pull the cog, we could have one up and running in no time, especially if we can get that blade. That is the key. I figure the closest thing to a post office would be when the ships come and go, so maybe we can hand off a letter before this one slips out of port and get it on its way. What do you think?

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#326 Post by SirOwen »

Avaala

Avaala listens to Monocar's idea. He nods thoughtfully. "Well, I'm more of a cabinet maker than a carpenter. But I know wood and I'm sure we could do a lot of good for these people. If we get the mill started, I'll put in any help I can. And I think you have something there with water power. We could build a water wheel for all the power." He looks around the shack. "I'm afraid the only quills I have are for my spell book. I cannot risk them. But I suspect that Mr. Nehru would be happy to sell us some writing supplies," he adds with a wink.
"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#327 Post by SirOwen »

Jaxsen Reiter

OOC: I think Jaxsen is actually about a half day behind everyone else. I think I know how to remedy that. It started before I joined, but I seem to recall there being some women who fetch water for the town, yes?

Once down from the canopy, Jaxsen takes a few moments to re-commit to memory everything he saw from the treetops. He then walks down to the beach and notices the women who bring water into the town. He'll put his halberd across his back and approach them, "This is an important task. No hive can exist without water. May I assist? I toil well, although I am only a grub."

Jaxsen will help carry water the rest of the day, meditating, listening and studying the hierarchy of the bearers and, through their talk, the town, and ready to help guard the group if necessary.
"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#328 Post by SirOwen »

Jaxsen Reiter

(I have been reminded that the water gathering takes place in the morning and that by the time I get back from the canopy, it will be much later. So let me amend that last move.)

Once down from the canopy, Jaxsen takes a few moments to re-commit to memory everything he saw from the treetops. He then returns to the Treehouse. He climbs up and seeks out Randall.

"I'm sorry, Randall," he says. "But I have seen these Monkoons up close now and although you may have had some problems with them yourself, I cannot see anything about them that makes them enemies of this hive. If that changes, I will certainly do my part to defend us. I just wanted you to know. I would not have you think I am a deceiver."

He looks around the bar. "Until I become more acquainted with the rest of this hive, have you any duties I might perform? Cleaning I am very good at. I can nail down loose boards as well. I do not need money for these things, but perhaps some food and water?"

If Randall allows Jax to do ANYTHING for him, he will see the guy work as though it is the focus of his entire life. "Clean" will mean spotless and shined, if the surface can shine. "Fix" will mean returned to a 'like new' condition if the tools and supplies exist. If not, it will be as complete as humanly possible under the conditions. Watching Jax work is actually kind of disturbing. No one should be so focused on tasks so common.
"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#329 Post by OGRE MAGE »

I replied to that in the correct thread. :D
viewtopic.php?f=446&t=6325&p=326249#p326249

Water Gathering
Earthday, The 25th of Reaping
Early Morning, Hot, Muggy, Buggy


First thing in the morning, Jaxsen finds the large woman who heads up the water gathering missions. She notices him looking around as if searching for something to do.

"You here to help, blondie? Or just to watch? Can you carry 10 gallons of water through 4 miles of sand?"

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#330 Post by SirOwen »

Jaxsen Reiter

"I am here to work, ma'am." Jaxsen says with a certain emphasis and pride on the word 'work'. "Water is important to the hive, and yes, 10 gallons? Yes, without doubt."
"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#331 Post by OGRE MAGE »

The large woman seems surprised at Jaxsen's reply, her eyes widen and a smile crosses her chubby face.

"Well, that's good to hear. A lot of the adventurers that come here could really care less where their food and water come from around here. They are too interested in gaining fame and glory to worry about certain necessities such as clean water."

The woman points to a rack of shoulder yokes with 2 large pails attached to them. Most of the other dozen or so others accompanying her already carry one of these contraptions upon their shoulders and are ready to depart. The leader speaks up again.

"My names Marge, and I make the rules while we are on this here daily journey. If you want to help, you are more than welcome. But, can you assure me that you can follow simple orders? I would hate to see another newbie ripped apart out there by ol' Scraggly or carried off by another flying dinosaur or some worse monster. Can you do that, you think?"

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#332 Post by SirOwen »

Jaxsen Reiter

Jaxsen bows to the woman. "I am but a grub. But you shall see that I toil well. The faithful of Bralm are among the most diligent of workers. It shall be as you say."

Jax slings his halberd onto his back, takes up a yoke, shoulders it, ands gets in line. He picks a spot near Marge so as to make sure he does this job correctly. "Marge, what is 'ol Scraggly? You make him sound like a threat to this hive. If needed, I can defend with force. But it shall be as you say."

The young man keeps an eye to the sky as well. "Are there truly flying dinosaurs here?"
"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#333 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Marge pushes the water train up the hot beach as fast as they will move. There are nearly a dozen "carriers" along on this trip, each one hefting a yoke and pails. Jaxsen makes conversation as the group walks along, swatting bugs and sweating profusely.

"Just a grub, eh? Well aint that a peach! Normally people who come here only talk of how mighty and powerful they are and how they are going to conquer this damn island. You seem like hard work is what keeps you going. I like that. I have no idea who this Bralm is, but if you came here to work, you came to the right place. There is always something that needs doing around here."

"And yes, we do see flying dinosaurs once in a while here. We had two oxen when we first arrived. They usta make this job a lot easier for us. One of em got plucked right off the sand by a giant flying lizard bird thing right in front of us one morning. The other one got dragged off inta the jungle one night by something.......something BIG! They only lasted about a week or so out here. I suppose something like that might happen to all of us......eventually."

"Scraggly is another monster that likes to stalk us once in a while. He lives in the water, somewhere along the beach. That's where we usually see him, anyway. He doesn't bother with a large group like ous here, but I would be careful if you are ever out here alone. You are just asking for him to show up if you are out here by yourself."

"You know.....come to think of it.....I haven't seen the big brute in a few days. I wonder if he found himself something big to munch on for a while, and that's why he is leaving us alone."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#334 Post by SirOwen »

Jaxsen Reiter

"Bralm is my goddess," says Jaxsen. "She is the patron of all who work hard for the good of their group. Her children are the insects of the world, who toil day and night for the good of their hive, and never seek praise or recompense. Her love is given to all those who do likewise. You and your crew, walking through the sand, in the heat, day after day, to bring water to your hive, are surely smiled upon by Bralm."

Jaxsen smiles at Marge. "You know the feeling of Bralm's love, don't you?" he asks. "That feeling when you see your hive prosper because of your work. That satisfaction and happiness is sent by Bralm, who wants you to be happy in your work."
"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#335 Post by OGRE MAGE »

As the water train moves along down the hot beach, the conversation continues. Marge puffs up even more after the monk's compliments.

"Bralm you say? A patron of hard work sounds like my kind of goddess. Odd that I have never heard of her before, though religion isn't really openly discussed here on the island. No, Mr. Nehru has always seen to that one. Most of us commoners here worship Pelor..... the fat lot of good it does us. But we aren't allowed to raise buildings or even images in his honor. That's not allowed here.......yet. Heck, we couldn't even keep our own priest around here for very long. This place has that effect on the weak minded, I guess."

"If your Bralm is so willing to reward the hard work of her followers with feelings of satisfaction, then perhaps I should hear more about this deity?"

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#336 Post by SirOwen »

Jaxsen Reiter

"You spoke earlier of those who brag and boast about themselves." says Jaxsen. "Bralm doesn't believe in the power of the individual, but the power of the hive. And whether you know it or not, so do you."
He points to the ocean. "You said Ol' Scraggly will attack anyone walking alone, but doesn't bother a big group like this. You and Ol' Scraggly both know that a single bee can be smashed, but a swarm can kill any enemy. That's the power of the hive. The power of Bralm. And it is also our immortality. We can die, but if we take care of our hive, provide for it and fight for it, the hive can live forever, and we become part of that immortality. Every single one of us, through our hard work, makes us all immortal. Do you see what I mean?"
"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#337 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Marge listens to the words of the newcomer with a great deal of interest and respect. As he finishes his last sentence, the woman actually stops the train, something that she rarely does, so she can properly respond.

"Wow. I don't usually get too riled up about this kind of thing, but that is the clearest explanation on any religion that I have EVER heard. Immortality you say........ I have never looked at life quite like that before. You just sent a shiver up my spine young man, and that doesn't happen to me often."

She looks to the others before she gets the group moving along again.

"Did you lot hear that? Our hard work makes us.........immortal........in a way."

She turns to Jaxsen again.

"Your words ring true with me, and I would like to continue to hear more about what you have to say. In fact, if what you are telling us is true, then you may have just found your newest convert. For a long time out here I thought that the gods must surely have forsaken us. I came here with the anticipation of making something truly great, but so far there has been nothing but hardships and misery. Your words give me hope that there are still enough good folks around here to make a difference and improve all of our lives."

"Where did you say you came from, again? Are there a lot more followers of Bralm out there in the world?"

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#338 Post by SirOwen »

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"Marge," says Jaxsen. "I'm just glad you understand what I'm talking about. So many people get wrapped up in what they think is their own greatness, and they don't understand that they can be a part of something bigger than themselves."

"Oh, don't worry,"he continues, with a gentle smile on his face. "Bralm hasn't forsaken us. She watches for those who work hard to make life for their hive better. She sent me here to learn, and it may also be that she sent me here to bring you hope. She brings us together, just as she brings her smallest children together, the ants in their nests, the bees in their hives, and you and I bringing water to those in OUR hive. If the way seems hard sometimes, it is just a sign that we are on the right path. Nothing good is easy to get, right?" He tips his head back and forth at the buckets on the ends of the yoke.

"Me?" he answers. "This grub comes from the White Temple of the Hive Queen. It is in the Crystalmist Mountains, on the border of the Yeomanry. I was orphaned when I was a small child and the Temple took me in and raised me. They taught me all that I know, and made me what I am and will become. And yes, there are many followers of Bralm. Perhaps you have not heard of us because we work a lot and brag very little. But many a great hive of man has Bralm at its center."
"There is no spoon."

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#339 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Marge keeps walking, adjusting her yoke with a high shoulder shrug.

"Nothing good is easy? Good heavens! I say things like that all the time, don't I ladies?"

The others nod their heads but remain quiet, not wanting to interfere with the intriguing conversation and actually glad that someone else is doing some talking for a change.

"So you are an Easterner then? I have heard of the Crystalmist range, but have never seen them for myself. I don't know of the White Temple, but if they taught you the value of a good hard days work, then they sound like smart folks to me!"

"You know......I have never thought about all these damn pesky bugs in the way that you speak of them. They might be annoying, but they all serve a purpose, don't they? I just wish they would stop flying around my head and up my.......never mind. I think I am developing a real taste for this Bralm and her ways. The fact that she is female deity doesn't hurt either."

"I don't suppose you have the power to do something about all these flies?"

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Re: Everyday Life in Beachtown

#340 Post by SirOwen »

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"Maybe..." says Jaxsen. "This takes practice, but I can show you what I do."

Jaxsen's voice becomes almost monotone as he recalls the words of his Master long ago. "Keep your eyes focused on where you are going. Keep your feet going to your destination.
But your mind can do other things. It can go other places."


The young man continues. "I want you to see this island the way it will be. The way your hard work will make it. See the houses.... See the children playing.... Smell the food cooking.... The inns...
The stores.... You did this... You made it possible.... See it.... Smell it.... Hear it.... "


Jax lets the women's imaginations take them.... Carry them. "Now, I ask you.... What bugs?"
"There is no spoon."

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