Wildsea: Dusty Fields

I've gotten out of the habit of doing write-ups immediately after games, but Michelle's playing a mission in Midnight Suns so I've got a little time. Here's last time!

Our wildsailors pull into Dusty Fields. It's kind of misnomer; there are no fields in evidence. Instead, Dusty Fields is a float, a ramshackle flotilla made of ships all lashed together. As they approach they see that many of the component ships are not in tree-worthy shape; they wouldn't float if they weren't attached. The central hub of the float is a huge cargo ship sticking bow-end out of the thrash, the words Move's Chorus written down the side in fading letters. 

They pull up and some dockhands moor their ship. Charness tells Chamberssen, Kazera, and Tztik that Rozek is a little under the weather ("she drank some tea and it's having...effects") so she'll catch up with them.

They disembark and Chamberssen talks with the dockhands. There's no docking fee, and the dockhand notes some damage to their runners and assumes that's what they're there to fix. He tells them to head down this main road until they come to a crossroads. If they want to see about repairs, he recommends going straight and finding an ironbound named Estramu. If he can't help them, he'll know someone who can. If they want to shop or trade, head left into the market. If they want to head to the shipwrights and talk with them directly, go right. If they want to go to the docks...turn around and walk back here. 

Chamberssen and Kazera decide to find Estramu, while Tzitik heads to the market (they want to find some scrap metal and wood and build a new shell to hold their spiders). Chamberssen and Kazera walk up to the Move's Chorus and see an ironbound chatting with a couple of folks in hoods - they're speaking Knock, which neither of the sailors understand. The two figures turn around and the characters can see that they're tzelicrae, like Tzitik. The ironbound makes a gesture like cracking one's neck, but his head just flips around entirely. 

They approach and say they're looking for Estramu. "You found him," replies the ironbound. Chamberssen explains their position - they need repairs and would be interested in making some improvements to their ship. Estramu asks after their ship and Chamberssen describes it, and Estramu asks what they have to trade.

Chamberssen leads off with the salt and the honey, but Estramu doesn't have any interest in those. "Tell you what you do," he says. "Go to the market and talk with Fetio. He's a Marketeer. He'll appraise your stuff and give you a voucher, you come back and give it to me and we'll talk." 

Chamberssen is willing to do that, but first he mentions the fightersap that they have on the ship. Estramu perks up at that - that stuff he's willing to trade for. They haggle a bit, and Estramu agrees to fix the damage to their runners and armor and do some improvements for them. He sends a couple of his guys to go get the fightersap, and tells the characters to find him a little later and they'll do up a contract.

Meanwhile, Tzitik looks about the market and finds a shop called Flotsam; it's basically a big building full of scraps of wood and metal. Perfect! The proprietor tells Tzitik to go talk to Fetio and trade whatever they're using as currency, and then bring the voucher he gives back here. 

Tzitik obligingly heads further into the market and finds an open-air office. A pale yellow Ketra sits behind a desk; Tzitik recognizes Fetio from the description the scrap salesman gave them. Tzitik introduces themselves and asks Fetio whether he'd have any use for salt or firebloom honey; Fetio isn't interested in salt but agrees with Tzitik that honey is useful (edible, calorically dense, doesn't spoil, medicinal, "and flammable," notes Fetio). He asks Tzitik where to find the stuff and dispatches two flunkies (one ardent, one ektus) to get it. He then takes a small wooden rectangle off a pegboard and dips two fingers into ink, putting a mark on it. Tzitik takes it back to the scrap salesmen and loads up a cart, tying stuff down with webbing.

Kazera and Chamberssen split up; Kazera heads back to the ship, while Chamberssen goes to the wordbearer post. He doesn't see anything that he needs to pick up, but he does have an envelope to deliver to someone called Wir. He asks around a bit and learns that Wir is an ektus, and can usually be found at a pub called Barb. He heads down the road and turns at someplace where a hole in the hull has been patched. He notes a gau touching the patch almost wistfully. Chamberssen makes contact and asks if she knows where Barb is; she tells him she'll show him. She stands up and one of her scarves (she is dressed in long, flowing fabrics) kind of pats him on the shoulder. Chamberssen realizes that all of her fabric is moving some. 

She leads him down the alley to a pub marked by a sign reading "Barb," held up with huge fishhooks. Chamberssen thanks her and enters, and notes that this place is an ektus bar - most of the clientele are ektus, a few gau, and one ironbound behind the bar. Chamberssen asks for a drink of whatever's local and good, and the ironbound draws him a glass of some black liquid. He tastes it and finds it has a strangely nutty taste. It's also making him hear whispers from the corners. 

He asks after Wir, and the bartender points him to the corner. Chamberssen approaches, and finds that Wir is an ektus with spikes up and down both arms - these spikes are longer and thicker than most ektus spines. She also wears a couple of pistols on her hips. A slinger, then. 

Chamberssen delivers the letter and she opens it with one of her spines. She reads it and mutters something in Brasstongue, which Chamberssen doesn't understand. He does, however, receives whispers from the dark corners and notes that Wir's demeanor isn't frustrated or annoyed. Actually she seems excited. Chamberssen tries to note the phrase she said so that he can ask Rozek (who speaks a little Brasstongue) about it later. He asks Wir if she has any messages that need delivered, and she questions him about their route. She doesn't have messages, she says, but maybe they'd transport her to Emerald Wheel? 

On the ship, Rozek emerges from her cabin and sees Dusty Fields for the first time (she can still taste light, but it's fading. That was good tea). She sees a few of the undercrew arguing with a couple of large fellows, and intervenes. The thugs - an ardent called Salas, and an ektus called Luarig - tell her they're here for the honey. She of course has no idea what they're talking about, and they tell her that their boss, Fetio, told them to come collect the honey as part of a deal someone on the crew made. "An ironbound?" she asks. "No, tzelicrae." "Ah." She makes them a cup of tea and goes to have the undercrew bring the honey out. As she does, she sees Tzitik and Kazera approaching with a cart full of scrap (Kazera met up with him as he was leaving the market).

"You traded all of our honey?" she asks. "Honey can be exchanged for goods and services," Tzitik responds. Rozek rubs her temples and tells Tzitik that in future, they're not to trade cargo without checking with the rest of the officers first. She also starts calling him "Sticky," but that's incidental. Chamberssen comes back and passes the thugs as they're leaving with the honey. He explains what he's been up to, and repeats the Brasstongue phrase for Rozek as best he can. She doesn't catch all of it, but the second half translates to "kill that machine". Might that be an ironbound? Maybe, but the marker that would indicate that "machine" in this context means "living being" would have been in the first part of the sentence. 

The crew talks over what they'd like to buy for their ship, and then takes a breather for a couple of hours. That evening, they all head to meet Estramu, who unrolls a sketch he did of their ship and asks what they'd like done. 

They ask for more cargo space; he says he can knock out a wall and widen some things. He'll also put some canvas netting on one side and a container of loam (for transporting unstable or dangerous substances). They want an outrider ship, and Estramu says he can cut open the back of the ship and refashion part of the hull into doors. He takes them to a small bay to look at some outriders, and they pick one with a flatbed (able to haul people or stuff). He tells them all this will take a few days, and has them move the ship around to the dry dock. 

The next morning, the crew is awakened by the workers starting to cut open the ship. They decide to go and explore. Kazera and Tzitik go back to the market. Chamberssen goes back to the Barb. Rozek goes to find food to learn what's tasty in local cuisine.

She finds a guy running a huge grill, with various bugs and animals cooking. They chat a bit, and she buys some lunch. She asks him if he's got recommendations for ingredients for making fermented tea, and he tells her to head to an alchemist in the market. He's got a powder that helps speed and stabilize fermentation.

Meanwhile, Tzitik and Kazera look around. Kazera chats with other ironbound, and Tzitik swipes a small jar of black powder from a store. He then notes a strange looking person - an ironbound, but instead of a collection of parts from ships, it's a construct that looks very much like an ardent. But it's also wearing a coat with an amazingly intricate pattern embroidered on it. As Tzitik watches this person, they spot an ektus watching him - an ektus with pistols on her hips. Recognizing Wir from Chamberssen's descriptions, Tzitik scampers up a wall and watches. They figure Wir is going to kill this dude; this was the "machine" she was after.

Rozek arrives and finds the alchemist, a gau, who's presently counting his jars of black salt, as he seems to be missing one. Rozek trades for some of the powder and some oak tea leaves, and talks shop for a minute. Kazera joins her (looking for Tzitik), and a moment later the construct that Tzitik was watching comes into the shop and strikes up a conversation. He introduces himself as Lob, and is very polite and erudite. He tells them he traded for this cloak in a place called Zalan's Rest, but if the markings have any significance he doesn't know it. 

Eventually, they head back to the ship. Tzitik follows when it becomes clear that Wir isn't going to attack her quarry in public, and Chamberssen meets them (now pretty drunk on blacknut whiskey). 

They all exchange notes, and Tzitik reveals that Wir seems to be stalking Lob. Kazera isn't willing to let this assassination happen, and heads back out into town. Rozek goes along to find Wir, and Tzitik goes along to watch. Chamberssen says he'll catch up, but for now, he needs a little lie down.