Skyboats of Eigrach [18 Lage 4385]

[sythyry]

Mirrored from Sythyry.

While I was interrogating bankers, my clients and friendly locals were interrogating boaters. Specifically, assuming that Zascalle and family left by skyboat, which skyboat, and headed where?

So various variations on the following conversation occurred.

Rehit: “Do you know of a skyboat zooming off in a hurry about a week ago, with four foreigners on board of thus and such species and descriptions?”

Srijoe: “Who’s asking?”

Rehit: “Rehit, Sergeant of the Eigrach City Guard, and Lord Bwipin.”

Srijoe: “Oh, connected, are youse?”

Bwipin: “I have the mayor’s right ear, and Rehit the left.”

Srijoe: “Well, y’see, these foreigners, they put a forgetting spell on me.”

Rehit: “Ah, a forgetting spell? A magical one?”

Srijoe: “Nah, not magic. They just got me so darn distracted by the slow progress of my application for a pardon — or a commercial license — or my court case against my former spouse — or various other things depending on who I am — that I can’t remember a thing about them.”

Bwipin: “The delay in your application is intolerable and ridiculous! The mayor shall hear of it this very afternoon.”

Srijoe: “I feel mightily much better! So now I can remember the answer to that question you just put me, and here it is, only it turns out I know somewhat less than you wanted but that doesn’t free you from your promise.”

By the absolute supreme superiority of their investigation, they tracked down Vlebustla. Vlebustla (a Rassimel woman, in case it’s not obvious) is married to Fahrang, and Fahrang is the pilot and owner of Special Fall of Night.

Phaniet: “Why Special Fall of Night?”

Vlebustla: “Because it’s so fast.”

Phaniet: “Oh, dung.”

A few weeks ago, Zascalle put Fahrang on retainer for a quick and long trip to parts unspecified uptrunk. Last week, Zascalle made sure Fahrang would be available for a very fast rush to Elphaeia, eight rings of world-branches down from Ketheria, one above Beltheia (where we got attacked by pirates) but off on the side.

Kantele: “That seems a bit odd. Why was Fahrang interested in such a peculiar request?”

Vlebustla: “Zascalle paid quadruple the usual rates for Special Fall, and for him as pilot. Triple wages for the two alternate pilots, too.”

Kantele: “What, three pilots?”

Vlebustla: “So they could have the skyboat going at all times, without stopping.”

Phaniet: “Oh, dung of the harpy eagle!”

So the investigators started asking about the plans about where on Elphaeia.

Vlebustla: “Well, that’s the odd thing. Fahrang sends me letters telling me where he is and what he’s doing. Especially in situations like this, where someone is clearly doing something questionable. Just so that I have an idea of the situation if a rescue is needed, say.”

Phaniet: “Oh?”

Vlebustla: “He sent me a letter from Elphaeia, saying that Zascalle had changed her mind and was headed to Oorah Thrassen, in Ketheria. They had stopped at a city there to get to a bank, and came back with a great deal of money. Gave everyone a nice bonus, they did. Very nice.”

Phaniet: “Oh, dung of the intestinal-parasite-infested harpy eagle!”

Kantele: “Do you know any more?”

Vlebustla: “He wrote this morning saying he had arrived in Oorah Thrassen and set his passengers off to go visit some wizard. He will spend the day enjoying Oorah Thrassen, buy me some cheese and some exotic dried fruit, and leave for home tomorrow morning.”

(Probably either Nangbang or Kzip La Hish, neither of whom is particularly happy with me due to my mishandling of the elopement of their daughter and their indentured servant, respectively.)

Phaniet: “Oh, dung of the intestinal-parasite-infested harpy eagle who has eaten only quissitica beans for a thousand years!”

Comments

[shurhaian.livejournal.com]

...Oorah Thrassen.

I think Phaniet's closing remark about covers it.

And I don't suppose your cousin (for instance) will be of much help here, with zir ongoing money woes?

[rowyn]

Zie might be, if Sythyry offered zir some fraction of whatever wealth they can recover from Zascalle & Thiane. Ritual magic can be good for vengancy sorts of things.

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

I hate it when evil is smart.

[kris-schnee.livejournal.com]

She's clearly planned this betrayal well in advance. Switching destinations is pretty sophisticated spy stuff. The question is, did she really end up in Oorah Thrassen, or is that another ruse? (I wondered if the "exotic dried fruit" was a clue that it's a lie, but he did also mention cheese.) She'd probably want to go up-trunk unless she's willing to go down to uncivilized areas just to hide.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

And money in up-trunk banks is not so useful in uncivilized areas.

[rowyn]

On the bright side, there's a chance they'll still be within 120 miles of Oorah Thrassen if you decide to go there today.

On the downside, Don't Go in, It's a Trap!

... are you still zooming off to Ketheria alone?

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

Or with a companion!

[yotogi.livejournal.com]

Definitely the smart play on Zascalle's part.

Is this a bad time to mention that Kzip La Hish may be my favorite Ketherian name so far?

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

[Bard looks innocent and erases the line that says, 'Kzip La Hish must die!' from the notes file.]

[yotogi.livejournal.com]

Hey, I said I liked the name; that doesn't necessarily preclude DIAF.

[foomf.livejournal.com]

I imagine that at some point Vae will learn of this.

What would be an infinitely amusing result (and probably part of the intended reason for the nendrai being so damn weirdly powerful and obsessed) would be for her to realize that her "help" brings doom on the one being "helped"... and that she should thus give Zascalle a going-away gift of three "free" services, and then refuse to be parted from her until the services are completed.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

The smirk!

[rowyn]

Bwahahahaha!

Alas, though Zascalle and Thiane have quite earned Vae's help by now, Ochiron and Feralan have probably benefited enough from it already.

[foomf.livejournal.com]

But they should know to run away :)

And if Feralan is the one with the embedded Locador monster, he could probably get himself and Orchiron away.

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Well... they *did* want to start a war with Veshrame over some pretense or other. This sounds awfully pretentious to me.

[stormydragon.livejournal.com]

Of course you have an ace up your sleeve: Zascalle doesn't know about Sazandigraa's situation.

I'd have Grinwipey contact his uncle. You know, a friendly "Greetings from Eigarch; Wish You Were Here" type thing. Of course, in a shocking lack of tact, Grinwipey might unfortunately divulge the whole affair. It really is a shaming you can't trust your retainers to keep things like this confidential.

Oh, and of course he might mention that you are worried that this leaves you incapable of continuing to finance Sazandigraa's blackmail payments.

[goodluckfox.livejournal.com]

How fast is fast in miles per hour?

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Well, if we assume they're 16 levels down and 300 miles between levels, and it took them 9 days going 27 hours a day to get there...

At least 20 mph?