Makara IC

"Well we'd been doing that for a while and it wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. And then the Boar came along with more and better trained men and beat my boys real quick like before I could take out too many of his. Instead of" she draws her thumb across her throat and makes an extremely exaggerated throat-slitting death rattle noise "he offered to let us join him. He needed to keep me along so I could keep my boys in line. Still, I was thinking of making a break for it when we were further south until he told me where we were going. How could I pass up a guarded escort to Kelfas where I could study all her ancient secrets. So many wonderful strange and broken glories! Oh the things I've learned.... hehehehehehe! Oh Steam, there's so much here and I only have my short human life to play with it. Unless I find something to fix that too........" she trails off with her eyes all starry.

Steam nods and lets her bask in the thought for a moment. "Mmm, I can feel that. I don't know how likely it is that elves were keeping a special way to live longer here, but I'll be sure to keep my eyes open for you," she says, pausing with a genuine smile for a few moments before a thought strikes her.

"Oh! Speaking of things in the ruins, the thing that brought P and I here is that she was looking for her family tree. I don't suppose you know of a...a tree found or anything like that? She keeps saying 'my family's heirloom' and 'our name' but I'm pretty sure it's like, a real actual tree."

Char was lost in thought and snaps back when Steam asks her question. "Hmmm. There are certainly trees growing in Kelfas, but I haven't heard about any that stand out. Except for the ones that have become crazy murder trees. But that seems like a weird thing to have as a family legacy." Char replies and shrugs. "Let's hope its not any of those, since I've burned all of those I've come across." and she cackles a bit. After a moment she adds, "But we still haven't even scouted out most of Kelfas yet."

"Yeah, it's a big place though so it's gonna take a bit. But I guess you guys have been here for like..." She counts to 7 on her fingers, "maybe 10 years? So you're just at the beginning still! A nice prologue. And now a whole city of people's gonna be coming up and joining you! ...How have things been up here in the...I guess it's only been like a week since we last saw each other, feels like an awful lot longer though."

"Huh? We've only been in Kelfas itself for about six years, if you count the time we showed up and not after we finally managed to drive the orcs away. But if it's after that it's only been a little over four." Char replies, not sure about Steam's math skills.

"Yeah, all those drow will certainly move up our schedule pretty amazingly I'm sure. As long as they don't try and kill us all in our sleep or poison our food we can maybe stop having to lose men to Makara by going out to try and find workers to bring back. Depending on the pace of progress maybe even let the slaves we have become proper citizens years ahead of schedule. That would sure be a boost to morale! Well.... ok the half-orcs really like having people to boss around instead of being the ones bossed around for once in their lives, but everyone else I think will be a lot happier about it. My boys don't really care too much aside from that managing people is not the kind of task they're really equipped for. And the old soldier boys range anywhere from apathy to barely restrained from rebelling only because of their respect of the Old Boar. So the sooner we can end that whole situation and not have everyone starve or get killed by monster roaming the city the better."

"How've things been? Well I was very sad when I wasn't busy because I thought you'd died and you're the most fun person I've met in years. Well aside from maybe Zanthelis, he's pretty fun to mess with." Char answers and laughs a bit.

Steam shrugs at being off at the math. She'd known they'd left like something more than a decade ago, and she wasn't particularly invested in being on the nose. "I like to think that if-when I die, it'll be impactful enough that the land around will know something terrible has happened, and people will drive their families inside in fear of this baleful omen." She gives a grin.
"But, probably don't have enough kindling built up inside for that yet. Hmmm. I wonder what ol' hot pants would do if I died. There's a number of things they're supposed to have asked of me by now, and just like...haven't? And I don't think they could claim my soul posthumously but like...I'unno? Feels like they're really missing out on potential value. Just look at me, I'm a treasure!" Steam puffs herself out a little.

Char laughs at this and throws an arm around Steam, "You sure are!"
After a pause she says, "I can't really speak for that elemental your pact is with, but I guess whatever he needs from you isn't in Kelfas. Or at least you haven't been close enough to a thing or situation that works for his goals." and shrugs.

Steam snugs in against Char when the arm loops around her. "You'd think they'd want something from a bunch of magical ruins, but I guess ants and drow haven't been up their alley. Maybe whatever our next foray is." She sighs and just leans into Char for a moment. "Oh, I suppose I could ask you. Some of our party wanted to see some of the other people they came in with and just like check they're okay and stuff. Do you think that'd be possible?"

Char shrugs and says, "I don't see any reason why not." then she gives a yawn. Maybe she's tired, maybe the subject just bores her.

Steam nods sleepily. “Cool. You gonna take a nap?”

"Maybe when we get back. You said you had feeeeeeeeeeelings?" Char replies.

Meanwhile the others are led to a somewhat nearby building that looks like it was recently repaired. The streets in this area are also fixed up and as clean as reasonably can be. The building is not a house so much as it looks to be an empty store. It's two stories tall and has a basement as well. Inside there are some simple wooden furnishings, including six beds with blankets. Two of which the men who brought you here take away with them, presumably to be placed in other buildings. Shortly after you arrive someone brings you food and asks if you need anything.

Adelinde frowns a little at her lack of progress and after settling Liz on one of the beds with instructions to stay, goes back outside to climb on Nyx and try to get a better vantage from the roof.

roll:

Adelinde can see that this re-worked area extends for a few blocks in every direction. They're not quite at the center of it, but fairly close. The rubble has all been cleared away and the streets are either brick, cobblestones, or packed dirt. There are a good many repaired buildings, empty lots, and buildings being constructed. One even close enough for her to see the people working on it from there and maybe shout things at them if she wanted to..... probably get in a lot of trouble and maybe cause workplace injuries.

She can also see a good distance past the re-worked area to.... less re-worked areas. It looks like their first focus is clearing fields for growing things and roads for moving things around. In the distance inward she can see a lot of overgrown areas and sporadic taller structures. She can just vaguely make out what looks like a cluster of tall buildings in the far distance to the east and to the south-west (mostly south) she can just baaaaaarely make out a shape that might be some kind of tower. Looking outwards she can see the great partially broken walls of Kelfas.

Steam nods about taking a nap when they get back. “Yeah. So like, I get a lot of feelings about people anyway. People are just so cute and good, and I just wanna love ‘em up. But Ketha’s...I have some different kind of feelings for Ketha? Like I just wanna be held by her, and make her happy, and I wanna do that with most people anyway, but...I want it in a different way with her. Like, usually by now I’d have just offered to her or to you to fuck, but I haven’t? And that’s something I want still, but also I don’t think that’s something she’d appreciate me just offering right now, or to people other than her? Maybe she wouldn’t care but...it’s so weird, usually I’m so down for keeping things casual but she’s like way more important, and I don’t even really know if she likes me??”
Steam sighs. ”I don’t expect you to have advice, or opinions on this, just like...bleh. Feelings.”

Once the group has been left alone, Ketha pulls out her shadw book, and begins to flick to where she left off her last reading. "Two outings done," she comments to the party, "Four left."

"Huh. You and scales-in-a-can huh? One of you could die any time here, especially since we're sending you out to do stuff we don't want to risk our own men for. I wouldn't waste a lot of time tiptoing about. Try and figure out exactly what you want and act on it. That's what I do and look where that got me!" Char replies, clearly happy to be in a place she just noted could kill you just as a matter of chance.

"If you change your mind about blowing off some steam, let me know." Char says and giggles to herself.

“I know we could die whenever, but like...I don’t know! It’s never been like this before! Usually my path’s super clear, and now I’m mesmerized or something.” She sighs heavily, before grumbling, “You wouldn’t believe how many times that line’s gotten me laid. Let’s take some naps.”

"Okay, naps it is! I'll escort you home." Char says and leads Steam over to the "house" the others are at. They get there just in time to catch the man asking if there's anything they need.

Ketha nods at Steam as she returns. "Good chat?" she asks the Gensai...

Paper Shadow wrote:Once the group has been left alone, Ketha pulls out her shadw book, and begins to flick to where she left off her last reading. "Two outings done," she comments to the party, "Four left."

Steam gives Ketha a small nod and a smile. “Yeah! Got some things sorted, other things remain a mess, talked about taking a nap, so overall pretty good. Oh, speaking of,” she turns to Char, “Can we just go check in on our people and there’ll be like a guard accompanying?”

Parveth pays the returning two little heed and requisitions some wood stock of appropriate size for arrow crafting and feathers if they have them. She also responds to Ketha, “Yes, it seems we are making a decent go of it. I wonder if we will perform a task near the surface at some point.”

Char's face scrunches up in a mixture of amusement and maybe a bit of guilt at Parveth's comment and she quietly says, "Not... exactly...."
But then she quickly changes to the other subject and answer's Steam's question, "It depends on who you wish to see. Soooooooooooooo who do you want to see?"

Ketha watches Steam for a moment, trying to figure out who she wishes to see to see. She mentioned having lost friends when they first met, but figured any still alive would have been mentioned by now...

Parveth sighs to herself and mutters, “Of course not, why would I ever expect otherwise.” She takes a bed and enters a meditative stance on top of it.

“I don’t know any of their names, just that they all went into the safe but slaves path.” Steam looks to Adelinde and Ketha. “Salty Paul’s jumping to mind, but I might just be making that up?  She grins at the pair, expecting them to offer some amount of identifying qualities for their friends or charges.