A Package Deal - Emwonk T'noduoy

[Nehetsrev]

Quest: "A Package Deal"
Start Date: 04/27/07?
End Date:
DM: Minerva
 
 OOC Portion
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 Well, seems this quest though meant to be a one-session event has turned into a two session event at least. This thread will detail Emwonk's involvement in what was to be a simple transport and delivery errand.
 
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 Novlar 17, 1415
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 It began in Port Hempstead, in the Argo Vin Dolan Wharfs. Emwonk stood 'socializing' with several others when the dock shopkeeper yelled to them all concerning somethign of a scuffle he had heard from his post but was unable to see to himself because of his duty.
 
 Upon reaching the scene Emwonk, true to form, rushed forward to 'assist' the fallen fellow, promptly searching him for loose coin or valuables while making it look like he was checking for wounds and tending them. The only thing of interest he found however was a folded up piece of paper which he quickly pocketed before stepping back to let the others crowd the fellow and tend him. The paper turned out to be a map of the area around Mariner's Hold.
 
 Alas Emwonk would lose his bounty shortly. The fellow, a human man by name of Fred Plowman, was tended back to a semblance of health by the others and began to speak to them of his reason for being in Port Hempstead. He'd come to hire guards for the transportation of some seeds from some out-of-the-way town in Alindor called Ashrun, but had been deceived and mugged by some thugs. Emwonk noticed the man patting his pockets where the map had rested moments before, and for some reason several in the crowd seemed to suspect Emwonk of having robbed the man, so he quickly bumped into one of them from behind, dropping the map to the ground to cover his acquirement of it. It's not as though he truly needed a map of Alindor and the area of Mariner's Hold anyway, so it wasn't hard to part with the piece of paper. Fortunately no one noticed his drop either, and Emwonk escaped persecution in this instance...
 
 So, at Fred Plowman's request the others agreed to help transport the seeds from Ashrun and were told by him to go there and seek someone by name of Peaches. After the map was found, Fred gave it to one of their number by name of Berry. Berry was a fellow amazingly enough shorter than Emwonk himself by over a foot! Evidently Berry followed something called Prunilla and this is why Fred chose to give him the map. In any case, the Current whispered to Emwonk that to follow with the others would lead him to conduits and charge, so he went along to Alindor.
 
 Ariving in the tiny farming community of Ashrun, it became quite aparent that things were different there. Plants grew tall, healthy, and fruitful despite the lack of proper sunlight the world suffered under the 'eternal cloud' as Emwonk had come to think of it. Anything that could help grow plants in such a state was very valuable, Emwonk knew, and likely held a good deal of power. So, it was only natural that when he saw the huge crystaline mineral floating just off the ground in one of the fields he was drawn to it. The others came as well, but quickly went on to search for Peaches once their own curiosity waned. Emwonk stayed to examine further the crystal which emanated with positive energy, and after examining it closely he decided to chip off a piece for himself.
 
 Successful in his attempt to chip the crystal, Emwonk received a blast of energy to his chest as the piece fell into his open hand. Suddenly there was a bright flash and boom, almost like an explosion, and Emwonk knew it would surely draw attention. Quickly he examined the big crystal again to ensure it still functioned normally and the shard wouldn't be missed. The others arived and with good cause began questioning Emwonk suspiciously while a Gnome by name of Murdock Middy from the community also came to examine and repair the crystal. Emwonk smiled as he walked away from the scene and severe tongue-lashing he'd received, no one had noticed the piece of crystal he'd managed to acquire, and he felt sure it would prove invaluable later on, or at the very least it'd be interesting to examine in great detail to learn it's secrets.
 
 So they headed toward the part of the community in which lay most of the housing structures in search of Peaches. There Emwonk noticed what appeared to be great walls of energy and while he tried to examine them he found himself continuallly disrupted by the others and gave up before he could learn anything of them. Peaches Sageroot told them all of the seeds, how they were special and could grow into full plants with very little light, and that two bags of them needed to be delivered to another experimental site for planting and testing there. A ship, the Four Leaves, had been chartered to sail from King's Landing to Dregar where the seeds were destined, and Peaches told the group to go pick up the bags from the plowman.
 
 With two sacks of seeds acquired from the carter, the group decided to rest til morning before setting out to King's Fort and boarding the Four Leaves to reach their ultimate destination. Emwonk decided he may as well go with, after all there might be more interesting things to acquire at the alternate experimental test site...

[Nehetsrev]

OOC Portion
------------

With the two bags of seeds our hero, and those do-gooders with him, made their way to King's Land rather uneventfully.  To Emwonk's minor irritation those goody-two-shoes carrying the bags of seed voiced thoughts of dispersing them to the people of the land rather than taking them to their proper destination.  Emwonk would have none of that, he expected some conduits as payment for their efforts and knew if the seeds didn't get where they were going he'd get no conduits, and he quickly reminded his fellows of such.

Boarding the Four Leaves, Emwonk noticed groups of sailors taking unusual interest in their small procession, and urged everyone to hurry aboard.  Once on the the larger ocean-going vessel it wasn't long before a follower was spotted in their wake...  Emwonk was slightly perturbed that he had to stand on a crate to see over the railings, and even then ocean spray fogged up his goggles enough to make it near impossible for him to see the pursuing vessel.

So, he did the next best thing while everyone else was distracted with that, and took the opportunity to further examine the shard of crystal he'd acquired in Ashland.  To his disappointment it turned out the crystal was designed to radiate energy and had already lost it's charge.  Still, it might prove useful later if he could determine how well and at what rate it could acquire and disperse energy.  He'd have to examine it further to determine if it's usefulness was attuned only to positive energy, or if other forms of energy could also be absorbed and radiated through it at reduced rate.

He finished his examination of the crystal in time to hear shouts from the fore that a small boarding party had been spotted climbing the sides of the ship.  He prepared himself for battle, and tried to cast protective fields of magic around most of his companions.  Then as the boarders reached the deck he unleashed the full fury of his electrical flows upon them.  One of his 'fellows' fell to the pirates and Emwonk bravely charged into the fray to bury his handaxe in the back of the last pirate who had felled his temporary comrade.  He wasn't about to let a few scurvey sea-dogs get the seeds before he could acquire his reward for helping deliver them.

At last land was spotted on the horizon ahead, and soon the pursuing vessel turned tail and ran.  The rest of their trip to the alternate test site was uneventful.  Though their conversation with the Gnome there revealed more about the nature of the operation.  Convicted fellons, already sentanced to death, were somehow being converted into the 'pods' that supplied the energy used to help the seeds grow.  In essence their life was being drained from them to give life to the fields which would in turn feed many and preserve life throughout the lands.  Emwonk had no objection to the process himself, but some of the do-gooders with him did.  Emwonk just hoped he never ran afoul of the law enough to warrant a death sentance.  He'd have to be careful in Prantz in the future, as it seemed everything in Prantz carried death as a penalty.

As a last thought as the Evil Dwarf Scum named Buddy carried him away like a sack of potatoes, Emwonk wondered, "What the heck are microhampsters?"