5 wise men, bearing gifts
August 30, 1999

IC
 
       Deciding that the Ul-Mor already know what a Vrusk is, and chances
     are this is the second one they've ever encountered, Kah'liss leads
     the way out of the Explorer. When everyone shows their beads, proving
     membership into the Ul-Mor tribe, the Ul-Mor guards lower their
     weapons and greet you as brothers. You explain you are looking for the
     Vrusk and were told he/she resides at this camp. They acknowledge the
     Vrusk is at the camp and tell you they will take you there, but they
     are extremely curious about this metal cage with wheels you travel in.
       Knowing you are Ul-Mor, several of the Ul-Mor guards ride up to the
     Explorer, rubbing their tentacles over the machine with childlike
     curiosity. A few of them stab at it gingerly with spears. Thinking
     back, you know Athru's party was certainly as curious at your first
     meeting, but they all held a very stoic resolve against the team.
     Here, you are nearly swarmed with the Ul-Mor as questions come from
     all sides about the fast moving Explorer.
       After ten minutes of appeasing the curious Ul-Mor's questions (you
     did get a few in yourselves, but the majority of the conversation was
     spawned by them), the Ul-Mor rear guard are ready to take you to camp.
     They lead the way, trotting near the Explorer on their Lopers. Often a
     few sidle up alongside the vehicle for a closer look. At one point,
     two Ul-Mor, keeping a steady pace with the Explorer, shout a challenge
     and nudge their mounts to a full gallop. They take off in front of the
     vehicle, but Raleigh guns it, overtaking them in a matter of seconds.
     They Ul-Mor seem very excited about the little show of speed, and you
     too are impressed at the maximum speed of the Loper.
        The moving camp comes into view quickly. Hundreds of Ul-Mor
     traveling northeast. Wagons, lopers, herds of kwidges and campus
     whompers, all led by a large party of riders proudly wielding brightly
     painted banners.
        You see another pack of guards majestically trotting in from the
     west and a second group riding out to meet them. Perhaps reporting in
     from patrol? The whole scene gives a picture of grand efficiency:
     everyone busy, everyone with a task, all working together to move to
     the next place of limited resources. Such is the life of the desert
     nomad.
        The Ul-Mor guard leading the way, you begin passing some of the
     slower Ul-Mor. As more and more see the Explorer, excitement starts
     spreading throughout the camp. Soon there is a large buzz of activity
     and the caravan eventually comes to a halt. You are led towards the
     front of the camp, picking up a large audience as you drive slowly on.
     As the Ul-Mor look at the Explorer you hear many different questions
     and statements. Some think the guard captured you, some see Kah'liss
     and speak of the Vrusk, you even hear a comment that the 'beast' has
     swallowed five creatures and the brave Ul-Mor guard has captured it.
        The guard leader raises his spears and everyone stops. Before him,
     a group of elder Ul-Mor slide into view. The obvious leader has a
     large green patch, possibly a birthmark, on the majority of his head.
     While it looks strange to you, you find out later that the green
     birthmark holds high prestige in Ul-Mor society, as green signifies
     life and survival in the desert. A Vrusk also rushes into the growing
     crowd of Ul-Mor, obviously hearing (or seeing) about the Explorer in
     camp. He looks uneasy upon seeing the vehicle.
        Kah'liss quickly digs into his gear and pulls out his data pad. He
     scans through the records quickly, hoping to get a recognition with
     the Vrusk outside. After a moment, he shakes his head and looks to
     those in the vehicle. "The Vrusk is not Itklikdil, from the original
     expedition."
        "Then who the hell is he?" Telgar asks aloud, not expecting an
     answer.
        The guards announce that you are Ul-Mor from the Rising-Tider tribe
     (the tribe where Athru is the military leader. Tider is the Ul-Mor
     name of Lulu, the second moon of Volturnus) and have come here to meet
     Itklikdil. With these words, the Vrusk seems a bit more relaxed, but
     still wary of the situation.
        The guard gestures to the party and you all exit the Explorer. The
     green marked Ul-Mor greets you. "I am Li-ame the Green, Chieftain of
     this tribe Sandy Leka. You we welcome with gifts many." Several Ul-Mor
     come forward and present small trinkets, mostly handcrafted wood or
     twine work, as well as a healthy supply of fruits and berries.
        Before the presentation of gifts is complete, Li-ame the Green
     speaks again, gesturing to the Vrusk.
        "...And this is LStyaric."

         Telgar introduces himself to the Vrusk and makes a friendly gesture towards Kah'Liss.  "I'd like to introduce you to Kah'Liss, our medical specialist.  I'm sure you two will have much to talk about.  How about after we all get settled in a bit, we get some of that sweet nectar drink and have a chat?"
   Telgar turns to Brenon and asks, "We do plan to stay for a while, right?"
As this new Vrusk describes his ordeals, Brenon keeps a cool head but his weapon ever at ready, he leans over to Zhirrzh and whispers something in his ear. Then he hears "By the way - which one of you might be in charge?"
from the new Vrusk. Brenon steps forward, identifying himself. He extends his hand in
greetings, "That would be me, Brenon Moroue".
"A Slave you say? You must have some pretty interesting stories... perhaps
at this evenings feasts you wouldn't mind sharing a few? I have lots of
questions, as I'm sure my comrades do as well" He says as he gestures to
the party.
    Using the Explorer as cover, Zhirrzh draws his auto-pistol and exits the Explorer. Crossing his arms, he covers his drawn pistol with his wing as he moves around behind the Explorer and in direct line of fire with the strange Vrusk. In a casual manner, Zhirrzh leans against the Explorer and feigns partial interest, giving the impression of watching the Ul-Mor more than the conversation between Brenon and the Vrusk. However, Zhirrzh's senses are trained squarely on the Vrusk, watching for any type of movement that could be considered hostile or deceitful.
        Telgar notices Zhirrzh casually lean against the Explorer and realizes what was happening since Zhirrzh has never been the one to do anything casually.  Telgar can already see in his mind, the vrusk seeing through the bluff, being a pirate himself, and all of them getting into a nice big fight with Ul-Mor included, but he shakes it from his mind.  This Vrusk couldn't be a pirate... could he?
    Raleigh, at the site of another Vrusk looks out of the corner of his eye at Brennon and smiles. "This has got to be just driving him nuts!" he thinks to himself as introductions are exchanged.
    Approaching the new Vrusk, Raleigh raises a skeptical eyebrow as he shakes the Vrusks hand. "Hey there, Raleigh Thoms, group Techex. Pleased to meet you...How exactly did you get down here?"
    LStyaric thinks to himself how peculiar this team of adventures act towards him. One in particular, Brenon (sp?), seemed rather friendly - almost too friendly. Though having been exposed to the weapons they carried, he knew his spear and sling would be no match. Better play it safe, and maybe they'll join me on my quest to find that Monkey-Boy.
    "Hi - I'm LStyaric. I've been with the UlMor for a few months now. They rescued me from the desert - after I escaped a slave camp."
    He thinks about how much should be divulged to this group of 'strangers' ... And decides that "honesty is the best policy".
    "I'm a techie Vrusk. Good with computers, bots and some machinery. I noticed your Humm-V, as I like to call those things, and its in pretty good shape, considering the sand and all. I was out on mission and got taken prisoner. Later to be part of some slave labor thing going on here. We all know how pirates don't like to keep around 'skilled' help, so I buggered (no pun intended) out of there."
    Zhirrzh couldn't suppress a sense of shock when hearing the Vrusk speak. Outwardly, Zhirrzh still retained his calm and relaxed look, but his thoughts were careening wildly in all directions. The first thing he had trouble grasping was the Vrusk's manner of speech. Zhirrzh had never heard a Vrusk talk like that. This Vrusk didn't have the typical, logical, manner of other Vrusk. Zhirrzh immediately categorized LStyaric as a wild card who would require constant surveillance. He didn't fit the Vrusk mold, so he wasn't at all predictable.
    The second thing that bothered Zhirrzh was the slave labor comment. Even if the Vrusk was telling the truth, which Zhirrzh doubted, then that spelled trouble. It suggested that the pirates had a much larger organization on this planet than they had previously believed possible. Maintaining a slave labor camp required a significant commitment of resources and manpower. That bothered Zhirrzh more than the wild card Vrusk.
    Zhirrzh ordered his thoughts and decided this possibility would require a serious talk with the rest of the team later.
    As this new Vrusk describes his ordeals, Brenon keeps a cool head but his weapon ever at ready, he leans over to Zhirrzh and whispers something in his ear. Then he hears "By the way - which one of you might be in charge?"
from the new Vrusk. Brenon steps forward, identifying himself. He extends his hand in greetings, "That would be me, Brenon Moroue.
    "A Slave you say? You must have some pretty interesting stories... perhaps at this evenings feasts you wouldn't mind sharing a few? I have lots of questions, as I'm sure my comrades do as well" He says as he gestures to the party.
    "Well crap!" Raleigh mutters as he kicks the Explorers front wheel. "What the hell does this mean? A slave camp?! A friggin slave camp!!! Correct me if Im wrong but doesn't that mean more Pirates than we need to be dealing with?"
    Raleigh is not really shouting here, complaining to himself and hoping one of the others will jump in and offer some insight.
    Seeing some of the surprise in their faces, LStyaric remembers back during his imprisonment. After assessing the count he could recall he wants to share this information with this new folks. Maybe this information will be helpful.
     <Addressing the group> "Your team does seem organized, and armed. While I was 'employed' at the camp, I saw no more than 20 people."
    <Sarcastically> "Twenty? That's it!!! Hell, we've killed half that number already. That's not even counting the worms, sharks, and even that damn Quickdeath!!! Look out Star Devils, here we come!!!" With that, Raleigh wanders over to a barrel of mead and pours himself a glass (If the Ul-Mor let him of course), then turns back to the group, smiles a grand shit-eating grin, and begins to drink in gulps.
    "Raleigh, you have had an adventure! It sounds like you guys were busy in the desert fighting off the indigenous life."
    LStyaric laughs to himself, thinking that these guys must have never read 'Dune' - otherwise they would have been better prepared for walking through the desert. "If I may, I'd also like to share with you some information that has recently come to my attention. Some of the Ul-Mor in my tribe, while scouting near the forest to the north saw something strange. They say it was with the Kurbanda, a tree-dwelling race. After they talked a bit about the creature - It sounds like it is a Dralasite."
    LStyaric holds up his gear and points to the different supply stores around camp, "I was preparing to go explore that area soon, in hopes of finding the Dralasite. It might have been another escapee from the camp. A group of Ul-Mor were to accompany me to the border of the forest. After that - they were leaving this quest up to me. Perhaps, we could join forces and explore that together?"
        Zhirrzh's eyes narrowed and he stared long and hard at the new Vrusk. This Vrusk was just too friendly and free with information for Zhirrzh's taste. The Dralasite story would be easy enough to verify with the Ul-Mor, Zhirrzh was sure. The other information, however, could not be verified independently. Not if the Vrusk was telling the truth, and certainly not if he was lying. For all Zhirrzh knew, this Vrusk could be trying to lead them into a trap.
    Zhirrzh looked over at Kah'liss. Kah'liss's professional manner and obvious concern for the safety of the entire team had worn down on Zhirrzh's hatred of all things Vrusk. Kah'liss had almost, but not quite, found a soft spot in the Yazirian's hard shell of hatred. However, looking at the atypical Vrusk they had encountered, Zhirrzh felt the soft spot harden and become reinforced with additional distrust and contempt. The unexpected pirates, the loss of Lyrium and Rolgar, and the constant desert heat had only made Zhirrzh more cynical and suspicious. A sadistic grin spread across Zhirrzh's face as he realized that he only needed one reason to end their association with this Vrusk. The image of cutting open the Vrusk's carapace to tear out and feast on it's heart gave Zhirrzh a peaceful and content feeling.
    Telgar sheaths his knife and speaks up, but not to anyone in particular, "Under normal circumstances I'd vote for the forest excursion, but I think we would have a better chance finding the other party through the prison camp," he looks at Brenon, "Brenon, your the bossman, what's your thoughts?"
    Kah'liss was as close to excited as he had been since they landed on this rock.  The opportunity to discover one of the members of the lost team and discover what had happened made his mind practically reel.  He quickly opened his pad and then the file with the Vrusk's picture.  The slow realization that the Vrusk before him was not the Vrusk they were looking for could only be answered with the simple phrase, "This is not the Vrusk we are looking for."
    Kah'liss then opened a new file and began to enter a description of the Vrusk, plus all pertant information that could be gleaned.  It could be very useful to those back at the corporation to use ... if only for notifying others how their family died or the police forces.  The tale of slavery was particularly difficult for the doctor in him, but the scientist remained the more firm force, studying the obvious tactical aspects of trying to end said institution on this planet.  As the conversation turned to the Drasalite, he felt that perhaps this was another chance at a survivor of the failed expedition, but he continued to key in the new information, remaining silent as he listened and awaited a decision...
    Privately, Brenon speaks to Raleigh, who nods and makes a mental note to check the Explorer later.

    Brenon processes the information.... possible Drasalite from previous crew. Or the slave camps..... both were advantageous. Hmmm....
    "What we'll do first is find this 'Drasalite', not only do we get an opportunity to potentially save a member from the previous expedition, but we finally get to see trees; though there's probably some damned weird race of oceanic peoples there too(A vision of Orcas with arms an legs, carrying bows filled Brenon's mind. If only the person that started the phrase, "When Pigs Fly" could see this planet...yeah, that guy is probably rolling around in his grave right now....). Nonetheless, we'll set out an hour
before first light. So no 'heavy' drinking<he shoots Telgar a side glance>. Raleigh, see what you can do about making our guest's travels a little more comfortable, that explorer is packed pretty tight.... Kah'liss, if you would give our good boy here LStyaric a look over and see that he's in good health. Telgar, I'd like you to show Mr. LSyaric the proper use of one of our beam pistols for his personal protection. Zhirzzh, keep an eye on the explorer and our goods, some our fellow 'brothers' look a little too interested for my tastes... I'm going to fraternise with the Chief for a bit. I'll be back soon"
    As the discussion continues, Brenon asks to speak with Li-ame the Green. The chief does not speak with you and turns away to continue preparing for the trip. You sense that the elders are a bit upset or insulted. They gesture to the gift bearers, who after presenting your gifts, remained where they were awkwardly. The presenters of the gifts turn and follow the leaders away. A second delegation, probably more of the common group of leaders, approach you and grant your request for discussion. Brenon walks out of earshot of the party to speak with the Ul-Mor and he engages in conversation with
them...
    Kahliss observes the behavior and motions for Brenon's attention. "Commander, I believe that we have just created a ... bad 'first contact'. I believe that from the reactions, the customary greeting is to acknowledge the local leadership with an exchange of gifts.  While the goal of our excursion was to locate a potential survivor of our primary goal, I believe it would be in best form to seek forgiveness through apology." He then retreats to his previous position, listening, and annotating.
    Brenon apologizes, bowing his head as he does so, "Again, I am sorry, we are not attuned to your customs yet. How might we make this right and patch things between us?"
    Watching the turn of events and then hearing Kahliss' explanation, everything suddenly becomes apparent.
Suddenly feeling very embarrassed, Raleigh begins to fish through his pockets, finding the objects he was
looking for on pocket three.
    Approaching the Ul-Mor leader, Raleigh held out the two items for him to take...a small pocket flashlight,
one a tech might have on him and a duraflame.
    Brenon approaches the explorer and addresses the crew. As he does so he notices Raliegh passing by with a few expendable items; 'Good' Brenon thought, 'Raliegh was off to present the chief with gifts'. "OK crew, apparently we just committed a big no-no around here by not accepting the chiefs gifts, now we've gotta come up with some expendable goods to serve as gifts to the chief... Raliegh just took a 'Light-Stick' and another item, let's each grab up a liter of water and present those as gifts to the Ul-Mor Chief". As instructed, Brenon grabs up a water ration for each person and leads the way to the chief where he will display the presents for the cheif's approval..." Brenon hoped this would do the trick.....

    Li-Ame the Green's group stops when Brenon makes the apologies and presents the gifts. The gift bearers slide up and accepts the gifts from the team, appreciating the unique water containers but showing deeper interest in the pocketlight Raleigh offered. Raleigh explains there is a limited life of 200 hours in the light and shows them how to turn it on and off.  The Everflame ('fire maker') is also a novelty among the Ul-Mor. Satisfied with the exchange, Li-Ame the Green speaks.
    He confirms the story of LStyaric, how they found the Vrusk in the desert to the east, near the dry canal. After nursing him to health, he undertook the Ritual of the Quickdeath and joined the tribe a few months ago.
    He also confirms that an advanced scouting party has seen the 'creature with no skeleton' near the forest to the north. It is apparently living with the Kurbanda, a foolish tree dwelling race that the Ul-Mor dislike. Because of LStyaric's great interest in this 'Dralasite', as he calls the creature, a small party of Ul-Mor were going to escort the Vrusk to the edge of the shard plains to the north. From there, LStyaric would follow the Roller trails in the plains to the Kurbanda Forest. The journey would be LStyaric's quest alone. Li-Ame the Green tells you that the Kurbanda are frivolous, wasteful, arrogant and ugly, and they want nothing to do with them. All the same, the Ul-Mor do understand LStyaric's interest in finding someone of  his own and would equip and prepare him for his journey. But they would not assist him in his quest.
    LStyaric was preparing to depart, as their current position lies due south of the shard plains. Needless to say, the arrival of your team (complete with Explorer) really peaked the interest of LStyaric. With the explorer, LStyaric adds, it wouldn't be necessary to go through the shard plains. You could blaze a trail through the desert straight into the forest.

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Referee's Notes:

I came, I saw, I conquered Disney. Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM, and Typhoon Lagoon. Whew. Now I'm ready to jump back into this thing....

Let me know what you want to do, and we'll pick things up. You may've had fun the past week or so (game time) but we're about to get dirty again!!!

jeff