IceAndWave/Summonings

Summonings

In which death is an enemy, crabs are an ally, and a bargain is reached...

The 7th Day of Descending Wood, Realm Year 763

Aboard the Jaunty Rose, finally on her way away from the accursed isle she crashed into the previous night. The creatures there had tried to chase after her, presumably at the instigation of their parent/creator/god, but were fended off by the angry crew, many of whom had died or been seriously wounded in the many attacks.

One of the wounded was of particular interest to Sian, a young sailor named Ealene. She had jumped down to help him, only to land right in the path of a blow meant for him, and was nearly killed.

Sian remains lying on the bed for a while, trying not to ponder Venia in the bath. After a bit, this proves to be increasingly difficult, so he hops up and goes to see how Ealene is doing.

Ealene lies, unconscious and pale, where she has since the barge got back underweigh, in one of the crew rooms that, due to losses, is unused except for the eight wounded who have not succumbed to their injuries. Tended to by a pair of crewmen who speak in whispers, the injured lie unmoving, those whose pain is too great dosed to unconsciousness with strong brandy.

Sian watches all of this from the doorway, worried about all of them, though Ealene the most. He should see what Venia can do, when she's available.

One of the attendants looks up and sees Sian, then walks quietly over, "Can I help you, my Lord?"

"Oh, sorry... I was just wondering how they are." He keeps his voice low, and points at Ealene. "Her in particular."

He sighs, "They're all very ill. We don't expect many of them to survive through tomorrow. It'd probably be a kindness to end it now, but the Captain said not to."

Sian nods slightly. "I'm sorry. I should have been protecting them better."

"By doing what you did below, you saved all of us."

"I should have done it faster." He leans against the doorway.

The attendant nods and turns to head back into the room, "Do you want to watch over them for a while?"

"Sure." He nods in return.

He walks in softly, padding around the filled beds and reaches a small wooden chest, "How much healing do you know?"

"Not much. Enough to keep me alive."

He passes Sian some damp clothes and a couple of pouches of herbs, "Use the cloths if they're fevered. If cold place some of these herbs on their tongue, and if pale or shivering use some from the other pouch."

Sian nods to this, draping the cloths over his arm and getting to work. The work is slow and painful, Sian watches helplessly as one of the wounded begins coughing up blood and choking, the two sailors trying valiantly, and unsuccessfully, to save his life. Ealene lies, unmoving, on her bed throughout the whole thing, the wound that nearly killed her an angry red, her skin hot and sweaty.

Sian applies the cloth and herbs as directed, deeply worried for her. If she thinks he's a god, why did she do that?

The other sailor comes over, tears in her eyes as the body is carefully wrapped and prepared for burial. "Great Sea Mother, I hate this. Why are we so weak? Why do we die so easily?"

Sian shakes his head slowly, carefully wiping away the sweat on Ealene's body. "I don't know. I wish I did, because then I could do something about it."

She looks down at Ealene, "She should be dead. That wound... she should have died on the beach."

"No. She shouldn't have taken it at all." He brushes her hair back gently.

"Why do you care so much?" the woman faces Sian, "Yes, I know about you. You'll live for three, four hundred years even. I'll be lucky to make fifty. Why do you care about us?"

Sian looks up at her, managing slight annoyance. "You think I asked for this? If not by some bizarre fluke of my blood, I'd be just as mortal as you are. And I'm not going to get so alien and god-like that I forget that."

"Forgive me, I meant no offence," she backs away, eyes down.

"Aeurgh...!" Ealene stirs, crying out in her bed.

Sian starts to try and apologize to the woman, but Ealene's cuts through that notion like a knife. He turns to her quickly, taking her hand and trying to calm her down.

The sailor moves in, her hand on Ealene's head, "She's burning! Quick, give me the herbs!"

Sian passes them over with a free hand, still holding Ealene's with the other.

Ealene tosses and turns as her fellow sailor tries to treat the wounded, and possibly dying, woman. "I don't know how she's lived this long," she says, holding Ealene's mouth closed to get her to swallow some dark liquid that was just poured into her mouth.

Sian just watches, trying to think of what he can do.

Ealene settles down eventually, squeezing Sian's hand to the point of pain before relaxing. The attendant looks up, "Well," she sighs, "We'll find out tomorrow whether she lives or dies. There's nothing more I can do for her."

Sian still looks rather worried, but an idea has formed in his mind. "If you can just keep her stable... I'll see what I can do."

The sailor nods and returns to tending Ealene and the six other wounded.

Sian goes to see the captain. He requests many things, none of which are particularly disagreeable. He ponders! Recalling from his long experience those things that the spirits of death and disease hate most. He searches! Roaming throughout the hold in search of candles, and to the sailors keeping watch over the patients for medicine. He even leaves the ship for a while, sliding beneath the waves to locate barnacles and their natural resistance to all things.

Sian finally returns to the makeshift medical room and requests some space, mixing the barnacles in with the herbs and sealing them with wax, applying the malleable results to the corners of the room, holding them until they adhere.

Having done this, Sian then turns to the task of healing the patients themselves; he heads back to the cabin briefly (thankfully for Cassia and Venia, he doesn't look in the bathroom), and borrows a small hand-mirror out of Venia's bag. Returning, he talks to the sailors, using both normal speech to direct them to where the wound-spirits are hovering, and using Old Realm to persuade said spirits that leaving would be a good idea, as they would not want to anger one of the Chosen.

The spirits that Sian sees retreat somewhat from the combined assault, and the wounded sailors seem to rest somewhat easier in their beds following his thaumaturgical and otherwise supernatural efforts.

Later, on the foredeck of the Jaunty Rose, Sian stands alone, the crew having cleared away at his politely worded "request" as he prepares to call forth a water elemental.

Sian prepares for the summoning! The ink with which to make a ritual circle, made of seaweed paste and yet more of the crushed barnacles, along with some actual ink to give it substance. The burning of the appropriate herbs in small bowls around the ritual circle (Sian had a small amount of his own, but the rest is sort of a make-do offering). The small, shining mirror in the centre of said circle, since tseravite are notoriously vain about keeping their crystal bodies clean! And of course, the incantations, asking most politely if one might make it's presence known.

A strange skritching sound comes from the deck of the barge, carried up through the wooden construction from the hull. Curious sailors peer over the side and then recoil as out of the water comes a huge crab, its shell more than a yard across, crawling up out of the water which doesn't drip off the creature as it clambers deftly up.

Sian waits patiently at the edge of the circle for it to approach, head respectfully bowed.

The elemental, formed from gleaming blue crystal that looks almost like solid water stands before Sian, its six green eyes focussed on the Dragon-Blood. "Who calls with such sweet words?"

Sian responds with a formal tone. "I am Sian Nerivus, of Whitewall, a humble land-dweller. I respectfully request your aid in a matter which my skills are insufficient to handle, but that I am sure yours are more than adequate for."

Eyes glowing brightly the elemental bows in return, "I am called Distinctive-Flow-Pattern-Disruption-Most-Pleasing-To-The-Eyes amongst my fellows. I was riding this wonderful device when I heard your voice."

Sian bows deeply. "I am honoured to make your acquaintance."

Distinctive-Flow-Pattern-Disruption-Most-Pleasing-To-The-Eyes claps his large pincers together thrice and scuttles around the foredeck, looking at the ropes and other things, "What was it that you wished my help with?"

"We were involved in a battle, recently, on an island near here." He describes the rough location. "Many of the sailors crewing this boat were wounded or killed, and I would like your aid in healing those still alive. I will provide whatever payment is necessary."

"I can do that, it is true," the giant crystal crab continues to examine the barge, "I find this to be most interesting, you know... it never occured to me to climb up and examine the things that we ride under the sky."

"You are, of course, free to explore. The sailors will not interrupt you."

"Why, thank you. You are far more polite than the sorcerers I have been told of."

"Ah, I am no sorceror. Merely a man concerned for the people around him." He smiles a little at the crab's curious poking.

Distinctive-Flow-Pattern-Disruption-Most-Pleasing-To-The-Eyes grabs hold of some of the ropes and begins climbing the rigging, "Most interesting!" Sian hears from above, before it climbs back down again, "So... a bargain must be reached now, that's how these things are done, correct?"

"Correct. I have few suitable offerings on the ship, but as I know your name, I could easily make the requested sacrifices when I return to land. Unless, of course, there is something else I could do for you."

"I don't think that anything so elaborate is necessary. You have shown me something quite marvellous, and I am interested to explore it further," Distinctive-Flow-Pattern-Disruption-Most-Pleasing-To-The-Eyes nods (Sian thinks), "Show me these injured mortals and I will do what I can for them."

Sian nods, and does so!

The attendants open their eyes wide and begin to reach for weapons before Sian gestures for them to back down, as the giant crab scuttles along the walls of the barge, its body too wide to walk along the narrow passages normally.

Sian is somewhat amused by this. He opens the door to the makeshift medical center and gestures. "This is the place."

It approaches one of the wounded and runs its pincer over the still body of one of them, "I see what you mean, they are all very ill indeed. There is a strange disruption to their flow that means they cannot heal themselves."

Sian frowns lightly at this. "What is causing it? Can you heal them?"

"I believe so, it is a strange nuraweeshi pattern that causes their flow to break up. Most interesting," the crab suddenly plunges his one pincer straight into the body of the wounded sailor - his flesh turning to water and yet staying whole at the pincer's impact.

Sian watches all of this in his usual quiet way, though that did almost make him flinch.

Distinctive-Flow-Pattern-Disruption-Most-Pleasing-To-The-Eyes's pincer is buried deep inside the sailor's body, far deeper than appears possible without protruding through his back, and yet this does not happen. After almost a minute he pulls his claw out of the sailor, whose flesh returns to flesh the instant it leaves, holding a strange black wriggling thing, "I have it! Interesting and disagreeable."

Sian peers at it, making sure to keep his distance, lest it be dangerous. "What... is it?"

"It is a nuraweeshi pattern, although I haven't seen one this strong before. I shall study it closely," and with that the crab tosses the thing into the air and lifts itself up to gobble the thing up.

Sian just shakes his head a bit at this. Strange creature.

Scuttling around the room, Distinctive-Flow-Pattern-Disruption-Most-Pleasing-To-The-Eyes moves to each of the other wounded sailors and enacts the same procedure, each time pulling a nasty, wriggling black thing out of the body and eating it whole. "Your injured friends should heal naturally now. Their flow has been restored."

"Thank you, tseravite." He bows. "Are you sure you do not require offerings? You have done for me a great service."

"I would very much like to stay on this wondrous device for a while longer. It is most interesting and I shall tell my brothers about this."

"Then I will tell the captain. Thank you again."

Captain Rook stands in the wheelhouse, quiet as he ponders his guests, one of whom has the ability to call a giant crab from the sea.

Sian knocks lightly as he enters. "Captain?"

"Hrm, yes...?" Rook steps back once he sees who it is.

"The tseravite wants to stay on the ship for a while. I get the feeling he might bring friends... but he's helped to heal the wounded sailors. They should all be okay now."

"That... thing is going to stay aboard the Rose? For how long? What does it want?" the captain looks worried.

"To hang around. It likes boats. I don't know how long." He leans against the doorway. "I think that's a pretty good bargain."

"You said... friends?"

"He mentioned them. At worst, you'll have a group of giant crabs prodding their way around the ship. What's the harm? They aren't breaking anything."

"Are you sure that it's safe?"

"As sure as I can be. I'll just ask him to be careful."

"Well..." Rook nods, "Very well, it... he can stay."

"Thanks." He wanders back out to talk to the crab again.

Distinctive-Flow-Pattern-Disruption-Most-Pleasing-To-The-Eyes is currently hanging over the edge of the barge at the prow, examining the figurehead closely, just three claws holding it up from the rail.

Sian coughs as he approaches, just to announce his presence. "The captain is fine with you staying, and even if you bring some of your brothers along to see as well. He only requests that you be careful... your claws are rather impressive, and he naturally worries for his ship."

The elemental scuttles up the side of the ship, "Most excellent. I must thank you for allowing me to see this intriguing device, it has been an experience I shall cherish."

Sian just smiles. "No thanks needed. You saved the sailor's lives." He pauses for a moment. "Actually... do you think you could check me too? I was hit a fair bit."

"Oh, of course. Hold still..." the crabs claw plunges straight into Sian's stomach, and his flesh appears to turn to water, becoming wavy and transparent, the effect somewhat more pronounced on him than on the other sailors - a fish swims across his chest as the elemental fishes around inside him.

Sian coughs, and tries not to look.

Eventually, the crab pulls his claw from Sian, "I could not find any nuraweeshi inside you. How strange. But you are of the Chosen, so maybe that explains things." It makes a movement that could best be interpreted as a shrug.

"Mmm. Thank you." He rubs his chest a bit, feeling much better.

"I am glad to have helped, Chosen. And gladder that you have shown me this. Thank you."

Sian bows. "My cabin is a few doors down from the one I showed you, if you wish to ask questions of the captain or crew. I can translate for you."

"That won't be necessary, but thank you nonetheless. I am far more interested in the ship than the mortals," and he clambers back over the side, this time heading sternwards at some speed.

Sian just sort of smiles, and goes to clean up the ritual circle.