Walkabout (Scatha & Barrett) - Samheen 25th MT

[Barrett]

All thoughts of farm and land contracts fled the Querist's mind as they at last came upon the birds that had been such a lure for him.

His senses took over as he crouched cautiously and followed the guide's direction. He wanted desperately to take out some materials for a quick sketch, but settled for making mental notes on proprtions and line.

The appearance of the second bird, in flight was particularly breathtaking and would make for an excellent illustration.

Argent. Thothos volant... or should it be against gold to represent the sunrise rather than clouds...

Afraid to speak, Barrett followed Maigin's cue in silence.

[wyrdgirluk]

Scatha looked at the birds with interest; very pretty... in a large, red bird sort of way. They were extremely bright, and Scatha could quite understand why some people would want to take their feathers for decoration, the same sort of people who would kill an animal just so that they could wear its pelt. In her opinion, pelts and feathers always looked best on their original owners. She rather hoped that Barrett wouldn't make a dash for it and try and snatch one of the impressive tail feathers, as she suspected that the Thufu might try and snatch one of his ears off in response. Scatha was still rather bemused as to why Barrett wanted to see the large red birds, but if it made him happy, then so be it.

[Brytan]

Maigin turned to the two now watching the peacefull birds behind him. He whispered: "We will move around the pool towards the tree over there." He pointed at one of the large trees they had been walking towards for the past few marks. From close up the tree looked even more impressive, standing high above the marshes with long hanging branches and roots which seemed to make up over half the tree itself above ground.

"The birds nest on the ground, if there are any nests here, best chance we will find some in the shade of the branches. Hopefully we will find what we need there."

Slowly he began making his way through the reeds, walking in a large circle around the two birds as to not disturb them.

[wyrdgirluk]

Scatha wasn't entirely sure what they were actually looking for, but whatever it was, she hoped she found it first, as that way she could get to keep it. With that in mind she followed Maigin, carfully making her way through the reeds and trying not to make any noise or sudden movements.

[Barrett]

Barrett answered with a whisper.
"I but wanted to see them for myself. If we can obtain a feather or two for me to bring back, I will be grateful. But not at the cost of endangering the birds."

True, his initial idea had been to pose as a merchant interested in the commercial prospects. But Maigin already had a clear idea that Barrett was no merchant. And, the priest doubted that he could have carried out anything as grotesque as attempting to harvest a significant quantity of feathers. Already a part of his mind was occupied with the task of a suitable story to cover the lack of product on his "mission."

He followed the guide's lead, moving with great care and patience.

[Brytan]

Barrett was correct in his assumption that Maigin knew what they were after. At least, so it seemed since their trek through the marshes had turned to a stealthy hunt for a Thufu nest. The questioning of their guide had given Maigin a pretty good idea of what his scholarly travelling companion was after.

Stealthing through a soggy marsh however turned out to be less than easy, or pleasant even. The soggy soil sucked at their feet, making all sorts of unpleasant sounds and releasing at least as unpleasant smells from the ground as they walked, it being mostly consistant of damp mud, sand and rotted plant residue. Maigin seemed to have no problem finding the good spots to stand on however, and gradually, following their guide's steps, they managed to get close to the large tree.

The soil here was drier and dense, the tree probably sucking up much of the water around it for nutrients as it was still a desert area it was trying to grow in. The birds had noticed them, despite their efforts to be as quiet as they could, but they didn't see them as a threat apparently, still staying in their places by the pool. It was easier to walk here, sheltered by the roots and branches of the large tree.

"Stay here for a moment while I look for the rest of the flock." Maigin spoke as they settled in the shade of a particularly large root. "I will also try to find you a nest to study." His voice didn't betray any sense of sarcasm and he quickly disappeared into the high reeds of the marshes while Scatha and Barrett had a little time to dry up.

[wyrdgirluk]

Scatha shook one leg in an attempt to rid it of the damp mud clinging to it. "Just like being back in Dort," she commented cheerfully. She watched Maigin disappear into the reeds, then turned her attention back to Barrett; "What exactly do you want from these birds?" she asked. "You're not going to steal their eggs, are you...?"

[Barrett]

Being able to focus on the birds and their habitat had (at least temporarily) chased away much of the concern and anxiety of his life and mission. He was fulfilling one of his spiritual obligations in a peaceful, if strange, environment.

Which meant that Scatha's inquiry brought a tolerant smile to his face. He suspected he knew her well enough not to take such statements for insult.

"Of course not, my dear."
He spoke in a low calm voice with a finger at his mouth indicating they should be as quiet as possible.
"I just wanted to see them for myself rather than know them only from other people's words and pictures. Perhaps make a few sketches, if they permit it, and gather a feather or two that has already been shed."

"Observe how they relate to each other."
Barrett had, in fact, managed to retrieve a few scraps of parchment and a stylus from somewhere and was hurriedly filling in the basic lines of birds and trees.
"Do you think we may have disturbed a lovers' rendezvous?"

[wyrdgirluk]

Scatha looked around in bemusement; "I don't think so," she said eventually. "Besides, it's hardly the place for it, is it? Everything would get soggy, if you catch my drift. Mind you, some people don't mind things like that - look at Daisy Applebottom, she went behind the cow sheds with the judges for the Midsummer Queen. The smell must have been dreadful. And the cow sheds weren't very nice, either." She grinned mischeviously at Barrett; "Speaking of lovers, I bet you'll be glad to get back to the Citadel, and your lady friend that serves the Duke. What was her name again?"

[Barrett]

"Who? Thavia? Intriguing, and I suspect more there than meets the eye. But hardly my type."
The scholar did not take his eyes from the birds and swamp to reply.
"Ah, well. There was a rather graphic account of their courting dance. I had hoped to verify."
There, that simple symmetrical angle of beak and crest and neck... and the reflection of that mossy trunk...

[Brytan]

After several burns, in which Scatha and Barrett had gotten some time to rest their feet from the long trek through the marshes, and some shadow from the branches of the large tree, Maigin appeared again from roughly the same spot as he had disappeared into some moments before. He seemed content with his findings as he spoke with a reassuring tone in his voice.

"The flock is still a ways away. Apparently they have been here for a while since there are quite a few nests hidden in the reeds, with several older ones a bit further along the river. I'm quite sure we will be able to get close enough for your studies."

[wyrdgirluk]

"You go ahead and look at bird's nests," Scatha said cheerfully. "I'm sure they will be very interesting. If no-one minds, I'll just sit here and pick mud off my trousers, and scratch the midge bites. You go off and enjoy yourself." With that, Scatha sat down - somewhat squelchily - and began to pick the dried mud off her trousers. There was just so much to think about; even if she had the money to buy the land, there would be all the things that needed doing before she could bring cattle to graze. Food and water until the house is built. A tent to sleep until the house is built. A horse and cart to bring the wood and nails and hammers to build the house. A man to build the house. The same man to build the fences. Clearing the land of anything bad, like wolves or boar or dragons. Making sure there was a constant supply of water, for man and beast alike. Horses to let you herd the cattle. Hay and tack and stable for the horses. All that, before you brought the beasts to the farm... Scatha pursed her lips thoughtfully; I'm going to need help. Someone to build the house for starters, someone to cook and clean, someone to help herd and tend the cattle. But I can't the only one wanting a new home, a new life... A sudden thought struck her; perhaps there would be a family looking to settle somewhere, a man and his wife and their children. The man could build and help me tend, and the woman could cook and clean. I provide the money and the land, and they provide the labour... Her eyes widened at the possibilities, and she resolved to pick Barrett's immense brain as soon as he'd got back from his birds...

[Barrett]

Barrett looked up from his preliminary sketch and quickly tucked it back into his writing kit.
"Ah, yes. The nests. And you're certain our presence won't disrupt their breeding?"

Thothos or thufu, mating habits, diet, physiology, life cycle, nesting, environmental relationships... Data made its way through the Querist's analytical processes, cross-referencing with known material and new experience, the physical and mnemonic stimuli synthesizing a new, revised, more thorough format of the data.

His brow furrowed slightly as he was certain that Scatha and he should remain together. But she did have a tendency to muck up the investigative process and she seemed uninterested in the current venture.

Trying to combine sensible careful movement with his desire to get as little mud on his materials as possible, Barrett followed Maigin's lead. Fleetingly, he made connection with a thought that had been buried in his head by the bird data.
"We should handle this as briefly as practical. For I have a manner of investigation I wish to attempt at the site of the violence you described as well."

[Brytan]

As Barrett and Maigin walked, they passed the large tree and swiftly came upon a wider stream. Obviously this was one of the main waterflows through the area as it ran quite a lot faster than the rest of the waters they had waded through on their trek here. It was also a lot broader and as they walked Maigin took care to point out safe locations to Barrett for him to stand on several occasions. The ground was drenched, and covered with puddles that were most likely much deeper than they seemed on first glance. Barrett had an increasingly hard time to keep his clothing dry.

"We'll be looking at some abandoned nests downstream. The flock is over there." Maigin pointed across the water. Nothing could be seen on the other end of the flow, save dense reeds and a lot more mud. He seemed to know what he was talking about as he didn't waver in his determination to lead Barrett away from the location he pointed out.

"It'll be up to you to determine what is practical." He continued. "Take what time you require. We have to watch the tides though, which do have some play this far south." He seemed to hesitate a little at the request of visiting the scene of the attack. "We...can go around a bit on the way back and go to the general area of where he was supposedly found if you want to."

Maigin from that moment on seemed to sink into solemn silence, contemplating Barrett's reasons perhaps. This continued for several burns, until he stopped after passing through some particularly dense reedgrowth to uncover the remains of a rather large birds nest. Partially washed away by the water, the reeds it was made up of brown and rigid, they stood at the edge of a Thothos nest.

[Barrett]

Satisfied that he had captured both sufficient sketch and memory of the tableau of living birds, Barrett proceeded across stream and mud with care. All the while, new data was being collected. The variety of reeds and plant life. The sounds of water and insects. Small fish and animal signs. He did not have the experience to identify or interpret some of what he saw and heard, but he was determined to make sense of what he could and save the rest for later follow-up.

His walking assumed a new pattern as each step was preceded by a "test step" to make sure he did not take a tumble or accidentally submerge himself in one of the holes. The steps made a pattern, as the path was analyzed by one portion of his mind to see if it could be used to predict the relationship of deep puddles and safe ground. This modeling informed his choice of test steps in an attempt to travel more efficiently. Errors and successes were taken into account to update the modeling calculations...

Maigin did not seem enthused at Barrett's secondary goal. The words "where he was supposedly found" troubled the Querist; but, they also reflected an uncertainty in his own mind. One that drove him to seek some confirmation of the villagers' story. And, if Barrett's suspicions about the nature of magick in Amun Rah were correct, there just might be a small chance of his experiment working out.

The Thothos nest was a revelation. Even abandoned it provided much information about the former occupants. Building materials, manner of construction, food and waste remnants - all added up to a picture of the complexity of the birds' homebuilding and dietary habits. Perhaps there were elements of the design - camouflage or irritants - meant to deter predators. Shell remnants might indicate size and number of the Thothos eggs...

And of course, there were the feathers (or so Barrett hoped). His eyes picked through the assembled materials for those all-important bits of evidence. His case against an assassin could only benefit from material evidence. And there might even be someone skeptical enough to insist that an alchemist confirm that such a poison was even possible. Most importantly (although he would not have admitted his priorities were such) the scholar wanted one as a keepsake to remind him of this exceptional journey.

[wyrdgirluk]

Scatha picked the worst bits of mud from her trousers and boots, the examined her fingernails; enough earth under them to plant a sack of potatoes. She extracted the middle sized, all purpose knife from its leather casing, and deftly picked the dirt out. It was a good knife, sharp and bright; a different design from those made in Dort, but ideal for her purposes. Scatha sat and thought some more; perhaps Barrett is right. Perhaps I need to get some experience on a farm first... no. She shook her head; she'd spent 16 years growing up on a farm, helping her father and brothers, and felt pretty certain that she knew enough to get by. The tiara would provide the money; all she needed was the land, and the labour. She resolved to look into both of those matters as soon as she got back to the Citadel...

[Brytan]

As Scatha pondered her options after having picked several chunks of mud off of her brand new trousers, Barrett and Maigin had come upon a nest which was clearly Thothos. The first thing that gave it away was the size. Hidden between the reeds and covered in dirt, the nest spanned a good meter in diameter. The second was the material it was made up of. Reeds from the surrounding swamp being the main ingredient, as Barrett examined the nest he uncovered clay, twigs from the trees they had been resting under, and even some scraps of manmade materials. Probably pieces of cloth or the remains of baskets that had washed up from upstream, towards the city.

Barrett uncovered a variety of objects as he picked and prodded through the old nest. Egg shells from at least two rather sizeable eggs, aswell as dried up bird droppings. No feathers on first glance, but as he prodded around and scraped some washed over mud he found several small feathers which seemed to be pink in colour, almost down like. As he worked, Maigin was looking around aswell, not very interested in the nest.

"AH, BY UPHURON!"

He had seemed distracted by thought and at one point, while walking around almost anxiously, he seemed to have stepped on something sharp which had been embedded in the soggy mud around the nest. Maigin was quick to pull it out. A rather large pin, covered in soggy mud, was what he held in his hand. Maigin was about to cast it aside when Barrett noticed a glimpse of bright red beneath the mud...

[wyrdgirluk]

Scatha heard a cry; a man's voice, and it sounded like Maigin. She scrambled to her feet, knife held ready, and then made her way cautiously towards the origin of the voice. Whoever it is, they not concerned about keeping themselves heard, judging by the amount of splashing they're doing...

[Barrett]

Barrett made use of his new reed gathering basket, picking at the bits of debris and collecting a few promising specimens. Some bits of shell, the feathers, a carefully wrapped bird dropping for later analysis...

Maigin's exclamation seemed rather uncharacteristic for an experienced guide. It drew the priest’s full attention.
“Ah, let me see that...?”

He reached carefully for the offending object and then focused on the spot of red beneath the mud to see just what the guide had uncovered.

(OOC: My apologies. Grueling work schedule... )

[Brytan]

Maigin recomposed himself quickly, obviously slightly embarrased at his not too subtle outburst. He handed the pin to Barrett after which he quickly checked his foot for any sign of injury, and then the rest of the ground for any more pins. He pulled out another, slightly larger version from under the nest and looked at it himself while Barrett investigated the larger version.

The pin was indeed quite long, about half an arm's length, covered in mud which was still soggy. As Barrett carefully removed some of the mud around the spot of red which had drawn his attention, he uncovered more red. The fibers of the large feather sticking to each other from the wet mud it had been preserved in for some time. Maigin's feather was not as covered in mud, but badly damaged. Broken in half where it had gotten caught underneath the nest, fibers missing and discoloured.

Scatha came upon the men only burns later.

[Barrett]

"Thank you Maigin, you have uncovered the missing pieces for which I was looking."

Wonder and dismay created an awkward mix of expressions on the Dortman's face. Here were the feathers he sought. But they hardly looked the trophies he had hoped to bring home. Still, he handled them with the greatest of care.

... a little washing and a fine brush might restore this one a bit. And either should be valid for a test of physical properties.

"Hmm... well, I'd hoped for something a bit cleaner, but these will have to do. It does not seem wise to venture into occupied territory - for either the birds' or our health. Perhaps we can rinse these a bit in the stream..."

He still hadn't quite explained why he wanted the feathers, which was just as well as he didn't wish to bring up the subject of potential poisons and arouse any further suspicion on the guide's part. Although it might be wise to ask about the means of transforming the harmless feather into a poison with some of the elders... But that would require that Barrett gain their trust which would take too much time. And there was no guarantee that the obscure combination of toxins was even known locally.

"Ah, Lady Scatha. I believe that we have what we need from this spot. Maigin has offered to next take us near the scene of the violent story he related to us this morning. Unless there's anything more you wanted to explore here?"

[wyrdgirluk]

Scatha peered down at the muddy mess in Barrett's hands; "That's it? We came all this way for that?" She pursed her lips; "You could have picked a good one, rather than one that was all muddy," she remarked, slipping the knife back into its sheath. "And what was all the noise about?"

[Brytan]

"I apologise milady, I...lost my composure for a moment." Maigin looked thoroughly distraught by either that little event, or by something that went a bit deeper. He looked around, as if to gather his bearings.
"It seems the birds didn't much mind though, we are far enough removed from the flock."

The tracker regained some of his cool and looked around, taking into account their current surroundings to gain a position in the swamps which seemed remarkably similar to every bit of swamp they had been in so far, apart from the broad stream which still fed water to the desert in this area. "I am glad I was able to provide you with the information you needed." He adressed Barrett. "We will trek back to the area I mentioned earlier when you are ready."

Maigin seemed to stall. He checked his gear several times, awaiting Barrett and Scatha's reaction. He peered over the reeds in the general direction of where they had come from, a frown on his face which was covered still by the turban. Clear enough to see though. This was the face of a troubled man.

[wyrdgirluk]

Scatha pursed her lips; Maigin had been the very model of compsure and self assurance on the journey here, yet as soon as you put him near a nest he seemed as worried as her aunt Etain when she found out that rats were nibbling her bottom drawer. Perhaps he didn't like birds. There was a boy in Kittywich that had a mortal fear of chickens, especially when Scatha stuffed them down the back of his breeches, so perhaps Maigin's concern was understandable. "You look worried," she said soothingly. "Is there any reason to be...?"

[Barrett]

One objective accomplished, and with the added benefit of exposure to the birds in their natural habitat, the Querist was able to wrest his mind away from the bigger picture for a flicker. Perhaps it was simple timing, or perhaps it was the tone in Maigin's voice... but something was definitely not right.

He fears or disapproves of my plan to investigate the story further? Or is there something wrong here?

Barrett let his senses guide him in an attempt to notice any warning signs in the environment. Changes in temperature, noises, sudden silences or movement of the reeds. Despite his lack of experience at reading the swamp, his experience at reading people led him to conclude that there must be something notable to cause the guide's discomfort.

Unless it really is the idea of visiting the site of the elder's death? In which case Scatha is more likely to get a straight answer...

Concern apparent in his own features, the Dortman watched and listened for Maigin’s response.