The Master Of Zooz

[TheTerminator2004]

ooc> sorry for the delay in replying, my internet's curently down, so I couldn't- I'm wriing this using my grandparents dialup internet atm.

 

Jonan hungrily takes a biscuit, and eats it in a single bite. Taking another, he ate it more slowly, thinking.

 

Presently, his curiosity overcame him. "So why did they want to seperate all the countries? I can't think of any possible reason why they would find such an extreme measure necessary... I can only imagine the problems it ould cause."

[Malchik]

OOC> tiax has been without internet connection for a week he should be posting shortly

 

On topic

 

"War. Four neighbouring nations were involved - Dayone, Niyobi, Jourtres and Tagfier. There was devasation in all of them, huge loss of life. The Grand Wizardmaster at the time saw no way to prevent annihilation of at least two of the dimensions any other way. The other dimensions were not consulted but all were exhausted and near collapse. I doubt if they would have objected.

 

Dayone was a small country and its neighbours were, in one way or another, more powerful. Dayone's big advantage was that they were technologically far advanced. But the country is almost devoid of mineral resources and to manufacture their weaponry they were obliged to rely on imports from Niyobi. The two countries disliked each other so these were not always forthcoming. So the Dayoneans trumped up an excuse that the Niyobian ruler was too evil to be allowed to live and attacked that country. But they reckoned without the other two neighbours. The Jourtresi were always opportunists and seeing that they could raid and plunder freely, as the other nations were tied up in their war, they started attacking both Dayone and Niyobi.

 

The Jourtresi armoury was nothing compared to Dayone but their fighting force was far more ruthless and skilled in guerilla warfare.

 

Niyobi, seeing their country doomed without aid, called on support from Tagfier. And the Dayoneans had made a serious miscalculation. The Niyobian ruling elite had so ruthlessly suppressed magic in Niyobi, the Dayoneans believed there was none. When defeat seemed inevitable suddenly magic was the only answer and Niyobi had shape-changers and farseers who could look into the future.

 

When it was discovered that Tagfieran magic did not work in Jourtres the whole thing became a chaotic nightmare.

 

Such ruthless action as splitting the dimensions was probably the only way to end it all."

[tiaxanderson]

((Yeah sorry for the delay, since I was free from school I was able to do much more other stuff then just sit at school working and fooling around on the internet and sit at home working and fooling around on the Internet, it just didn't really occur to me to go reply in forums and stuff. Also, due to some luck, I was free yesterday too. But I'm here now and I will be at school tomorrow as well. Maybe Friday too.))

 

"Good to know you, Lyto" Kyra replied. "And what might be your name?" Kyra looked at Tiax, then locked her eyes on Tiax's eyes, keeping her expressions as friendly as possible. "Of course we'll have to trust each other if we're going to travel together" Kyra added.

 

"Not necessarily, but it would be a pro. Besides, travelling becomes much more enjoyable when you know and can trust each other."

 

Tiax returned Kyra's friendly expression with a smile, stepped foreward and offered her his hand as a friendly greeting.

 

"My name would be Tiax, nice to meet you Kyra."

 

((Sorry, it's a bit short))

[TheTerminator2004]

"Wow," exclaimed Jonan, "It seems there is so much I didn't know... But it does begin to make sense now... Thank you for explaining it all to me. I guess I should go and find these others, and see what they can tell me. Do you know where they might be?" His last words were almost drowned out by a sleepy yawn. "But maybe I should rest first..."

[Malchik]

OOC> To save too much repetition let us assume that the group on the beach has returned to their lodgings and met Jonan. More about back stories can come out later. You have to choose what to do next. You can steal the sword from the museum or leave that until you come back to return Costanta's bones. You can go to Antinapura to get her bones. You can go to Akitaron or Zooz to see if you can learn about the two missing swords or you can travel to the south to find the Child of Healing.

 

So look at the map and decide then I will move you directly there.

 

As there is no currently acknowledged leader I suggest you each suggest a destination and we'll see if there is consensus.

 

Could Jonan and Kyra look at the post in the Drunken Alligator thread and reply there.

[phawk69]

occ> I'm not sure how we found out Costanta's bones are at Antinapura. I don't remember her telling us that.

 

ic> T'skar looks at the rest. "Would it seem logical to head to Zooz, then Antinapura, then south to find the Child of Healing, coming back here via Akitaron?" she whisper conspiratorially, "We don't want to raise any more suspicion here than necessary as it seems we will need to return, so I for one vote we don't steal the sword here until we are ready to leave town for the last time." She waits for each to voice their opinion.

[Malchik]

OOC> I thought it was mentioned earlier when the Skull Temple was being discussed but perhaps I got it wrong. Nikishatra would have known.

 

Other posters - any opinions on where to go next.

[Abramul]

"That looks like a decent route. What, exactly, do we know of the Child's location?"

[TheTerminator2004]

I agree that'd be the best route... stealing the sword would attract too much attention, it'd make doing everything else a lot harder, so that should definitely be the last thing we do.

[Malchik]

OOC>Since there is already majority consensus I'll move you to Zooz. It is a slighly complicated route and you end up on the river Gurjana sailing west to the Zooz landing stage.

 

On topic

 

The river Gurjana flows at a level a couple of hundred feet above Zooz. (See later Blue Guide entry for reasons.) The view from the landing stage is a carpet of green leaves, the lacy tops of Jacaranda trees. There are no apparent clearings and in only three places do building breach the canopy. The sun is shining out of a clear blue sky and it is extremely hot. Small horse-drawn chaises take passengers into the town. Once beneath the trees their shade is cooling. Also all roads have a conduit of running water in the centre and sometimes also at the sides that is pumped and recycled 24 hours a day to add mositure to the dry air. All the buildings you see initially are one storey and new looking. There are no shanty towns visible. The chaise deposits you on one side of a large tree-shaded square with a grass surrounded lake in the centre. The lake is small enough that the trees planted in the grass completely shade it. Small children are using boats on it and others are riding in wooden carts pulled by dogs. The eastern side of the main square, where you are, is lined with lodging houses. The nearest is called 'Happy Days' and a woman in a bright sari is standing outside the entrance smiling at you. Other adults are supervising the children. Across the square you can just about make out through the trees a building that seems 'official'.

 

Extract from the Blue Guide to Bashkher - The Zooz depression

 

By a quirk of geomorphology, as the river Gurjana snakes its way through the mountains it passes the Zooz depression, an area some distance below the level of the river. The extremely hard rocks from which the mountains are made contrive to act as natural levees containing the flow. These days they are also reinforced but even so, once every ten years or so the river overflows its banks and floods the depression. The city has adequate warning to evacuate and lives are seldom lost but it has made Zooz an unusual place.

 

In the flood everything above ground is destroyed. The complex sewerage and water cooling systems are protected and there are a number of hermetically sealed cellars that survive but everything else has to be rebuilt. It makes the place seem perpetually 'new'.

 

For reasons no one can explain there is an old superstition in Bashkher that if you die in Zooz you return as a cockroach. As Zooz is by far the cleanest of Bashkher's cities it actually has far fewer of these insects than any other place but the superstition remains.

 

Visitors to Zooz will find that there is little to see that is particularly interesting. Although it is the smallest of the cities it still boasts over 1 million inhabitants and so has a fair level of entertainment to keep a businessman occupied in the evenings if travelling for commercial reasons. However tourists might find it hard to keep themselves occupied for long during the day. The place is restful but rather dull. Even the temples and offices are so regularly rebuilt ornamentation is minimal.

 

The City Hall contains information and personnel that can tell you about what is going on locally.

 

The map makes it clear that the City Hall is the building you can see across the square.