Grindle Family/HatherRP

Morek

Arrival in Morek

8 April 2008

Hather Grindle vomits once more. At least he's finally arrived and the ordeal is over. He gingerly steps off the cursed boat, clutching his precious book tightly. He looks at the cover of the book, then looks up to the sky, soon finding the same image in the sky as is depicted on his book.

He found them.

And how beautiful they are. So red. So...

: Arrhg-praaarth!

What was that!?

: Praaah-g-glg-gll...gl....ll......l.

Hather looks over to the huge cliffs of stone just inland, from where the sounds are coming, and finally, wrapped in strange dark green towels - only so much more majestic than towels - come five men, dragging a huge, ugly, and dead... no, not quite dead, the thing is still struggling a little bit...

Beast: Pra-g-g...laaag....ll......l....ssssssss.

Ah, yes, huge, ugly, and dead - definitely dead - beast.

Hather: Hai! [he runs over to the men] What is this thing?

One of the green towel men: Who are you?

Hather: Sir Hather Grindle, originally of Elroth. You?

Towel man: Oh, sir. [bows his head slightly] You are of noble birth, like Sir Deverka. You come from... from?

Hather: I have travelled from Atamara - from Elroth, via York. I have been following this book - which tells me of the bloodstars.

There is much nodding.

Hather: I see you are all good fighters, and native to this area?

More nodding.

Hather: Good, then I am sure you will be happy to fight under my command? I need some good men, and I can offer you far more gold than these beasts can.

Nodding stops. But only because they're tired from so much nodding.

Hather: And you have not told me what this thing is.

Nodding starts again, along with a few unrecogniseable words in description of the animal.

Hather: Ok, ok. Now, names. What are you called?

One of the towel men: We are the Seep-ko-ba, sir. We have lived here for a long, long time. The monsters have killed many of us, but we still remain here, living in Taishan and the edge of Nimh.

Another of the Seep-ko-ba: [peering at the book] You join Morek, sir?

Hather: Yes, I do. And you join me?

One of the Seep-ko-ba: Sir, I cannot. I will not leave my family or my life here.

Others of the Seep-ko-ba: I shall, sir. And me. And so will my brother, I am sure.

Hather: Very well, I shall not force you. I can only offer you gold, brandy, and excitement. I do hope you can get hold of brandy on this land - it will be expensive to have to ship it in from Elroth! Those of you, and any of your brothers or uncles, or anyone else, who wish to work for me, you will meet me back here in four hours; then we shall move to Morek, to... Taishan, to start with.

There is general agreement, and, four hours later, Hather recognises four of the five men returning. But not alone. It would seem that they have a lot of brothers and uncles. They all wear the green towels, and this time, he notices the three patches of red on them. Twenty-two of the Seep-ko-ba arrive in total, and he happily leads them into Morek.