Tales from Aeos: Voyage of the Telodora

TALES FROM AEOS:

Voyage of the Telodora

The Telodora was the best airship that money could buy. Or rent, as that happened to be the case with her illustrious glory. She was a fine ship, gilded with gold and gleaming with brilliance. Her engineers had been the finest craftsmen. Part of her construction had even utilized a newer draw—the infamous ‘technology’ that some alchemists and so-called scientists were using in favor of the temperamental spirits that walked Aeos’ lands. But the ship—oh the ship—she was beautiful enough to make a man swoon. Her wood was a lovely dun color, as she’d been crafted from the finest thuralan trees grown in Tiverann. Her keel was gilded with thin layers of gold, as were her gunports, the railing around each of her decks, and just about every edge visible to the naked eye from afar. Even her envelope, that wonderful balloon filled with tamed air spirits, was patterned to be pleasing to the eye.

The Telodora sat docked in Thalea, the capitol of the human country known as Aldrar. It was almost a crime to see her bound to a dock with heavy chains, but it was an injustice that witnesses would have to abide a few hours longer. The Telodora was being refitted for a new journey. A long journey. A voyage that one particular passenger hoped would be something to etch down in history.

Autumn approached the ship. Not the season, but a brown-haired girl with eyes the color of leaves in the fall. She had freckles on her fair-skinned face and a brown cloak hanging about her shoulders to help ward off the cool morning air. Around her neck was a silver chain with a star-shaped, white gem of some sort set in a round pendant. She absently kept ahold of this gem as she walked toward the Telodora. It was clear she was nervous by the quickness of her step, but there was also excitement in her eyes. She strode toward the edge of the dock, nearing the gangplank of the Telodora.
Here, Autumn paused to glance off the edge of the dock. Immediately she regretted this decision. It was a dizzying way down to the city streets. This docking tower had been constructed years and years ago specifically for airships, and had required many practiced masons and constructive spirits to do so. It was sturdy. The sturdiest thing in all of Aldrar, probably, but Autumn couldn’t stop imagining it all tipping over one day because some hungry sentient had eaten one too many meat pies.

Autumn forced herself to look away and paused at the edge of the gangplank. Her eyes tried to pick out the captain of the ship among the hustle and bustle of a crew preparing to leave. He wasn’t that hard to spot.

The captain was Tivish. Tivish were great, big people, built like bears, but with shorter snouts and long fluffy tails. Their pelts often bore geometric markings as well, especially on the face and backside. Despite their rather fearsome appearances, most of the Tivish that Autumn had met were relaxed people. They did have some bearish personality qualities. They liked to eat and sleep, especially during the wintertime. Fortunately, it was summer in Aeos.

“Permission to come aboard, Captain Inigo?” Autumn called to the Tivish barking orders around.

The Tivish turned his big bear head toward Autumn. His fur was a reddish color, leaning more toward true red than orange. He was splattered with darker, thick stripes on his limbs, tail, and face. He smiled. It was a terrifying sight for anyone unprepared to see a mouthful of pointy teeth, but Autumn had seen this particular Tivish smile many times. He strode over and dipped his head in greeting. “You may come aboard,” he granted, reaching out with one bear-paw-hand to help her. He was mindful of his claws.

Autumn took his hand happily and let herself be guided aboard. Once safely over the gangplank, she let out a subtle sigh. Now at least if the tower crumbled she’d be safely suspended on an airship… or so she told herself.

“What is that old human saying?” Captain Inigo asked. “Isn’t it bad luck to bring women aboard?”

Autumn snorted. “No one says that anymore.”

“You humans always did have strange superstitions,” the Tivish replied. “Things like luck. Very strange indeed.”

“Not that strange,” Autumn countered. She suddenly tackled the seven-foot-tall bear-man into a hug. “It’s good to see you, Arran!”

The captain laughed and hugged her gently. “Good to see you too, Autumn.” He waited patiently for her to release him and then stood up straight. A few of the crewmembers had stopped their duties to stare at the display of affection, but a single cold stare from the captain’s icy eyes sent them scrambling back to their chores. “Might have to hold off on the hugs,” Arran spoke, looking down at Autumn. “It’ll make this lot think I’ve gone soft.”

Autumn giggled. “Sorry, I’ll try to refrain.” She glanced about the deck, marveling at how clean it all was despite the bustling feet. It seemed the Telodora was well taken care of. She looked back to her Tivish friend. “Are you going to introduce me to the crew?”

“I suppose that’s only prudent,” Captain Inigo responded. He cleared his throat and belted out a few choice words. “You lot! Gather everyone worth a title on the main deck for inspection!” He then turned and looked at a small, wispy figure that had materialized front and center. “Cabin boy,” he ordered, “take the lady’s things to her quarters and then go tell everyone belowdecks to show their faces to the sun. Captain’s orders!”

The cabin boy nodded and then scurried off with Autumn’s luggage in his wispy hands. After delivering her things to a smaller room within the captain’s quarters, he slipped belowdecks to gather anyone that might not have heard the captain’s call for inspection.

Slowly making his way from the airship’s mess hall and galley area, the cook of the Telodora was a strange sight for anyone who had not traveled beyond the borders of Aldrar. Having specifically made the journey away from the dense, untamed wilderness of his native country of Gu’ran just for the sake of the voyage, Ezur Drawkin belonged to a race that was seldom seen anywhere else. The Dorhik, known for having less technology compared to any other society, preferred to harmonize with spirits that commanded the natural world, and kept to themselves. They were a peaceful race, albeit in possession of many strange practices and customs, all for the sake of communing with the ethereal beings that made their lives possible. To see one on an airship working as a cook was already strange, not even taking into account that Ezur could easily be the first Dorhik anyone had ever encountered.

Dorhiks, though friendly, had somewhat frightening appearances. Looming over humans at a height of 7’2”, Ezur was a good foot taller than most human males, and covered in dense, leathery scales that in many places would protrude or rise up like spikes, reminiscent of a snapping turtle, especially along the shoulders and lower arms and legs. Although he possessed no shell, his stomach was covered in plate-like armor, and huge, triangular scales that were as hard as bone came from his back. A short tail that was covered in crocodile-like spines trailed behind. Plate-like scales covered the fingers on his hands and toes, and each digit was tipped by a long, thick nails that looked very sharp. With mottled, grey-black and green skin, Ezur possessed darker colors than many of his kin. Although he seemed to wear a smile on his face, his mouth was primarily a large, thick beak, which one could tell at a glance would probably bite down with enough force to sever bone.

This monstrous individual, however, was clearly a cook, if his uniform wasn’t enough information. With the soft grey chef’s jacket that pulled over to the side and buttoned with black straps and brass buttons, Ezur kept his sleeves rolled up above the elbow, where more straps kept the cuffs up, revealing the inside of the sleeves possessed a muted, mint-green stripe pattern. Plain black work pants accented this uniform, hole cut for his tail, although Ezur did not wear shoes; perhaps because nothing quite worked with Dorhik feet. Over this attire he had an apron with the same striped pattern as the interior of his sleeves. One could say that he looked very professional in his uniform, and had managed to choose colors and patterns that complimented his natural appearance very well.

Around Ezur’s neck, a thick black chord overlapped his uniform, and was adorned with what seemed to be many kinds of charms and talismans, beginning with a leaf-like shape in the center, followed by acorns, pinecones, a waterfall-like charm, some sort of crystal, a small sanddollar, and what looked like something formed of copper and pearls to resemble a bird’s nest. Each charm on the talisman was separated from each other by beads of different type of woods, and carved into a tooth-like shape that gave the necklace a clear center. Despite the large number of things on Ezur’s neck, the overall effect did not seem to be a set of totems that weighed much; they were rather small compared to his body, and it seemed that they did not dangle very low; perhaps a clear precaution for someone working around ovens or any kind of fire. No doubt, this set of charms was important to Ezur, and it was not strange for a Dorhik to carry charms with him, for the sake of pleasing spirits.

The Dorhik emerged from below and onto the deck, where the other crewmates were gathering and took his place in the inspection line, eyes sparking a vivid blue-green that seemed like they gave off a light of their own. His entire person seemed to give off an aura of joy.

The massive Dorhik chef, lumbering out from below deck, provided just enough cover for a much smaller passenger to slip by unseen, and more importantly, unmolested. One might think that for a Vesphomin, being bothered wouldn’t be an issue in the first place, but Laylin Wiss had soon learned that to not be true.

Vesphomin had earned something of a… reputation. They were said to be scheming thieves and spies by the more suspicious of folk, and yet at the same time said to be uncivilized, brutish savages by others. Everyone had heard some horror story or another of a traveler passing through a Vesphomin clan’s lands, only to be assaulted, robbed, and left for dead. Or worse. Whichever way one chose to look at it, there seemed to be an underlying feeling among many that Vesphomin were fundamentally unfit for a civilized life. Their size, their shape, their eyes, their limbs, their wings - they were all features of a race that were too radically different to just fit in.

Wiss, thankfully, had found much if not all of the crew of the Telodora to be agreeable, at least on the surface. Besides, he had most of the engineer’s duties all to himself, including radio duties. He would never have to be in contact with another crew member for too long, and his voice didn’t sound particularly Vesphomin over the radio. As far as he concerned, he had earned himself the job of a lifetime.

Wiss, in fact, was ecstatic about it.

Anyone particularly wary of Vesphomin would be surprised to see him where he was, on the deck with the rest of the crew. Strange, too, was his appearance; though his exoskeleton negated the strict need for clothing, he wore trinkets of his own, including a small chain link wrapped around his neck, and several cloth bands wrapped around each of his four arms - they appeared to be bandages. Most notable was a maroon red tattoo on his forehead between his antennae, seeming to depict some stylization of the sun.

He didn’t stay still for long. Fluttering his wings, Wiss buzzed as far to the end of the quickly-forming line as possible, taking special care to ensure he wasn’t trampled in the commotion updeck. Standing at attention - as tall as he could for a five-inch creature - he peered towards the captain and his human companion with what appeared to be a curious expression. He couldn’t lie to himself: given recent events, human strangers always tended to make him nervous. It was only fitting, he supposed.

Just behind Wiss, and a good deal more obvious by size alone, a lizard-like being slipped out of the shadows. A Rizem, a race which had only recently become involved with the others, after they had been discovered in the middle of a desert some years ago. So far they had attained a reputation as being somewhat savage, as they reminded some people of animals a bit more than anything sentient, and certainly they were behind the other races in both magic and technology. Still, their penchant for telekinesis had given them some distinction, and they were making an effort to integrate themselves into the larger society of the world.

Ves Axerii was a testament to these attempts, having signed herself on to the first airship that would take her, and made her way up from there as the opportunity presented itself. Supposedly, she was learning about the customs, abilities, and technology of other races, so that she could relay the information to her people, but since she left she had made no effort to get in contact with them at all.

She had a short, dark blue cape tied around her neck and draped across her shoulders. It was weighed down by all manner of small trinkets, pebbles and coins mainly, sewn around the edges, and jingled quietly as she moved. As she came into the sunlight, the thick scales on her back slowly shifted from a dark brown to a pale tan color. She sat down near Wiss, dropping her tail to the side, behind him, with a clatter of the loose scales at the end of it, as if to warn the others of his presence. Settled, Ves stretched her neck up a little higher and fixed orange eyes on the human who they had apparently been called up to meet, waiting to find out what this was about.

Slowly emerging from behind the arriving crew, a young woman in her mid-twenties split off, staying in close proximity to any nearby wall or pillar, and seemingly tucking herself into the shadows that objects cast; as if wanting to avoid being seen. Her wavy, ashen-brown hair had been chopped so short that it spiked in many random directions; it was so short that it seemed more as if she had at one point shaved herself bald, and now it was merely growing out. Her face was moon-shaped with high cheekbones, making the expression of her pale, silver eyes seem like the gaze of an owl. The small, minute array of cuts on her face seemed to suggest she did much activity outside and had been slashed by branches or brambles, but her skin tone, overall, was pale. Her frame was slender and her height was perhaps 5’6”.

Katora, a jack-of-all-trades in a sense, was a naturalist with incredible skill in scientific illustration. Whether it was a bird or a fish, insect or plant, she could draw a specimen with anatomically-correct details, to-scale, with such vivid colors resembling the live organism that it seemed as though they would lift away from the pages. Dressed in a tan-grey button-up long-sleeve shirt lined with pockets, and a matching pair of trousers that ended with sturdy-looking brown boots, she could have been mistaken for a crewmember at a glance from her attire, versus a passenger. The brown belt tied at her waist held the sheath of some sort of dagger, and the small amount of hair on her head was tied back in a green checked rag. Her hands and forearms revealed by the rolled-up cuffs of her sleeves, while delicate, were covered in a crisscross of scars, sustained from handling brambles, the sharp mandibles of insects, and many other things. A particularly nasty-looking set of bite marks from something larger seemed to disfigure her right arm. Her fingernails were incredibly short, with ink of multiple colors smeared underneath them, impossible to remove.

Katora briefly made eye contact with the Dorhik cook, Ezur, and the two exchanged a smile that suggested they knew one another. Indeed, one thing they had in common, Katora, similar to Ezur, was wearing a dark chord strung with charms of varying kinds around her neck, divided by tooth-like wooden beads. Katora’s talismans, however, seemed to feature symbols of other things; a raindrop, a gust of wind, a maple seed, a beetle, a swirl of water, and a butterfly. The center of Katora’s talisman strand was a leaf-shape, but off to one corner a silver-green cat’s eye stone was centered, reflecting the light with a slit-like pupil. Surely the arrangement of charms was similar, but they likely meant very different things. Katora’s necklace was also much smaller, with tinier charms that fit the human’s neck far better.

Seeing her Dorhik friend patiently waiting in the line-up of crew members, Katora folded her arms and leaned against one of the walls that held doors leading below deck. She eyed the new human arrival curiously; it had been a good number of years since Katora had met humans that were not somehow related to her by blood.

Amongst the scurrying of the crew, a tall human came from the other end of the deck. He was a lanky six feet and seven inches, so a rather tall human indeed. His outfit looked more akin to that of a sailor, even fit with his old sailor's cap from when he was captain at sea. He wore a navy blue coat that smelled like it had been floating in the ocean for at least a month, which, for all that it's worth, might smell good to some people. The coat had only two buttons fastened together, leaving much of his white undershirt visible underneath. He had next to no muscle mass, and walked with a subtle strut that would only raise questions about how his knees worked. His skin was so pale that it almost seemed to be a light gray.

He came up to the line of crew members, taking a fair amount of time to arrive in line. He was in no hurry, which seemed to offset his alert expression. His hands seemed to come out of his pockets rather rarely. The only times they ever were out of his pockets was to scratch his five o'clock shadow.

A rather blue (but not in spirit) individual took a moment to realize the command to gather with the crew, yet the realization was clear by how her pointy ears perked up.

With an excited pace, Rivry stepped up, her lightly glowing yellow eyes studying everything and everyone around her. Much like the other Krei, plenty was unfamiliar and new to her.

Unlike most of the Krei, she found that to be a good thing.

Her tail swished left and right as she wrote down her curiosities. The brief moment she took to think made it still, the tail tipped in a feather shape. When the ink flowed, her tail resumed its movement. Despite her overall infernal appearance, what with the burning horns and sharp overbite, Rivry was a cheerful being, that smile of hers staying since she first boarded the ship. It was common for her kind to be a bit shy, especially with other races, though the Krei youth had been much more sociable than its previous generations, and she was not too different from that rising trend.

Closing the journal in her hand, she brought her phantom hand to her chin, receiving no burns even with the fiery look it had.

As the crewmembers lined up, Autumn half-hid herself behind her Tivish friend. Captain Inigo watched his crew with scrutinizing eyes, but didn’t speak. For an uncomfortable minute he examined their lineup, pacing from the head of the line to the end with his hands tucked behind his back. Everyone was present and accounted for—that was good. He wouldn’t take any lolly-gagging on his ship.

In a gruff, commanding voice—it was obvious this was not Captain Inigo’s first voyage—he proceeded to introduce each crewmember by their full name and rank to Autumn. He missed introducing the Vesphomin on accident, but quickly spotted the small sentient and corrected himself. When he was finished, he took a step back and stood near the center of the line.

“Listen up,” the Captain said, maintaining his growly, no-nonsense approach. He gestured at the girl at his side. “This here is Autumn Tellen. She is our resident sorceress for this voyage, and despite her age, she is quite capable.” He offered he crew a faint smile, displaying his pointy teeth. “She also happens to be the daughter of the man funding this voyage… so impressing her might reflect well on your paychecks. Just in case that’s any incentive for you lot.” He turned to Autumn. “Is there anything you’d like to say?”

Autumn stepped up a bit nervously. “It’s very nice to meet you all,” she said. “If you have any magical questions you can direct them to me—I can probably answer them for you.” She paused, glancing briefly back up at the Tivish captain. “I must say you all look like a fine, capable crew. I look forward to our journey together and to getting to know you.” Then she stepped back, deferring back to Arran Inigo.

The Captain took on a more relaxed stance. “You may return to your duties,” he said. “Or, if your preparations for departure are complete, feel free to move about the ship. I have some permit issues to clear up with the port authority before we’ll be leaving. Consider this… break time.” He offered one last smile and then walked away, leaving the crew to their own devices for a few minutes.

As soon as the captain disappeared, Ezur ran over and scooped Katora up into his arms in a massive hug, “You, where have you been? I haven’t seen you since we boarded the ship!” He said, delighted. Given the size difference between the two, being hugged by a Dorhik meant that the woman was completely lifted off the ground. Katora seemed equally happy to be hugged by Ezur, but perhaps out of a desire to remain dignified, fought to keep a frown on her face.

“Glad to see you too Ezur, now…please put me down?” Although her voice was quieter, she had the same, drawling accent as individual hugging her.

“Oh, sorry!” The Dorhik gently set the human back on her feet, with the kind of care that suggested that he had done it many, many times. His eyes sparkled, “Are you as excited to see the spirits as I am?”

Katora gently rubbed the central leaf charm on her necklace, “Dreams come true, don’t they?” she said in answer. “Though I think a more impossible thing is the fact that there’s a Dorhik on an airship.”

She turned to look at Autumn, “So…I wasn’t introduced since I’m just another passenger. I’m Katora, a naturalist and scientific illustrator from Gu’ran. Pleased to meet you. Ezur is a childhood friend of mine. We grew up together.”

“Pleased to meet you. If you ever have any special requests for meals, let me know. The pantry’s full and I plan on fixing a really nice dinner for everyone to celebrate the beginning of our travels.” Ezur folded his arms, looking out over the docks, “I’ll have to head back down to the kitchen as soon as the captain gets back, though.”

Rivry's eyes flicked to person to person, taking this gathering as a chance to speak to one of her crewmates. Though the younger Krei were more outgoing, the difference wasn't too much compared to the older Krei. As for herself, she was known to *talk*.

It just took some courage to open her mouth.

Biting her pen, her sight bounced the room, her sharp teeth making quite the dent. With this tic, it was easy to track who owned what pen. She *was* more careful with biting them, however, when one instance had her fangs puncture her pen and leaked inside her mouth. Bleh.

... Moving the pen away, she raised a question to the helmsman. "'Scuse me Boris, but can you help with something? Trying to think of how to describe yesterday's weather. Considering you steer the ship, you'd be a better reference for how the skies really were, right?"

The line dispersed, and Wiss suddenly found himself with a lack of things to do. The Telodora had already been prepared for the first leg of its journey, and the Vesphomin had no more work to complete until departure. And idleness being the sole thing he had intended to avoid by taking the job. Idleness, after all, propagated restlessness, and Wiss was way too restless as it was, even by his own metric.

He sighed lightly, and fluttered up to to sit on the handrail of the ship, looking down at the city far below. "Thank the Sun I'm leaving this dirthole behind," he muttered quietly.

Upon hearing no reply, Wiss turned his head to face the crew, all talking amonst themselves. He grumbled.

"Am I right, guys?" No answer.

"Ves?" He questioned, raising his voice as he turned to look at her. "Don't you wanna leave Thalea?" A beat of pause. "Aren't sailors s'posed to jest and be rowdy with one another? Right?"