[PQ] port call

The world's a little blurry,
or maybe it's my eyes,

The Marauder sits out in the open water of the Spillwave, rocking gently on the calm waters. Her sails are tucked away, the crew going about their duties while she flies to shore in order to meet up with the others. The dark membranous leather of her wings absorb the sunlight, finding the temperatures much more amicable than the cold chill settling over Caido. 

It only takes a few minutes for her to glide in, the snap of her wings catching air as she descends onto the shallow layer of water over salted sand. Before the lyvern claws can touch down, boots connect, crunching lightly as they ripple the dwindling reminder of the rain from Leafchange. It'll be gone in another day or so, but for now, the water reflects across the open expanse of Hak Etme, the sky seeming to blur on the horizon. 

Flicking her tail idly, Thal turns instead to the beams of wood and netting the locals call their 'port.' It's a disgrace compared to Torchline's network of piers and docks, an embarrassment for any self-respecting sailor to have their ship secured to. One harsh swell and the two ships that could fit on the haphazard structure would go careening into each other and slowly sinking as they drift out to sea. Hence why The Marauder is safely anchored beyond its reach. 

When her eyes land on the others, she raises a curious brow. They make a sad sight for a port-building crew. Perhaps she'll be able to make the port functional, but without more hands and a lot more equipment, Thal doesn't know what Colt expects to happen here. She's not a miracle worker after all. 

Still, she walks towards them, black cloak and dark hair catching a bit of the breeze in a way that's more dramatic than she intends, like a wraith straight out of Mort's Halls. She skips the introductions - she already knows everyone here anyways - and gives the 'port' a disgusted glance. "My shit looks better than this." Nodding to the supplies stacked on a nearby pallet, she slips easily into delegation and direction, not wanting to spend a second longer than she has to on this nonsense. "But let's see what we're working with. Maybe we'll have something useable by the end of the day."

---

Welcome to the PQ for building the Sea Port in Hak Etme! Please post your character arriving! Either have them assess the current structure or take stock of what supplies they have. 

1. Thalassa
2. Colt
3. Liam
4. Aithne

the friends I've had to bury
they keep me up at night.

Thalassa

I salute you if you're much too much to handle

Aithne arrives with all the subtlety of an atomic bomb, all impish grin and lack of sense. She recognizes approximately one of the three others gathered to help do whatever it is they're meant to do - building something, she thinks, though she can't quite recall offhand. Skipping up to Thalassa, she offers a cheerful salute by way of greeting, then eyes the others with a curious gaze that skips between them and the captain, interested insofar as their intentions are unknown.

As Thalassa nods to a stack of nearby supplies, Aithne's gaze drifts over the port, such as it is, and she suddenly remembers that building it is what she's here to assist with. A furrow appears in her brow, her nose wrinkling with distaste. Somehow she'd thought there would be more to work with than... this. But let it never be said that Aithne is anything but eager. She hops to work with a smile, surveying the disaster of a port with keen eyes. Not that there's much to look at, but she hopes to get the lay of the land before being directed further.

---

Aithne arrives, bringing her cheery disposition, and starts to survey the port.

Aithne

Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Aithne.

Liam

Are you the cure or disease?

When Liam had heard that Thalassa was to be the one leading their expedition to build a port in Hak Etme, he'd merely raised his brows and shrugged. She didn't seem like the type to do something like this simply because it sounded like a good time (it didn't) or out of the goodness of her heart, so he had to wonder what kind of deal Colt had struck with the captain to convince her to take over this particular task. Not that it was any of his business, really, but idle curiosity was what it was.

In any case, he arrived with a box of tools with which he hoped to be able to assist - hammers and nails and all manner of building paraphernalia, all packaged into one easy to carry package. He sat it down near the rather pitiful excuse for a port, near all of the supplies, and then made his way over to Thalassa and Colt. "Hey," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets as he waited on further instruction. "We're really starting from scratch here, huh?" It was a nice way of saying what Thalassa certainly didn't hold back about: the port, such as it was, looked like shit.

A younger Ancient that Liam had never seen popped up then, her good cheer seemingly misplaced on their assorted group. He raised his brows at Thalassa and Colt as the girl skipped off to look at the existing structure. Having seen enough, Liam gathered his tools and began to place them into a tool belt for easy use. He'd follow whatever instructions came his way, and offer up any advice he could think to share as they went along.

---

Liam arrives and begins sorting through his tools. He brought carpentry things along.

Do you still take as you please?

Colt

She's a runner, she's a lover, always stuck in her ways
Pull her closer, think you know her, now she's turning the page
She gave a warning if it's storming, she'll be gone with the rain

"That's exactly why I needed you for this," Colt grins, quite purposefully doing her best to keep Thal in high spirits least her experienced sailor skedaddle and leave her high and dry. Although Noe certainly improved things on that front, providing some drawings that Colt couldn't possibly have devised without her. She passes over the engineer drafted plans to Thal with a snap of paper. "Here, take a peek at what our engineer suggests for getting this into something workable." Which isn't to say Thal might not have her own ideas, which is why Colt asked her here after all, but since Thal had pointedly said she didn't know much about building ports it seems the extra detail would only help them all.

"She isn't here today, but I trust between all of us we could make use of this. Especially with Liam, our head carpenter, and your knowledge of other working ports." Colt's attention coasts over Aithne, clearly curious of the tag-along ancient. "Got the supplies we should need delivered, and we've cleared the surrounding area of clamics and debris." The one night here had not been the last, with Colt and others coming to thoroughly ensure this area would be safe for this construction project.

"The natural little cove here keeps the sea quiet, although it seems the Spillwave always is, if I'm to understand what the local fishermen say. We don't yet have the means to build something too large, but I think we can make what they're working with a lot better, help improve the trading opportunity of this area and the people that depend on it." An arm sketches out the vision before her. The current deck is half fallen apart and the ropes look ready to snap. Surveying it beneath the brim of her hat, Colt bites her lip in thought. On her belt she's already hooked some gloves and a hammer, a box of nails put in her pockets.

---

Colt says here's some plans and supplies to improve the current sea port for the native trade. She has some gloves, nails, and a hammer, but there are other tools and things nearby as needed for building.

When she's in it, she's all in it, ain't no holding her back
When I'm with her, she's a river moving steady and fast
She's afraid of all the ways her heart is broke like glass

The world's a little blurry,
or maybe it's my eyes,

She gives Colt a somewhat flat look but doesn't gripe anymore about the conditions of the 'port' (for now). After all, she'd agreed to be here, and if her ship is ever going to dock here, she refuses to use this pathetic excuse for maritime architecture, so she might as well make it how she wants. 

Accepting the plans Colt brings as well as the slew of information, Thal lets the others get an idea of what they're working with and how much there is to get done today, a practiced awareness logging Liam's tools and Aithne's... enthusiasm as assets for the work. She nods confirmation of the rancher's preparations then looks over the sketch like she has maps a thousand times. Her stance is rooted, confident, and full of the familiar weight of authority as she glances between the teetering structure they currently have and the improvement the 'engineer' has recommended. Most of the notes are to reinforce the structural integrity - as expected - but Thal purses her lips to see the addition of another pier to make a total of three. It matches the other two and would certainly add significant space for ships, but she shakes her head, pointing to it as she informs Colt, "This one's too close to the others. We'll have to shift it farther out." The fact that she doesn't say more is approval enough of the plans and her willingness to see out the vision. 

All business, Thal calls out to everyone, "Okay crew, this port's not going to build itself." As nice as that would be, she doesn't wallow in the work, spine straightening like someone accustomed to daily physical labor despite her small stature. She points to the embarrassing display of ropes and cracked wood, then to the pile of tools and new panels. "Half of us will get rid of this useless nonsense while the others start building the posts to hold up the new stuff. Make sure it's a post. We can't dig beneath the water." As someone who's made fences, she's sure Colt's familiar enough with the structure, but she'd rather make her expectations clear with everyone now in case Liam or Aithne are stupid enough to think they can just magically erect these things in the water. She's learned over the years that if she doesn't specify exactly what she wants, she'll often have a nasty surprise to deal with later.

---

Pick a task!

1. Two people to deconstruct the parts of the port falling apart. 
2. Two people to make the posts that will support the new pier.

the friends I've had to bury
they keep me up at night.

Thalassa

Colt

She's a runner, she's a lover, always stuck in her ways
Pull her closer, think you know her, now she's turning the page
She gave a warning if it's storming, she'll be gone with the rain

Glancing back at the paper as Thal points, Colt's gaze lifts to see the drawing as if it exists on the sea. "Makes sense," she agrees with Thal's assessment, the weight of her opinion on ship size requirements about as useful as a grain of rice on a scale.

Responding to the command of Thal's voice as they progress into the work, Colt directs her straying thoughts and wandering gaze back to the ancient. "I'll work on the posts," she offers easily, because she does have a decent amount of experience with setting fences. She never has in saltwater before, but the foundational principles seem similar enough.

Shifting towards the lumber pile, Colt assesses their options. For something like a ship, she'd think a large, thick post would be best (like a railroad tie). Those aren't really made so much as cut, and she sure as shit doesn't have the tools or means to manage that. Instead, she thinks they can make due by fastening a weaker version of that, strapping several sizable pieces together, maybe bundles of three, with ropes and using those. If anything, the slight give between the pieces might bear the shift of the sea better, and at least three pieces had more support than a single pole. Thus, Colt sets about with the help of her partner to drag the pieces they need out, directing and pointing at times so they know which is which, and then starts to use their available ropes to fasten them at intervals down the length into one, more solid set of beams.

---

Colt works on poles

When she's in it, she's all in it, ain't no holding her back
When I'm with her, she's a river moving steady and fast
She's afraid of all the ways her heart is broke like glass

I salute you if you're much too much to handle

Aithne bounces around the port (such as it is) with all the enthusiasm of one unaccustomed to hard work. She sees the weathered wood thrown haphazardly together with bits of rope and other bits and bobs as a grand adventure - though she likely won't keep that mindset once she gets started on the actual labor of the day.

Returning to Thalassa's side, she peers curiously at the man and woman who have joined them. The woman, a blonde who has layouts and plans to share, must be someone the captain respects at least moderately, or she wouldn't take the plans and run with them. Aithne peers at the blueprints, pretending she knows what she's looking at, before running off to start deconstructing the existing port. "Can we burn it?" she calls over her shoulder hopefully, grabbing a hammer and a saw to start peeling away the existing architecture. "Over there, maybe?"

---

Aithne helps with deconstruction, and suggests a burn pile a safe distance away.

Aithne

Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Aithne.

Liam

Are you the cure or disease?

Liam watched and listened, peering over the women's shoulders to get a look at the plans from the engineer. Fortunately, he knew enough about his craft to know what he was looking at, though he'd never taken on something that would be built in saltwater before, nor did he have valuable experience with building fences. Still, he'd created an addition to Maea's treehouse, and other projects here and there in the seasons since, so he was hopeful that his assistance would at least prove somewhat helpful.

He immediately saw what Thalassa meant about the final pier needing to be moved out a ways, and he hummed his agreement as he made the mental calculations necessary to adjust the blueprints in his mind's eye. "I'll help with the posts," he said after instructions were given, ambling over to assist Colt with the task. Her idea to lash multiple pieces of wood together to make something stronger seemed reasonable enough, and Liam more or less followed her direction as they worked to prepare the posts for the tide.

---

Liam works with Colt on building the posts!

Do you still take as you please?

The world's a little blurry,
or maybe it's my eyes,

The work starts off simple enough. Colt and Liam choose to work on the posts, which leaves her with Aithne to strip down the old port. She supposes it's for the best, having the two Ancients destroying stuff and all, and it comes as no surprise with the young woman suggests a burn pile. It's not even that bad of an idea. The rotting wood is worthless anyways.

Narrowing her eyes in the direction Aithne points, Thal purses her lips before giving a curt nod. "Fine. Just make sure you dig a small pit when you do." Then she turns her attentions back to the dilapidated port, rolling her shoulders before shifting to her lyvern shift to rip at the boards already threatening to fall into the water. They come away easily, flipping through the air when she tosses them to the shore.

As for the building crew, Colt and Liam are making good progress with forming the new posts. However, as they tie together their next post, it brushes against a few inconspicuous clusters of sticks. At first, they rustle as if touched by the breeze, thin twigs clacking against each other. But when the breeze passes, the sound persists, escalating to a rattling battle cry as the two spheres of dried wood suddenly explode in a rough resemblance of limbs ready to reach out for the builders.

---

Surprise! Two Tangleweeds have rolled up to disrupt Colt and Liam as they work on the posts!

Aithne can choose to start the burn pile or help the others with their unwelcome guests.

Colt: 168 HP
Liam: 132 HP

Tangleweed 1: 30 HP
Tangleweed 2: 30 HP

---

Tangleweed
Areas Found: Hollowed Grounds, King's End, Hak Etme — Common

Appearing like nothing more than an amalgamation of sticks, the Tangleweed is actually an arguably sentient creature. For the most part it appears spherical in nature, keeping its many limbs tightly pulled against itself to form a round shape. It moves as if blown by the wind, suddenly rolling forward on the hard packed earth and then stopping just as suddenly. Having almost no natural predators, these creatures are found in great numbers especially along large, flat areas. It is often impossible to tell if a Tangleweed is dead or alive unless they are touched. If interacted with, the branch-like limbs will lash out and close quickly on whatever they can grasp, at which point a poison is released which causes the skin to numb. Then, quite like other species of carnivorous plants, the Tangleweed slowly begins to digest its prey.

the friends I've had to bury
they keep me up at night.

Thalassa

Colt

She's a runner, she's a lover, always stuck in her ways
Pull her closer, think you know her, now she's turning the page
She gave a warning if it's storming, she'll be gone with the rain

Liam is quickly proving a dependable, easy sort to get along with, and Colt flashes him a smile as he joins her in the work. "So, how're you settling in here?" she wonders, aware that she's been doing a lot of asking of the people who have been wild enough to step to this challenge with her. She isn't the sort to expect anything less than hard work, but she'd do what she could to ensure it's not for nothing, and that they're all building something that suits each other here.

"Fuck!" Colt exclaims suddenly when the nearby twigs reveal themselves to be one of her least favorite nuisances. Well known from her time in Hak Etme, Colt hisses as she immediately jumps back to her feet. "Tangleweeds, watch out, they can be nasty," she warns, gaze flashing to Liam as she reaches for the bow and quiver she'd set down nearby while they worked. She nocks an arrow into the bow and lifts it up, aiming towards the one furthest from Liam. "I got this one, you got the other one?" she calls, exhaling to steady her breath before firing the sharpened arrow to the center of the weed.

---

Colt shoots an arrow at Tangleweed 1

The Pencil Sharpener | An earthen quiver that sharpens any arrow placed inside.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered | Cost: Action

The Wildwatch: Hunter’s Presence: Rolls with advantage against regular creatures (anything marked with a difficulty of Normal or below).

When she's in it, she's all in it, ain't no holding her back
When I'm with her, she's a river moving steady and fast
She's afraid of all the ways her heart is broke like glass

I salute you if you're much too much to handle

Aithne finds herself paired with Thalassa, and she shoots a bright smile at the captain before falling quickly into the pattern of tearing and breaking and destroying. She bounces in place as her suggestion of a burn pile is greeted with approval, practically floating with the glee that comes with having been praised (or what sounds like praise in her mind, especially coming from the captain). She drags off the wood, digging a pit in the sand before piling it in. Reaching into her pocket, she grabs a lighter, flicking it to start up a flame from which she can manipulate.

With the burn pile going, Aithne returns to the work of dismantling the old port. Her work halts only momentarily as two tangleweeds appear to disrupt the two strangers at their work. They seem to have it well in hand, though, and Aithne is not one to throw herself into danger just for the hell of it - particularly not for people she doesn't know. So her pause lasts just long enough for her gaze to flick to Thalassa. If the captain jumps in, then Aithne will follow, but she knows her own limits well enough to know she should stay well out of the line of fire here. Some lessons, she has learned well.

---

Aithne starts a burn pile and stays out of the fight.

Aithne

Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Aithne.

Liam

Are you the cure or disease?

Liam got to work alongside Colt, happy to have her company as they tackled the task ahead of them. He had nothing against Thalassa - not anymore - nor against the younger Ancient, but Colt was quickly becoming someone he thought he could count as a friend. "Settling in just fine," he replied, lashing together a new post. "It's hard work, but we all knew what we were signing up for, and I've never been one to take it easy, anyway." Jutting his chin towards the desert, he added, "There's potential here, but you knew that, or you'd never have started this venture in the first -"

Tangleweeds rustled, and Liam was quick to react, grabbing the crossbow he'd set nearby as they worked. An arrow was already nocked, and he took aim at the second Tangleweed, happy to draw its attention away from Colt as she took care of the first. "Got it," he confirmed, stepping far enough away that he wouldn't get in Colt's way before firing off the bolt. Then he moved fluidly to reload, hoping that the tangleweed wouldn't move too quickly.

---

Liam fires at Tangleweed 2!

Ironbough | When not in use, this crossbow is nearly weightless
Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Upgraded | Cost: Action

Do you still take as you please?

The world's a little blurry,
or maybe it's my eyes,

Thal rolls her eyes as Aithne skips off to play with fire, the bright energy anything but infectious. She shifts, ripping old wood and ropes from the previous frame of a port. The sound of claws against the grain of wood is interspersed between the crunch of sand and the flap of wings. The smell of saltwater and smoke intertwine as she flies between the burn pit and the crumbling dock. Slowly, between her and the younger Ancient, they managed to remove most of the older pieces, stripping the port down into something more workable, a clean slate.

She pauses, hovering in the air as she drops another piece of wood into the pile. Her eyes catch on some disturbance breaks out amongst the workers. Despite the instinct to intervene, Colt and Liam don't appear to need her help. Arrows fly, snapping twigs as they lodge into the center of the Tumbleweeds. They go down without anything resembling a fight, tumbling into heaps of dry tinder as Thal shifts back to step boots on the sand. Barely acknowledging the threat with more than an amused glance, she nods towards the posts. "If you guys are done playing with sticks over there, let's start putting these posts in."

---

Colt and Liam easily handle their interruptions! Get back to work and start laying out the new posts for the new dock!

Colt hits Tangleweed 1!
Liam hits Tangleweed 2!

Colt: 168 HP
Liam: 132 HP

Tangleweed 1: 30 HP - 44 (Killed by Colt)
Tangleweed 2: 30 HP - 32.5 (Killed by Liam)

the friends I've had to bury
they keep me up at night.

Thalassa

I salute you if you're much too much to handle

Their work falls into an easy pattern: Thalassa bearing the brunt of the tearing apart as Aithne drags wood and other salvage over to her burn pile, adding to the bonfire that grows with each new piece of debris. They are interrupted only by the appearance of the tangleweeds. Fortunately, neither Aithne nor Thalassa need to intervene, as the other pair make quick work of the little beasts.

With that complete, it's time, it seems, to begin building up the new port, starting with placing new posts. Aithne wisely decides to keep her mouth shut (aside from humming quietly to herself as she works) and dives into the next task. Grabbing one of the posts, she drags it into place. It's a bit tricky, given that the post is comprised of smaller pieces of wood lashed together with a rope, but she is neither engineer nor carpenter nor sailor, so who is she to question the others' methods?

---

Aithne says these posts are weird but okay fam. She drags one into place.

Aithne

Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Aithne.