[Recap of last few posts]Dharak binds the vordral's hands, then extends his awareness into the mind of the creature. He finds the creature very fearful, but somehow relieved; perhaps it's thinking that if it's being tied up it might mean it won't be killed. Meanwhile Jaldaric tries talking to the vordral in - very simplistic - old Kandar. "Do you understand me", he says. "Me no hurt", it says in what seems like Old Kandar in a barely comprehensible accent. We don't intend to hurt you", Jal replies. "Question of you me with rope knot", it says. "Command unknot of myself people! Question of reason knot" Jaldaric licks his lips; wouldn't do to make a mistake here. "We don't want you to run away until we have spoken to you." he explains carefully. "And you did attack us; we'd like it if you didn't do that again". "Question of you me from Hurvag in future protect", it continues, "Hurvag of alliance be with people of strangeness cave of long roundness inside". Jal blinks. This is beginning to lose him a bit. "Cave?" he queries, "is that the cave there?" - he points to the end of the line of towers. "We won't hurt you, or let you be hurt. But what is 'Hurvag'?" There's an image of another vordral associated with 'Hurvag' There's also an image of the 'tunnel of long roundness', a circular tunnel of considerable length and several man-heights in diameter. "Cave of long roundness towers of furry tallness run from", the vordral says. Hurvag us tharns. Hurvag people of badness friend with. Hurvag me wish send thinking-machinewards. Hurvag family of myself threatens!" The teacher's mind reaches for the Old Kandar roots of Filgan words; the ancient verb declensions all but elude him. He'll have to make Jaldaric speak the Kandar mother tongue to him sometime. For now, he'd be reduced to stringing together simple nouns and unconjugated verbs. Best to just let his brother translate. "From the associations I'm getting, I'd say Hurvag is the leader of his tribe," Dharak says to Jal (in Mannish), "and that Hurvag is in league with our enemy. That would explain the vordral attack on your party on the way to the castle. The 'people' and the 'cave long circle'" -- Dharak mimics the vordral's pronunciation of these Old Kandar words -- "must be our quarry. Whatever he could tell us about these things would be most helpful." "Oh, and what's his name?" Reylorna uses her medicore knowledge of the Old Kandar language to offer a translation to Mannish for her companions. "Aha! Thinking-machines!" Ryzar exclaims with an almost fanatical gleam in his dark eyes, after Reylorna's halting translation of the Vordral's words, "It's the Kolder! I KNEW it! They must have a Gate at the far end of this long tunnel, it's talking about. We MUST go there, and scout the Kolder's strength. "During the Kolder War, back in my homeland, the Kolder had warmachines of great power -- manned craft that flew in the air, ships that could sail beneath the waves, and even warcarts that moved without benefit of draft animals, that was covered in armor, and had a weapon like my dartgun, but a hundred times larger; one shot from it's flaming tube, and castle walls were tumbled!" The bard is impressed. Ryzar can tell a pretty good tale for an untrained speaker; sometime he's going to have to sit down with him and gather together all these tales of... kolder and whatnot. For now though... "I agree we should investigate. We have a guide now," Jaldaric bends and unties the ropes on the vordral, "and we should find out what's going on." To the vordral, he says, "We will try and help. Will you guide us? " "I negative mindfill", it replies "What is your name?", Jal asks. He indicates each member of the group in turn, saying their names slowly for the creature. "Parent me named Zhavor", it says. "He doesn't understand your offer." Ryzar says, "If his people are as brutish as you've all indicated, he may not know what it is, to help someone else. Put it to him this way, tell him Friends of HIS Enemy are OUR Enemy, so HIS Enemy is OUR Enemy. If he will be OUR Friend, and show us the way to our Enemies, then we will kill ALL Enemies, both HIS and OURS. Try it that way." *That might be a bit too complicated but it might work,* she thinks to herself about Ryzar's suggestion. "Vordral are just brutish", Kylar remarks, "I want to know about this cave place he speaks of". -- Tim Hall, http://www.kalyr.com "It's a fine line between stupid and clever" - Spinal Tap
