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The Tale of Gale
Scene details
- Start date: Aug. 7, 2025, 5:10 p.m.
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End date: Aug. 7, 2025, 8:06 p.m.
- Location: Zel'rik Archipelago - Nova Luria
- Participants:
Ivo Galvan,
Laineth,
Tulip
Setting: Ivo, Roseline, and Tulip reconvene at Gale's Tavern, a fixture of Nova Luria's lively harbor... and an appelation that revives, for Ivo, a memory from the Isle of Blessed Winds.
Log
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Character:
Ivo Galvan
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3 weeks, 1 day ago
It is rare but not unheard of for Ivo, a curious and broad-minded dilettante, to become single-minded in pursuit of unraveling some mystery. Such events may have become more frequent since his befriending of Fabroxo and repeated efforts to establish improvized magitechnological laboratories. After being thunderstruck by a flash of insight when shopping with Roseline and Tulip, the Cosmopolitan set himself to situating himself for the third such time, an endeavor far easier in Nova Luria with the pirate queen's tacit permission than it was in Granse or on a deserted island. Able to acquire far more in the way of materials far more cheaply than usual in the bustling market of questionably sourced goods in the harbor, and now well-seasoned at creating himself what might otherwise be too expensive or inaccessible, like aetherglass flasks, soon Ivo had converted a dormant retail space into a workshop. After a long day, he awoke as though from a trance to find a complex elemental process auto-weaving a fabric he had half-forgotten how he wanted to employ, dreams of rabbits inchoate in his previously fevered mind. His fever now basked, a bit disoriented, he wandered through the harbor market again and, his curiosity promptly piqued, Ivo soon found himself feeling back to his old self. Maybe he can ask Fabroxo what that was all about the next time his fellow inventor turns up.
> Research on the Bunnygirl Leotard Set has commenced.
Activity in the harbor picks up at dawn and dusk, the city really revealing itself as the world's closest thing to a pirate utopia as carousing ensues in earnest, commerce continuing unabated both in spite and because of the frivolity. Enjoying himself on the sidelines, Ivo makes his way to a fixture of the harbor, Gale's Tavern, mentioned by Roseline's pirate crew as a spot to visit and thinking he might reconvene with his allies there. As he does and his thoughts settle back into their typical patterns, it occurs to him that he knows the name Gale: it was mentioned by the warring wind elementals of the Isle, the cantankerous Wuther and the coquettish Scirocco, as their erstwhile leader who sacrificed himself for a mortal's sake. It is not beyond Ivo to put two and two together even if he lacks all the necessary information: such a mortal was surely the wind-wielding pirate queen, conjurer of the green elemental crystals that festoon and power this impossible city. Is the tavern then named in honor of this lost hero, a sapient elemental who perished for a mortal?
As Ivo slips into the tavern with a swirl of his blue cloak, he soon stops short, to the annoyance of those others trying to enter, as he sees that the truth is stranger than he could have foreseen.
For as the activity in the tavern begins to pick up, the hour getting later, and the establishment implicitly transitions from restaurant to bar, a refreshing breeze passes through the main room as though it were outdoors, numerous taverngoers raising their tankards in a cheer, seemingly accustomed to this phenomenon. This strange zephyr marks the arrival from a back room of a splendid floating chair, almost a throne, of solid green crystal, a tremendous sight even in a city where such forms the infrastructure, and in it, a man who looks withered, aged beyond his years, dark green hair faded and streaked with grey, yet eyes like stars undimmed.
"It's him," Ivo murmurs, shocked, seemingly having forgotten to even look for his friends. "He's alive."
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Character:
Laineth
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3 weeks, 1 day ago
While Ivo was off in his own little research filled world, Roseline and Tulip had been on a shopping trip. First order of business was getting Tulip looking presentable. ...Well, more presentable. Not that there was anything inherently *wrong* with the way she looked, but Roseline had taken it upon herself to make the bunnykin into something cuter. Since they were here in this land and all. She definitely wasn't just having fun using her as a dress up doll or anything. Nope.
The hours passed, and the sun began to dip as evening approached. The trip through the market reaches its end as Roseline and Tulip make way for somewhere to have a bite to eat. And where else but at Sir Gale's Tavern? Her crew was already there most likely. May as well join them. The two had gotten inside some time before Ivo did, sitting at a circular table with a spread of food they were partaking in.
And then Ivo enters, stalling traffic with that dumb look on his face.
"Hm?" The redhead murmurs mid sip of a tankard of ale. "Oh, there he is." She notes, following his line of sight to find him staring slack jawed at the establishment's owner. For all intents and purposes, her uncle.
".....? What's with him now?"
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Character:
Tulip
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3 weeks, 1 day ago
"Mphhlll?" is Tulip's oh so articulate response as she turns her head, following Roseline's initial look to see Ivo...standing in the doorway, right in everybody's way. There's some furious mastication as she rushes to swallow her mouthful in a display of elegance.
"Oh hey, he turned up!" she says once she's done, raising her hand high above her head to wave him down. The bunnykin is wearing the outfit Roseline picked for her, the one with the tube top and the tiny little shorts that are getting her a lot more attention than she's accustomed to!
"Uh..." she says, scratching her cheek as she follows both of their lines of sight. "I'm guessing it's probably the old guy flying around in a chair? It's kinda weird, you know?"
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Character:
Ivo Galvan
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3 weeks, 1 day ago
Ivo blinks a couple times as he stares at Gale, the respected tavernkeep holding court with some of his regulars, his features radiating a calm, even placid kindness, possessed of the grace sometimes attained by the terminally ill. His thoughts race. If Gale is alive, Wuther and Scirocco should know. More importantly, even if he has been isolated in Nova Luria since his disappearance from the elementals' isle, he might know more than they did about the ancient collapsed beastkin offshore tower from which the Star Chasers acquired the Tempestquell, the artifact that might be of aid to Roseline's mother. Instinctively, Ivo reaches into his cloak to grasp the handful-sized engraved green orb that is carefully secured at his side, and in a moment, the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he sees Sir Gale promptly turn his gaze upon him, the proprietor looking past his merry guests to stare, impassive, at Ivo. The Cosmopolitan gulps without knowing quite why.
Then, strangely, he begins to feel light, as though he is flying. Indeed, he is rising off of the ground, his boots now dangling. Is he being levitated? Yet he feels no wind. This must be--
"You know--"
Ivo looks over his shoulder at the very big and increasingly annoyed pirate waiting behind him who has just decided to bodily lift Ivo up and move him out of the way.
"--most people would just clear their throat."
The pirate sets Ivo down next to the bar so that he is out of the way of the door, looks down at him to meet his gaze steadily, and clears his throat, once.
"I appreciate that," Ivo airily responds, as the new arrivals move past and the pirate continues on his way. When he looks back to Gale, the elemental has looked back to his guests again, so Ivo strides over to Roseline and Tulip, seemingly unabashed at being manhandled like a child moments before.
"That look suits you very much," he compliments Tulip, before looking to Roseline. "Your taste is commendable, though that is evident from your own garb." Ivo flatters them a bit on autopilot, his tone distracted. Rather than trying to play things cool, he might just not have processed what happened to him, being distracted. "Roseline, how well do you know Gale?" He nods towards the proprietor, beginning this line of questioning without preamble. "His fellow elementals on the Isle of Blessed Winds seemed to think he had perished after infusing himself into a capable but imperiled shipwrecked mortal... obviously, your mother. I would be glad to present myself before the ruler and share what I know of the Tempestquell myself, but... I wonder if Gale would know more even than the members of the so-called Beastkeepers with whom I am acquainted, the adventurous Catgirl Mafia."
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Character:
Laineth
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3 weeks, 1 day ago
"You get used to it." Roseline says to Tulip off handedly after her comment about 'old guys in flying chairs'.
She watches as one very large pirate behind Ivo finally gets fed up and moves him out of the way. Lifting him up and setting him aside. Traffic continues unimpeded at this point, now that things are back on track. The establishment is filled with raucous laughter, animated chatter, and overall merriment throughout.
Roseline snorts. She glances at Gale, and he meets her gaze, giving her a little wink. She waves back at him, and then looks at Ivo as he approaches.
"Look who it is. Finally worked out whatever the hell you were on about earlier today?" She asks half-rhetorically at best. She's not actually terribly concerned about what he's working on. Though it wouldn't hurt to know either way. Maybe. But that can wait. Ivo's flattery comes off as very.... on rails. Distracted. Not that she needs to be flattered, but it doesn't seem very much like him.
Based on the time they've spent together, Roseline's impression is that he puts more heart into his needless flattery. Pfft. But she can guess what he's distracted by, given how he stopped traffic staring since he first arrived.
"Hm?" Without much pretense, he jumps right into asking. Roseline sets down her ale tankard and shrugs. "He's like an uncle to me. He's always been around since I was growing up. What? Is he supposed to be dead or something? Who decided that?"
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Character:
Tulip
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3 weeks, 1 day ago
"Thanks! It's uh, kinda showing off a lot though, but I guess it is a lot cooler? The dress was pretty, but it'd uh. It'd stand out in a place like this, right?" Tulip says, first looking down at herself and all that exposed belly before she gestures vaguely around the tavern. Pirates, tankards of ale, carousing. It's true, a sundress wouldn't fit in amongst this crowd. The beastkin wipes her mouth with her forearm in an uncouth display. Her manners at least fit in with a bunch of pirates.
It's possible she noticed how forced the compliment was and just decided not to say anything about it, but something tells the two of you that she didn't notice a thing. You can practically hear the wind whooshing from one ear to the other.
"Pull up a chair! There's a buncha food, we probably can't eat it all by ourselves." she says cheerfully, gesturing to the spread of foods on the table with a sweep of her arm. "Say, uh. What's all this stuff about a Catgirl Mafia?" she then goes on to ask after taking a sip that turns into a chug from her own tankard. She should probably pace herself, a girl her size. "And...hey, Rosey. He looks pretty old, right? Just how old is your mom? ...how old are you, too?"
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Character:
Ivo Galvan
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3 weeks, 1 day ago
"It's in progress," Ivo, still sounding distant, replies to Roseline's half-rhetorical question. "I'll need your measurements, when the time comes." Again, he sounds so distracted that the blitheness of this statement sounds less like carefully cultivated nonchalance and much more like he hasn't thought about what he's asking. "I think you both will be impressed by the results."
Wait, why doesn't he need Tulip's measurements?
"This changes things," he continues without missing a beat, more interested in Gale's fate, somehow. At Tulip's invitation, Ivo pulls up a chair without thinking much of it, folding his hands and leaning in as though this were a strategic council rather than a boisterous meal. "I had planned on an audience with the ruler here whenever she was available, but if I can speak to him directly--"
"You can."
Gale's chair is silent as it moves through the parting crowd, the guests entirely accustomed to making away for him and finding his attention to Roseline's party unremarkable. The sapient elemental, resembling a mortal save for his striking hair and eye coloration, speaks quietly but his voice carries, the air obeying his will in matters of sound as well.
"You've recruited some promising new crewmates," Gale fondly says to Roseline, his gentle tone making it a little difficult to know if he is praising or teasing her. "Welcome to my establishment. The air flows well around you," he says to Tulip, a statement (compliment?) which seems to mildly perplex Ivo, but who doesn't have the chance to reply before Gale continues, "and around what you carry."
Ivo hesitates briefly before at last removing Tempestquell from its restraints and setting the green orb upon the table. In addition to its etchings, a nub emerges from one point, what a keen eye would discern is a sort of key inserted into a gap in the stone.
"I am Ivo Galvan," he introduces himself to Gale, "a member of a party once stranded on the Isle of Blessed Winds, where we met Wuther and Scirocco, two elementals whose warring had brought such discord that the winds tormented a monster whose rage trapped us there."
Gale sighs softly, looking faintly annoyed but unsurprised.
"Layers of Wind and Destruction mingled with noxious gases from beneath the central caldera to create a phenomenon we dubbed the Infernex, the heart of the maelstrom their decades of battling had created, and which had... caused fallen wind elementals to rise as undead vestiges of themselves."
Gale now looks pained. Ivo, who clearly had hesitated again before saying that, forges on regardless, his tone even.
"To banish this darkness and liberate ourselves, we found a way to dive deep into the coastal waters and retrieve this ancient beastkin relic, the Tempestquell, from an offshore tower that had crumbled beneath the waves centuries ago. Our understanding is that it was erected during the Golden Age of the beastkin, before your people took on the role of managing the ocean winds yourselves. So long as you were present, it was unneeded. In your absence, it seemed the Isle's only hope. We were successful."
Gale, impassive again, nods, listening in silence still.
"But the secrets of the Tempestquell remain otherwise unknown to us," Ivo says. "If it can be of assistance to the people of Nova Luria, I am glad to help, but I cannot simply relinquish it. Now that it belongs to us, the Star Chasers, it is our responsibility."
It's a bit rich for Ivo to talk about responsbility as he gallivants around the world ignoring his ostensible role as governor of a district in Cosmopolis. But he has grown unusually accustomed to having access to potentially history-shaping artifacts, whether Reize's pendant or Argent's misery-forged Crown Jewel, the baleful Legacy of Vaeltrandia. To hand off the Tempestquell to Nova Luria *could* potentially mean reshaping the Azure Expanse itself... or failing to do so, without the Star Chasers' aid in learning its secrets.
"I have not met this city's fair ruler herself, but I also could not make such a decision based on my own judgment alone at this stage," Ivo concludes. If only he knew just how fair the ruler is. Maybe if he were less distracted, it might have occurred to him what Roseline's mom is likely to look like. "I have a lead on how to learn more: a pair of rogue beastkin who claimed affinity with a secret society that traces their history back to the traditions of the Golden Age, the Beastkeepers. If I find trace of them and their ship again, they might tell us where to go in Isla Sacro to find these Keepers and learn what they know of the Tempestquell. But all that is beside the point if you yourself, Sir Gale, can tell me how to use this relic."
"I cannot," is Gale's simple reply, "I regret to say. I can only sense that it yet holds great power. We elementals wield aether by instinct and never sought to acquire such artifice ourselves, as the beastkin did. Your pursuit is a worthy one. I offer this tavern," he says, at last smiling again, "as a source of the rumors you seek, at least."
"Thank you," Ivo replies, sincerely.
> Main Quest Updated: "In Search of the Keepers."
> Primary Path Unlocked: "Catgirl Mafia at Large."
> A secondary path, "The Aristocrats!" remains locked.
> Side Quest Added: "An Audience with Her MIL-- Majesty."
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Character:
Laineth
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3 weeks, 1 day ago
Roseline heaves a sigh when Gale mentions how she's gathered such... promising new crewmates. "They're not exactly crewmates. A lot of stuff happened." She grouses as she recalls what happened to her ship and everything. Bah. That just reminds her she hasn't yet reported these happenings to her mom yet. Though given that woman's network, she probably already knows.
Baaaaaah.
Ivo launches into a lengthy explanation of his adventures on that island, and Roseline crosses her arms. "...My crew and I went to that island after you. We searched for that artifact, only to find it gone and a bunch of the islands residents talking about your bunch." So.... she was a step or two behind and that in turn meant she came up empty and had to chase after the SaGa. The timeline is coming together.
The redhead stares at the green jewel on the table, thinking to herself.... just imagine.... she could nab it right now and they could solve all of her mom's problems... or at least start working on it. But the logical part of her brain wins out. It's not a favorable situation. Even if she did take it by force, it's not like there's any guarantee that they could use it right away to help her mom... Nah, maybe it's better to wait for the reseach to be done. There's not rush yet...
The conversation between Gale and Ivo clears up, and Roseline returns to reality. "Hrm. Well, I'm going to have to go see my mom anyway. If you want to tag along, then I don't see why not." Not like it could get worse, right?
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Character:
Tulip
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3 weeks, 1 day ago
There's a hollow sounding clink as Tulip's tankard is placed back down on the table and the bunnygirl leans forward, propping herself up with one arm as Ivo and Gale chatter. Most of this goes way over her head, thanks to her relative newness to the group. Thus far in her life her adventures haven't been quite as grand as all these tales of artifacts and elementals!
Speaking of elementals, she's eyeing Gale speculatively. "So you're one of those elemental things?" she pipes up before she picks up what seems to be some kind of cheese, stuffing it into her mouth. No manners on this one, but it's probably expected from the average patron in a place like this anyway.
"Oh, yeah! There was a bunch of shadow things, so I got involved, and we had to run away so I just kinda ended up coming along! I'd probably get arrested or something if I went back, so uh. I probably should stick with you guys." Tulip says with a dismissive wave of her hand, as though being wanted by the authorities is a perfectly normal thing for her.
That's probably the case for plenty of adventurers. The pirates here, for example!
"So just how important is your mom? She's like, the boss here, right? The pirate queen? Hey, do you take after her? I bet she's super pretty, right?"
Someone's getting chatty. Just how much has she had to drink so far?
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Character:
Ivo Galvan
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3 weeks, 1 day ago
Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=5.
Comment: Super pretty, you say?
Roll(s): 13. Total result is 13. This is a success (by 8).
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Character:
Ivo Galvan
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3 weeks, 1 day ago
Ivo, having said his piece and settles his thoughts, now needs only an Easy Perception Check to pick up on the especially chatty Tulip's last question. Another flash of insight strikes him, quite belatedly by his standards, and his expression goes carefully still. As Gale, smiling at Tulip's first question, flags down a waitress to bring them more drinks, Ivo takes one such tankard and raises it to his lips to make the look on his face even less conspicuous.
"Very well," he finally says, his tone noncommital as he finally lowers his tankard, after enough time to be sure he's composed himself. "Your mother may have insights into the Tempestquell herself. It would be wise to bring it into her presence."
Not that wise, really. Ivo is aware that at any point, he could be jumped for the relic and probably not be able to defend it without the help of the rest of his party. He has managed not to let on that his real motivation for ensuring that Tulip joined them was that he assumes that, if he is attacked, she will get excited at the prospect of a brawl and just start headbutting people, possibly giving him the chance to flee. But mostly, he judges that Roseline is smart enough to find him useful and the Pirate Queen herself should too. At least, that's what he *was* thinking.
"By all means," he says to Tulip, "stick with us."
Ivo may have some more measurements to acquire... and if Tulip is there to say outrageous things, his own outrageous request by way of eventual reward may stand out less.
Yeah. That'll work.
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Character:
Laineth
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3 weeks, 1 day ago
Note that Roseline didn't even respond to Ivo's earlier request for her measurements. In fact, she sidestepped the whole thing after hearing it. It was so direct that she chose not to process it.
There are more important matters at hand right now.
Roseline looks to Tulip when asked several questions. About her age, and about her mom, and she blinks. "Um..." She thinks for a bit. ...Is Iris pretty? Well, every red blooded male in a twenty mile radius seems to think so. But how would she describe her? "...Just imagine me, but older, I guess?" That's fairly accurate. They both have vibrant red hair and all. Just....Iris is more...... more..... y'know.
The question of their age is left unanswered, of course.
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Character:
Tulip
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3 weeks, 1 day ago
Not wanting to waste Gale's hospitality Tulip takes another tankard, throwing her head back as she takes a long drink from it. It's nowhere near empty just from that, but still...she's perhaps a bit too keen to get it into her, especially if the flush that's rising to her cheeks is any indication.
"Great! So I'll follow you guys around for a bit! Say, just what is this Tempestquell thing anyway? What's it do? How'd you get it, huh? Hey, hey, so this guy doesn't even know how it works? So how're we meant to work it out? Do we just do stuff with it, see what happens?" she chatters on, barely even stopping for a breath between all the questions. She at least refrains from touching the artifact. Probably because one hand is occupied with her drink and the other's occasionally plucking from the spread of food in front of her.
The bunnykin looks at Roseline for a long handful of seconds, peering closely at the redhead. Eventually her mouth curls upwards into a smile and she nods enthusiastically!
"So she's totally pretty!"
This upcoming meeting is going to go wonderfully, isn't it?