Play@YSDC

Lake Titicaca - Near Puno, Peru
10am - Tuesday 22nd March, 1921

The following morning, after saying goodbye to the others Amy, Cynthia and Atauchi set off from the hotel with Jackson Elias.

Jackson first visits a small café nearby and chats with some local friends for a few minutes to confirm that Nayra is safe, and to learn exactly where she is in hiding. After that he leads the way to the waterfront and hires the use of a reed boat from a fisherman for the day.

Jackson lays his pack in the boat, then helps the ladies aboard and takes hold of the paddle, "It's about three miles to the Uros island where Nayra is hiding, so this will take a while. Sit back and enjoy the ride. Atauchi, keep your eyes peeled for trouble, and your bow ready - just in case."

The weather is good and there are several other small boats out on the lake at the moment, used by fishermen. There are also dozens of the floating reed islands built by the nomadic Uros. The nearest are only a mile or so from the Puno waterfront and will be passed en-route to the more distant island where Jackson's friend the yatiri is hiding out. It is quite an idyllic setting, and a beautiful morning.

CON 55%,[dice]0[/dice]

CON 55% bonus,[dice]1[/dice]

Cynthia sits back and relaxes, or as much as she can do considering the reason for them being in the area. She checks her jacket pocket for her pistol and her satchel, slung diagonally across her, for her notebook, flashlight, matches and cigarettes - all of which she has learned to keep with her most of the time.
"So, Jackson, tell us about your friend - how did you meet?"

OOC:   I passed the first roll, so I ignore the bonus?

"Nayra is an Aymara lady, she's very old, couldn't tell you how old. I met her when I first came to Puno, few months ago. I was asking around for information about local myths of monsters and cults."

Jackson laughs at a memory, "Quite a few people told me to speak to Nayra, because she was knowledgeable about myths - others warned me to stay away from her, they called her a witch.

There's quite a mix of cultures in Puno, those who are devoutly Catholic and those who cling to more traditional beliefs, Nayra is one of the latter. She told me about the kharisiri and warned me to avoid Luis de Mendoza, but I thought she just believed superstitious nonsense.

And now I worry that by helping me greatly, my friend has put herself in great danger."

OOC:   Yes you use the best result and ignore the worst one.

Amy relaxes during the boat ride, leaning back and enjoying the trip. Chewing the leaves had done the trick, for she no longer was short of breath. "I hope she'll be all right," she says. "Hopefully, with her knowledge, we can put an end to the danger."

Atauchi nodded an acknowledgement in Jackson's direction when it was suggested that he keep his eyes open. Without question, this was dangerous territory, and should one allow their mind to wander, that individual stood a good chance at becoming something else's meal. The tracker observed the position of the sun in the sky and tested the direction of the breeze, then affixed his gaze upon the shoreline, bow in hand and at the ready.



"Try not lean too far outside boat." he advised the others.

OOC:   Atauchi has the bow, knives, and a supply of food, water (2 steel canteens), and cocoa leaves in his backpack.

"Yeah, let's hope she's okay..." Cynthia concurs. Trailing her fingers in the water as they glide along, she idly peers down into the lake whilst taking care not to lean too far out.

Jackson paddles close by one of the reed islands, midway to the destination. The shore is now over a mile away and Puno is two miles behind. There are four huts on the island, and the Uru ladies all wear brightly coloured traditional dresses. There are no men visible, they are all fishing further out on the lake. Some children wave and point and giggle as the boat is paddled past.

With the possible exception of Atauchi the boat's occupants are all obviously outsiders, and the young children are highly amused.

Jackson points to another island perhaps a mile away, "I think that one is our destination. Most of the islands are built right out in the middle of the lake, I'm glad that Nayra chose to stay with friends a little closer to the shore. This is hard work, I wouldn't like to have to paddle ten miles to the middle."

Cynthia sits up with interest as the boat nears the islands. Cursing herself for not bringing her notebook, she studies the Uru women and children intently, comparing their bearing and attitude to other indigenous groups she had studied.

"It sure is beautiful out here," remarks Amy, admiring the scenery and taking care not to lean too far back.

"Ain't it just."
Cynthia continues to watch the locals, occasionally grinning, or poking her tongue out, at the children.

From a kneeling position near the bow, Atauchi alertly scanned the shoreline ahead for any sign of suspicious activity. This community was quite remote, but it was still possible that Larkin's agents could be lying in wait among the sea of locals. They must be on their guard.

Spot Hidden (67%),[dice]0[/dice]

OOC:   OOC: That's a regular success, if it's needed.

Lake Titicaca - Near Puno, Peru
11:10am - Tuesday 22nd March, 1921

It takes just over an hour to paddle to the island where Nayra is in hiding, around three miles from Puno and over two miles from the shore. Jackson has said that no one on the island, including Nayra will speak English at all. Nayra and most of the Uru can speak good Spanish and a couple might speak Quechua, but Aymara is the primary language of both Nayra and the Uru - Uchumataqu is now only spoken by the older Uru. This island is larger than the one passed earlier, with around a dozen huts and teepees fashioned from reeds on the floating platform. The residents in their colourful clothes watch suspiciously as a boatload of strangers approaches their island.

Then a small elderly lady points and shouts, "¡Hola Jackson!"

"¡Hola! ¡Hola! ¡BienvenidoJackson Elias!" Nayra waves and makes her way to the edge of the reed island to meet the boat, "¿Quiénes son estos invitados que traes a verme?

Dos bellas señoritas y un hombre fuerte y guapo!"

Translated version,"Hello! Hello! Welcome Jackson Elias!" [b]Nayra [/b]waves and makes her way to the edge of the reed island to meet the boat, "Who are these guests that you bring to see me? "Two beautiful young ladies and a strong handsome man!"

The old Aymara lady giggles and pinches Atauchi's biceps approvingly as he steps ashore. Ashore might not actually be the best word for stepping onto the man made island, the thick mats of reeds shift disconcertingly as the investigators step onto the island - it feels like walking on water.

"¡Hola Nayra!" says Jackson as he hugs the little lady, "Estas bellas señoritas se llaman Amy y Cythia, y mi amigo fuerte se llama Atauchi."

Translation,[color=#BF0080]"Hello again Nayra!"[/color] says [b]Jackson [/b]as he hugs the little lady, "[color=#BF0080]These pretty young ladies are called [b]Amy [/b]and [b]Cythia[/b], and my strong friend is called [b]Atauchi[/b]."[/color]

OOC:   Apologies again for butchering the Spanish language!

Spanish 41%,[dice]0[/dice]

Cynthia rolls her eyes in mock exasperation at the compliments. Her slight build means that her feet don't sink too deeply into the reed matting as she steps forward to greet Nayra in her best Spanish.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you. I hope our presence here won't cause you any trouble."

OOC,I'll stick to writing dialogue in English, rather than running everything through Google translate!

Amy doesn't understand the speech apart from the names mentioned, but she curtsies with a smile.

OOC,Other Language: Spanish roll (2% skill) to understand the yatiri: [dice]0[/dice]

Atauchi had never set foot upon one of these floating islands before, but he had heard of them before. He seemed somewhat unsure when he took his first few steps, but quickly grew accustomed to the strange footing. The Quechua man was after all gifted with superior agility and thus quite light on his feet. He still carried his bow, but kept the weapon lowered while in the Yatiria's presence.

Having noticed Amy's confusion, Atauchi relayed the conversation as best as he could to her in English. "Uh, she welcome Jackson, and ask who we are." he said, paused, and added, "He reply with our names."

The tracker turned toward the elderly woman and smiled politely, then said in greeting, "Hola. Es un honor conocerte."

OOC:   Spanish to English translation, more or less: "Hello. It's an honor to meet you."

Jackson also helps to translate everything that Nayra says, so Amy doesn't miss out on anything that is said.

Nayra introduces the investigators to everybody nearby, the island is home to twelve families of Uru, all of whom make a living by fishing. She leads Jackson and his friends inside the house of one of the families and they are treated to a heaty traditional meal:
While everyone enjoys the food, Jackson describes your adventures so far to Nayra and shows her the inscribed golden piece from the museum.

Nayra looks at the artefact and shakes her head sadly:

<<This is very bad. I have many things to tell, but first I shall tell you the tale of the ruins.>>

<<This is a very old tale. Older than the history books, and their tales of the Incas. History past from one wise man and wise woman to the next, but never forgotten.>>

<<It was known by the Incas, that Titicaca is the birthplace of humanity. In times past, the god Viracocha rose from the waters, carrying humans with him.
When Viracocha had orchestrated the heavens by positioning the sun, moon, and stars, he commanded the humans to spread across the world.>>

<<But in the times after Viracocha made man, but before the great empire of the Incas, an ancient and evil god fell from the sky and landed in Lake Titicaca. It crawled out and brought hunger with it, devouring all it touched.>>

<<The trickster hero Ekeko told the evil god where the most nutritious food could be found underground, showing it tubers and grubs. Ekeko convinced the god from the sky, tempted by the food, to crawl into an old armadillo burrow. He then placed stones over the burrow, trapping the god below. Ekeko told the people that this was now a
sacred site and had them build a temple over it, binding it in place with “spells worked in gold.” The god from the sky still lives underneath the temple to this day, and those who know of it are wise enough to avoid its tomb.>>

<<But the Spanish, like this Luis de Mendoza, they were not wise - they sought only gold. Now they are kharisiri, the cursed beasts of the ancient evil.>>

OOC:   It takes me too long making translated, so I'm reverting back to writing my own posts in English - before I end up needing to write in Arabic, etc.

Amy doesn't know what the food is, but she's feeling adventurous and eats it regardless. She does not regret it.

"Was it removing the golden artifact that caused the curse?" asks Amy once she hears the tale, hoping Jackson will translate for her. "Would replacing it break the curse? Is there a danger that the sky god could get loose without it in place?"

Cynthia wolfs down her food - when you've eaten out of trash cans, a hearty meal of fish and potatoes is not to be sniffed at.
She listens intently to Nayra as much as her conversational Spanish will allow, then filling in the gaps as Jackson translates for Amy.

OOC,May I make a history roll to see if I know anything about these gods? If so...

History 20%,[dice]0[/dice]

With her limited knowledge of South American history, the names of the gods mean nothing to her, so she keeps quiet as Nayra talks in an effort to learn more.

Jackson translates Amy's questions into Spanish and Nayra thinks about them a little then says:

<<Before the Spanish arrived there was no kharisiri, this is why when Jackson first visited me he told me that kharisiri was just a myth to scare children. That the conquistadors were the real kharisiri .>>

The old Yatiria laughs:

<<Now he understands. The conquistadors such as Luis de Mendoza who broke the ward were cursed to be kharisiri.>>

<<But, this was many generations ago, if the Fallen God had been released, then all in Puno would be kharisiri.>>

<<So for all of those generations since the end of Incas, the fallen god has remained trapped while his kharisiri are cursed to wander the hills like mindless beasts, feeding on cattle and lonely walkers.>>

<<But that was then. Not now. When the Englishman Augustus Larkin arrived, everything changed. Now you must find a way to repair the ward, before the work of the hero Ekeko is undone forever.>>

Cynthia listens keenly to Nayra before pointing to the golden artefact in Jackson's hands. "Is this a ward then? If you look closely, you will see burnt flesh on it - flesh of the kharisiri maybe? Are there any legends about fighting these creatures, or scaring them off? We need to learn how to keep them at bay as I don't think they'll let us put the ward back in place without a fight!"
Another thought strikes her. "Say Jackson, you came yere looking for death cults - does that mean these kharisiri have followers? Maybe Larkin is one of them... Didn't someone say he had a spiral tatoo on his chest when he fled the hotel?" She turns back to Nayra. "Does the spiral symbol have any significance to your people and the legends? Have you seen anyone with such markings?"
She sits back and grimaces. "Sorry - too many questions, I know!"

"My guess is that flesh is de Mendoza's, and he got burned when he tried to steal it," says Amy. "I'm wondering how to kill a kharisiri so it stays dead. I know with a regular vampire it's a wooden stake through the heart, or at least it was in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. I doubt that will work in real life, though."

Atauchi remained quiet throughout the meal, his senses on alert for possible intruders. Once the yatiria began to speak, he followed the old woman's retelling of the ancient folklore, clearly interested in this fantastic tale of ancient gods and curses. The original expedition had desecrated the pyramid and as punishment for their actions, were transformed into the kharisiri by the fallen one. How Larkin had managed to overcome their animistic tendencies and convinced them to work towards his purposes, however, the Quechua man could not begin to speculate at. It was most confusing. Presently, he raised a brow when Amy had asked the question on all of their minds, how to put one of the beasts down, permanently. Atauchi turned back towards Nayra, eager to hear what she had to say on the matter.

<<Austus Larkin is not their follower, he is their leader.>>

Nayra thinks a little, then shakes her head:

<<I do not know of the spiral tatoo, but when he arrived in Puno he already knew the location of the pyramid. He asked for people who would follow their greed and take the gold from the ruins, because he knew this would destroy the ward and release the Fallen God.>>

<<But even the Catholics are not stupid and greedy enough to pillage the pyramid. Even they remember the old tales well enough to shun the ruins.>>

Again she shakes her head:

<<Only by burning, I do not know of any other way the kharisiri can be killed. We know that they recover in minutes, from wounds that would kill a strong man.>>

<<They receive their power directly from the Fallen God. So if the ward is restored their power will be cut off.>>

<<The ward was created with ancient and powerful magics, it will certainly harm the kharisiri if they touch it. Augustus Larkin as well. If he could damage the ward with his own hands, he would not need to recruit followers.>>

Cynthia helps Jackson translate Nayra's answers for Amy and then thanks the old woman for patiently answering the barrage of questions. After finishing her meal, she asks to look at the artefact, turning it over in her hands.
"I wonder... Is it the material, the symbols, or something else altogether that constitutes this 'magic'? Whatever it is, I guess our priority is getting this thing back to the pyramid and putting it back in it's place before Larkin and his bozos rip out the whole shebang."
She frowns. "Just gotta find the place first huh?"

Nayra smiles at Cynthia and says:

<<I can tell you the directions to the pyramid, if your goal is to repair the ward.>>

"A few days ago I'd have scoffed at the notion of magic, but now... I think repairing the ward is the best option." Cynthia turns to the others. "What d'you think?"

"Yes, that's what we've got to do," says Amy, nodding. "We have no time to lose. We need to put it back before Larkin and de Mendoza catch up to us. We'll need to buy torches in Puno. There are most likely others already in the area."

Atauchi now puffed on his pipe as the others discussed resealing the magical wards that had been cast upon the pyramid. The Quechua man knew a bit about native folklore, but all this talk about magic was beyond his comprehension. However, he did take away one very important piece of information from the ongoing discussion, how to permanently destroy the kharisiri abominations. In addition to the coca leaves, the tracker made a mental note to procure a large supply of liquid combustibles, oils and the like. It was entirely possible that the kharisiri were aware of their vulnerability to fire and could possibly be repelled by the sight of it.

"I think we take de Mendoza's head, burn the body. He not come back again. Larkin need be dealt with too." the man replied between puffs.

"You'll get no agrument from me on that score Atauchi!" Cynthia unconsciously checks that her pistol is still in her jacket. "Let's write down the directions to the pyramid, get back to the others and then do a little shopping. After that we can head to the pyramid and put this ward back in place. If any Larkin or his goddamn kharisiri try to stop us, we know what to do."
She squares her shoulders and nods emphatically, forcing down the tiny little part of her that thinks it all sounds way too simple...

"Brutal, but probably necessary."

Jackson agrees with Atauchi's thoughts.

As the group prepared to depart, Atauchi bid a polite farewell to the yatiria. He also ensured that the woman had a sufficient supply of coca leaves should any kharisiri come looking for her. He performed a cursory gear check and then made his way towards the boat.

OOC:   Atauchi is ready to return to Puno.

Amy thanks the yatiria for her hospitality and help and bids her farewell.

OOC,I'm ready too.

Cynthia also thanks Nayra and begins to prepare to depart. "Oh, could you perhaps do us one more favour? If the rumour could be spread that we're heading for the ruins across the lake in Bolivia, Larkin and his pals might not rush if they think we're going to the wrong place. Could you please put the word out?"

OOC,I'm assuming that, as an amateur archaeologist, Cynthia knows about the ruins in Bolivia (assuming they've been discovered in/by the 1920s)

<<I will do what I can>>

<<But I doubt that they will underestimate those who have already stopped Luis de Mendoza once, and I must remain in hiding myself.>>

<<The kharisiri have grown stronger since the arrival of Augustus Larkin. And though they avoid Puno by day, they enter the town with impunity by night.>>

Nayra gives directions to the pyramid, and also helps Jackson to mark its precise location onto his map, then she embraces each of the investigators before they leave:

<<Goodbye>>

<<Take care my friends. Never since the beginning times of my people has the danger from the Fallen God been so great, but you have the chance to restore the ward and protect the people of Lake Titicaca for many generations.>>

OOC:   The adventure continues Back at the Inn