Pre-Festival festivities

The suite that Bella Bell had given them was pretty nice, Ozraeline had to admit. It consisted of the entire second floor of one of the interconnected complex of buildings that made up Bella Bell's establishment. Like most buildings in The Thousand Isle's it was designed with privacy in mind, but also to let the wind and air in, rather then to keep them out. Wide louvred window screens provided seclusion without blocking the breeze. No winter here really, the enemy was heat, not cold. And the rain. Ozraeline hadn't lived through one of the rainy seasons yet, but she had heard of them and they sounded pretty extreme.

The floor had a central common room with a staircase leading up to a small lightwell chamber that opened onto the flat roof. Individual sleeping chamber radiated off the common room, The design allowed a near constant breeze throughout the chambers, a breeze that smelling of oranges and jasmine. The roof especially was a great place to cool off after the sun had set. 

The building also offered some privacy, set back from the main courtyard as it was. Not a lot of privacy, it was still quite noisy day and night, both inside Bella's complex and out, but then again you could say that about the entire town of Skull River Bay. 

Pirate Havens were not know as quiet sanctuaries of peace and reflection.

Especially noisy right now, as a matter of fact, there was some kind of disturbance happening on the main street, the Rumbala even this early in the afternoon. 

Of course the downside of the suite, in Ozraeline's opinion, was it came with Bella Bell herself. Ozraeline was not a fan of Bella Bell. It wasn't that she was jealous. Or at least she kept telling herself that. She was used to women being pulled into Freddy's orbit after all, he was kind of a Saragossa Sea for women.  A good natured Saragossa Sea who didn't mean any harm, and while it never actually ended WELL for those women it generally didn't end horribly for them either. Freddy was fundamentally a decent guy, he knew himself pretty well and he did a decent job of setting expectations. But the women always left feeling like they had wasted a lot of time and never quite gotten the thing they were after.

But recently, in Ozraeline's opinion, Freddy had started playing with fire. Maria Cristina and all that weird Voodoo shit was bad enough, but at least that had been brief. Bella Bell was becoming a semi-permanent fixture on Freddy's arm. Bella Bell was (in Ozraeline's opinion) one scary, viciously upwardly mobile bitch, some kind of major player in this town, and quite possibly a little insane to boot. And Ozraeline was not sure who was being pulled into who's orbit this time.

Ozraeline inwardly shuddered remembering the sea cages they had passed on the way into the harbor.

The rotting corpses of those two assassins' they had captured had been in those cages, and Bella had put them there. Those men had tried to kill her in her sleep, so Ozraeline had a hard time feeling too bad about their fate. But still, they had not died easily or quickly, as the tide slowly rose to drown them. She still remembered how angry Bella had been that someone had dared to challenge her authority in her own establishment. 

Word around town was she was still looking for the third assassin and was willing to pay a pretty penny to anyone who assisted her in finding him. Word around town was she had a cage picked out and ready for him.

"That one knows how to hold a grudge, and is fond of making an example" she thought. "She fakes the sex kitten thing well, but it's a means to an end. Underneath it there is blood on those long nails, and it's all power and violence and knives in the dark. Reminds me of Sysuul. Freddy, you may be in over your head on this one."

The object of Ozraeline's concern was currently sitting on Freddy's lap, giving him, and the rest of the party advice on the upcoming Solstice Market. 

  "Well it's not all buying and selling and boring stuff like that Freddy. Though there really are some marvelous things being sold. I'm really looking forward to whatever you get me for a present. But there is also music, and dancing, and competitions. The competitions are the best part, if you ask me, especially the musical ones. You are so gonna win that one Fred! I am betting so much on you,  you’re so talented! You better not let me down."

Ozraeline detected a bit of steel in that last sentence. She inwardly shuddered again.

"The magical auctions are the big draw of course. Plenty of power to be had there, if you have the gold for it." Bella continued.

"I prefer to pry my magic from the cold, dead fingers of my enemies." said Ricmo. "Or steal it from the temple of some forgotten god. Buying it seems like cheating somehow, takes all the fun out of it."

"Oh Ricmo you are so funny!" Bella giggled. "But if you like the challenge, the Contest of Might and Marksmanship has Pistolering, I'm sure you'd love that. And I'd love to see you win it, since that queen bitch Sally Brown usually does" 

Ricmo grinned, stood up and bowed. "As you command, my lady".

"Besides we don't actually have all that much money." Dakhir pointed out (with his quartermaster's hat on). "While our share of the prize we took will yield a pretty penny eventually, all that cargo needs to be sold off, the ship auctioned, and the prisoners need to be ransomed before we see all of it. I know that Diamond Joe told us there were money lenders that would front us the money, but I am not sure that's a good idea...."

"Oh, you silly bear" purred Bella. "I can always loan Freddykins whatever he needs. I have scads of money! No need to go to any old shady moneylenders."

Inwardly Ozraeline groaned.

Whisperleaf seemed to share her concerns as he delicately backpeddled. "We wouldn't think of you troubling you Bella, especially after you've been so kind."

"Well, win some contests then" suggested Bella. "Plenty of money to be had there. There is also the Grand Tournament of Cards. The best gamblers from all over the Isle's will be here for that one.  The winner will walk away with a kings ransom. That sounds right up Ricmo's alley."

"I like the sound of that." replied Ricmo. "What kind of king are we talking about? Big king? Medium sized king?"

"Corpulent" replied Bella with a grin. 

I must admit this Challenge of Magic sounds intriguing said Whisperleaf. "While some of the magical schools being tested are not my forte, I should be able to do well in others. And I am sure Dakhir can walk away with several of them.

"I won't be participating" said Dakhir. "Really not a fan of tipping my hand publicly. But I think I'll enter The Sturg in the Strongman event. He'd like that I think. The Sturg just stood there impassively.

A Tortle will show

Shot flying like burning gulls

Smells like victory

said Tello.

"The Cannonry competition is as good as won" laughed Bella. "It's going to be so fun!" she clapped her hands prettily and laughed. 

The rest of party laughed along, spirits buoyed by Bella's infectious childlike excitement.

"I really hate that bitch" thought Ozraeline.

"What in the world is all that racket?" asked Freddy, finally distracted from the joys of being sat on. The noise outside had been gradually growing in volume, however suddenly a clear voice rang through the din from the street below, loud as a megaphone"

"Repent, Repent! The Lightbringer is come! For Mithra is the true god, and Radiant Lightbringer is his prophet!"

"What the fuck?" Dakhir wondered aloud. "Did I hear that right?"

"Repent! For the Lightbringer was sent to us, to save us from our iniquity. Repent or be damned!" the voice thundered from below.

The party was silent for a moment, then they all turned, as one, to look toward the party cleric, Radiant Lightbringer.

His expression was one of comical surprise. "I have no idea" he said simply.

"Well, you best go find out." replied Dakhir.

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"So, back in Haven, you accidentally started a cult?" asked Whisperleaf

"They call themselves  The Reformista, and no they aren't a cult. More like a faction."

"Sounds like a cult to me" said Ricmo

"Worst case a schism" said Radiant Lightbringer. "Like the Great Schism of 1151"

"Fine. Whatever. And they think your a prophet?" asked Whisperleaf

"Well he did glow and stuff and there was that light from heaven and that big booming voice and then all the old priests lost their powers and then he talked to all those younger priests for like hours."Sounds pretty Prophety to me." pointed out Ricmo.

"So YOU are their prohephet? You?" asked Whisperleaf.

"Yes and No." said Lightbringer.

"Yes and No?" 

"Well they think Radiant Lightbringer is a prophet and Mithra talked to him and told him to tell his followers to do things. And I said 'That was me and I am pretty sure Mithra didn't say to do most of those things because I was there and I would remember'"

"And how did he take that?" asked Dakhir

"He called me a liar and a heretic and said my soul was destined to be damned for all eternity in the deepest pit in the Abyss"

They were all silent for a moment.

Then Dakhir laughed and laughed.