Continued from part 2 (Read from the beginning Here)

Ava asks a little unsure having only been to the place once before “Is this Dani’s camp?”

Akashana  looks  over the  fire  to  Ava.. “Dani is EN here”  she  states  simply  and  kicks  the  thigh of  Bay  a  little  annoyed  he  is  still kneeling and  not  serving the  visitors

Ava sighs with relief now knowing where she is and she is safe

While I slept bodi worked to find my tavern workers and have them brought to the camp, so that their service would help compensate the panthers for my residence in their camp. The one you will hear most of is a girl by the name of “Lips”, who proved to be the most loyal during this journey.

I woke occasionally during this time, one time of note was when a healer came to the camp and examined me.

I was unable to find an rp log for this, however I did find the healers prescription for treatment:

Lady Ava has an amoebic infection from being  submerged in the river  recently. There is not much  we can  do  except  build  her bodies  defences up and  help  her  purge the infection. Here is  what I want her  to have.

    1. She  needs plenty  of fresh clean water and or  tea. Cherry Bark and cinnamon  bark in particular.. Mint tea if her stomach get upset

    2. Feed her plenty  of  fruits and melons. Cherries in particular.

    3. Leaving  her a mild antibiotic to  take  twice a day..

    4. No cheese, but mildly spices suls and lean meats in small amounts.

Make  sure  everyone  follows this. I will check on her  as  well.

Thank you

Sigmond Jones, Physician

 

This “sickness” was deliberate story element that allowed me to take a break of about a month from sl Gor to consider what I would do next. It was a year to the day between placing my new tavern building and sending out the Tavern Fire rp notecard.

Towards the end of this period of sickness Dani’s band moved their camp (the SIM closed). I felt perhaps it was time to try life in a gorean city…

Start rp log:Ava stirs as she hears footsteps in the hut
Ava turns over and looks up “Lips?”

Lips greetings my Mistress
Ava: Is something wrong? I heard a lot of noise in the camp
Lips “Mistress, the panthers are moving their camp, we have to leave, your sister left a note”Ava sits up startled “they’re moving? We must leave! ” sways a little at the sudden movement and looks about her
Lips hold Mistress by her hand and helped her in getting up “Mistress is there anything you want to take with you”
Ava passes the blanket covering her to the girl “quickly bundle up my good clothes and things into this and the bottle of water”
Lips takes up the blanket and started bundling things up “Mistress where will we go?”
Ava takes the note from the girl as she picks things up and reads through it “Ah bodi says she has found somewhere for me to go and paid a months rent for me in advance! It appears to be a city,called Skargill, judging by the map.”
Ava pulls on her boots grateful they have had time to dry out and are in a better state than her red dress
Ava looks at the map again “I’ve not heard of it, but I’m sure a captain will have. Lets get to the dock”

Lips picks up the luggage and follows Mistress
Ava looks about the camp sad to be leaving the place that has sheltered her and heads to the gate and the dock
Ava: which way to the dock girl? I don’t remember my way in
Ava stumbles slightly on the log bridge, unsteady on her feet still after her sickness
Ava eventually finds her way to a dock and shows the captain the map of where she wants to go
End of rp log.

Ava steps off the boat followed by her girl,Lips, and heads to the town gate. She tries the door but it doesn’t budge so she rings the bell and a slavegirl appears and lets them in.

Start rp log:
Ava: Tal, my name is Ava.  My sister has rented a house here for me, I have a map of where it is

Janet [Janetstar]: Greetings Misstress

Ava: Ah there you are my girl

Lips: Greetings Sister

Janet [Janetstar]: Greetings Karijra

Ava: My name is Ava, this is my girl by the name of Lips. I have traveled far from the forests, I believe there is High Caste housing here? Could you show me the way?

Janet [Janetstar]: Yes Misstress we do have a few did you rent the House over by the Long Hall Mistress

Ava: I believe that’s what my sister said in her note yes

Janet [Janetstar]: this one that is open

Janet [Janetstar]: i can show you your sister home

Ava: I had to cross a bridge to get to it, further from here

Janet [Janetstar]: yes misstress

Janet [Janetstar]: i can show you your sister home

Janet [Janetstar]: this is your sister home

Ava pushes open the door and looks around

Ava: She seems to have found a nice place for me to finish my recovery

Lips follows Mistress inside the house

Ava: Well lips, looks like this will be home for a while

Lips: Yes, my Mistress

Ava: Looks awfully bare, but I’m sure we can make ot habitable

Lips “yes my Mistress

End rp log

 

However this turned out to be a complete waste of time. The very next day I logged back in to find an empty sim. It became apparent (after some rather strong words with one of the owners that was there),that while I’d been sleeping (in real-life, not the rp) the owners of this brand new sim had a major fall-out and were closing the place!

So evidently Ava wasn’t destined for city life and retraced her steps to follow Dani’s band to their new camp.

The next morning Ava awakes to a rumbling in the city then sudden eerie silence, something is clearly very wrong. She quickly dresses, glad that the slaves have been able to repair her favourite dress and won’t have to wear the scraps of clothing the panther girls had been kind enough to loan her.  She steps out the door of the house to a horrific scene of emptiness. Very few buildings remain standing and those that are,are mostly in ruins. She takes a final look around, glad she had sent Lips elsewhere the night before. She scoops up her few remaining possessions and runs toward the dock,hoping it intact and a ship is still there.

As she approaches she sees the ship that brought her just the day before preparing to cast off. She calls rp them “Tal! Wait! I need passage!” The captain looks at her for a moment seemingly not recognizing her in her much better attire then recognizes the fur cloak she had still draped over her shoulders and answers, “yes Lady where do you wish to go this time? Was this not your destination? ”

Ava takes a step into the boat to better address him “yes, this was the place I was given directions to,but as you can see,it’s not fit for anybody to occupy, let alone a Free woman. Since I have no alternative destination available to me I need you to return me to the dock where you collected me yesterday. Hopefully from there I can find  a tracker to help me find the camp the panthers moved to.” Ava holds up a silver tarn disk she had liberated from one of the houses on her way to the dock “I’m sure this will cover your inconvenience captain”,she places it on the rail next to him and without another word heads to the sheltered part of the deck, leaving the captain and crew to their jobs.

Arriving back at Dani’s old camp,Ava uses her rather rusty tracking skills learnt from the panthers to follow the departing band, who hadn’t made much attempt to hide their path. She follows it to another dock..

On arrival at the docks where Dani’s band had apparently landed,I see a stone building across a rope bridge,clearly some kind of outpost or trading station. Perhaps city life wasn’t for Ava, but such a place would definitely have more comfortable beds than furs on the floor in a tent or hut.

I approach the gate cautiously now dressed once again in her repaired red dress, that will probably need replacing at some point soon. I did not however make it as far as the bridge, I met a Free man and his slave on the path.

While I was exchanging simple pleasantries with him a huntress emerged from the trees leading a kajira, which was to my surprise my First girl from my old tavern! Knowing that the panther band would have taken my other tavern workers with them to their new camp, I decided that despite how it pained me, to let the huntress keep her.

I then went somewhat dejectedly to sit on the dock to consider my options. I resolved that I’d had enough of tavern life and that having been born into Merchant caste family, I could use the contacts I made while running the tavern, combined with the stash of coin I had hidden a short distance from the tavern, to take up the trading way of life. I looked at the nearby outpost and got to my feet and headed for the gate.

When I entered the outpost the only person in sight was a lone kajira. I enquired of her owner who was apparently the head slaver there. I then had the girl show me around housing she knew may be vacant that I could occupy for my trade business. The third property she showed me seemed suitable and vacant, so I decided I would ask the head merchant for this one. As the girl and I returned to the town square a man arrived and introduced himself as the Tavern Keeper. Being in official position in the village he was able to accept me as Merchant on behalf of the Head Merchant and allow me to move into the house I liked. It appeared I would now indeed become a merchant!

There’s a little more to come before the end of this tale in the next part:

Click here for Part 4