Fortitude in Wolcyn
+ Show First Post
Total: 48
Posts Per Page:
Permalink

'Angels' translates as the word for some kind of god. This country could be superstitious, although given the givens Fortitude is not ruling out that angels are real here. "May I be taken to the local monks so we can sort this out?"

Permalink

She may, in fact, notice when she tries to say 'monk' that that word does not translate at all! In any way shape or form! The closest you get is ridiculously long constructed sentences pinning like eight different things together that appear to be completely separate concepts in the language.

Permalink

She swears in Alexandrite, then says in Wolcynlanguage, "can you take me to the sort of people who deal with this sort of thing?"

Permalink

"No one deals with this sort of thing," he says. "I can take you to the [representative-of-the-owner-of-the-mine] or the [person-in-the-area-who-owns-the-most-farmland], but the [regionally-elected-member-of-the-legislative-committee] is in the [city-which-is-where-the-main-administration-is] and there are no [UNTRANSLATABLE 2, hereafter "Aces"] in the [small-administrative-division-of-the-state]."

Permalink

"Then I defer to your judgement, Wise-Leader," Fortitude says politely.

Permalink

Thaaaat is not normal language.

What he would like to do is take her to a priest, but the available priests are an illiterate parish priest and the local Captain's Steward whose chief religious belief is that the second sons of important landowners deserve cushy sinecures, especially if they're him.

"It think the [person-in-the-area-who-owns-the-most-farmland]*. Ada!"

"Yeah, Boss?"

Ada turns out to be a tough-looking middle-aged woman who was supervising some of the coal-crushing.

"We'll send her off on the next trip. Take care of her and make sure she gets to the [person-in-the-area-who-owns-the-most-farmland], sure?"

(* "Squire.")

(* Still "Squire.")

Permalink

"It's nice to meet you, Ada-Responsible. Is there a thing I can do to help while we wait? I know medicine and I am a quick learner on routine tasks."

Permalink

"- Sure," she says. "Take a look at Jack, will you?" She points. "He burned his hand, you know how to stop that going bad?"

Permalink

How bad is the burn? First-degree, second-degree, third-degree...?

Permalink

Second-degree burns from atmospheric engine steam! It doesn't look bad, for second-degree burns, except for the part where between coal dust and coal smoke it is basically impossible to get and keep anything clean around this mine.

Permalink

Pejorative-syllable coal. Okay. 

She undoes her outer clothes, drops them on the ground, and rips a strip of fabric from her shirt. "I need clean water. Is there a river around here somewhere? I also need honey if you have it."

Permalink

"There's a river, but..." but they use it to carry away the tailings, and it's, uh, not clean at all. They have mildly grimy water that was at one point clean (but has been uncovered around all the coal dust and smoke) and beer and whiskey? Whiskey could help. They know that's a disinfectant. (They do not have honey.)

Permalink

"...what's whiskey?" (She has put her outer clothes back on and carefully tucked the torn-off part of her shirt into her outer clothes to keep it clean.)

Permalink

"[Distilled-grain-alcohol]? You drink it."

Permalink

How many addicts do they have?

But alcohol is a good disinfectant, so she uses it to clean the wound and then very quickly binds the wound with her scrap of clothes before the inside can get too sooty. The whole while she speaks in her firm, calm, and professional disaster-relief voice. 

Permalink

The firm, professional disaster-relief voice is instinctively obeyed, just like it would be back home.

(... many. many addicts.)

Permalink

Then she looks around for other tasks that need doing until the next trip.

Permalink

The next trip isn't that late! The coal is being sent down from the hills where it's mined on a rickety cart that descends on rails, powered by the force of gravity. Ada and another of the miners are keeping a hand on it to make sure it doesn't turn over.

Permalink

How clever!

Fortitude follows.

Permalink

The cart stops where there's a river wide enough for barges, to be loaded by Ada and the other miner (and they'll be happy if Fortitude gives them a hand) onto the very large bin in which the barge stores coal!

Permalink

Fortitude gives them a hand!

She is athletic and has received adequate food since childhood and is probably noticeably stronger than they are. 

Permalink

Yup! She's taller and has a stronger frame than they are, so it's really not even close.

"Tough," says the other miner, with a somewhat-impressed tone.

Permalink

"Thank you!"

This Thread Is On Hiatus
Total: 48
Posts Per Page: