Zoltan clips towards the ship. He sighs a bit as he notices the new name, but still meanders about. To see a legend is a rare thing indeed!

The styling of the ship is certainly different from the norm. Whether it would suggest Vartan craftsmanship, though, is pretty much a moot point, though. After all, there are not too many Vartan ships known of. In fact, this would probably be it.

Zoltan looks for the plank leading to the deck. If he's lucky they might be allowing people up there.

A gangplank leads up to the deck. Savanites occasionally bear supplies up the gangplank, though not terribly often, as they're spending more time using the supplies to work on the ship.

Most of the bats seem to be on break right now, toward the fore of the deck, chattering in high-pitched voices and munching on fruits and what might be large bugs.

Zoltan glances left and right, and quickly sneaks up the plank onto the deck of the ship.

One of the bats squeaks, "Oh, come on, TRY some, Master Roho! They're really good!"

Roho sighs, "Okay, okay… " *kr-KRNCH* "Hm. Tastes like Gooshurm."

Several bat noses wrinkle, saying, "GOOSHURM?" more or less in unison. One asks, "You've actually EATEN a Gooshurm?"

Several pairs of Eeee wings shudder involuntarily at the notion.

Zoltan looks around. It's amazing. He's actually walking on the same deck that Old Captain Shokar once walked.

Roho nods! "They're relatively common where I was born. Considered a great delicacy to my people!" Is he telling the truth, or pulling their wings?

One of the Eeees nods. "Ah. A delicacy." After all, delicacies of other cultures are always supposed to be disgusting. It's an unwritten intercultural rule.

Zoltan ducks behind the mast and listens to the bats and the strange big eared fox.

Roho blinks and sniffs the air…

Roho shrugs, thinking it must be the new food he's smelling, and *krnchs*another.

Zoltan bleahs. Bugs, ickyickyicky.

The bats return to chattering with each other. One asks Roho, "So, how do you like Rephidim? I hear you've never been here before?" The gray-furred bat goes by the name of Josef. Despite the gray, he's actually rather young.

Roho rasps, "I like it! I don't think I could stay forever, though, I miss the wilderness too much. But it's a pleasant place."

Zoltan squints as he looks at the wood of the mast. He thinks he can just barely make out someone's initials… or maybe it's just the Vartan's overactive imagination.

( Ooooh… what I wouldn't give to see Shokar's old cabin. They've probably furnished it with tacky new fancies… but still… maybe his bed is still there, or his spyglass. ) The Vartan muses.

Josef nods. "I hear you are from Himaat. I think we might be passing over the Himaat, unless we turn again. Do you think you might be paying a visit there?"

Roho shakes his head, "I enjoy the mountains and the forests too much. I think I'll wander Himar for a while, if I can reach it." He sniffs the air again…

Zoltan flicks his tail nervously. He digs his talons into the wood but stays where he is.

Another bat laughs. "Ah! So you're not afraid of Gooshurms at all! I suppose that you wouldn't have to fear going hungry, if your dinner comes to you!"

Zoltan chuckles quietly.

Roho chuckles, "Being discovered by a Gooshurm is rather distasteful at first, but one gets used to it!"

Several bat wings shudder. "No way I'd get used to THAT." "Don't they ignore bats?" "I hope so."

Zoltan looks around, surely the great ship of Shokar must have something extra special on the deck for a nosy Vartan to ogle at.

As Zoltan works his way around … he spies the figurehead. Or, rather, he can see the beak of the figurehead poking forward. It's a stylized Vartan, wings pressed up against the hull, lower body disappearing into wooden "clouds" that suggest it is bursting forth through an overcast sky.

Zoltan ooooohs at the figurehead. He reaches out and rubs its beak for good luck.

Several bats squeak, "Wha?" "You hear that?" "Hey! Who's over there?"

Zoltan squawks, "Uh-oh… "

Zoltan looks around for a place to hide.

Josef gasps, "It's a GHOST! It's the one from the painting! Aieeee!"

Roho blinks, "I thought I smelled… " He stops muttering as the bats start running about.

Several bat wings flutter about, like a flock of birds startled by a prowling cat.

Zoltan squawks, "Ghost? Uh… " the Vartan's face takes on an evil expression. "Yeah! I a ghost! Boogaboogabooga!"

Roho chuckles, and stands up, "For a ghost, you sure smell solid… "

The bats squeak and flutter about, chattering at high frequencies. Several Savanites stop their work and stand, watching Zoltan with incredulous expressions.

Roho shrugs, as none of the bats do anything. He steps forward, "Can … we help you with anything?"

Zoltan smiles and laughs to himself. "Sorry," He scrawks to Roho, "I just heard about this ship in dock and had to see for myself… is hear that old captain looked like me. Maybe relative, yes?"

Josef looks down. "Hey! That's no ghost!" He flutters back down to the deck, but rather than confronting Zoltan, decides it's time to get back to work and let the fennec deal with the intruder. Besides, his ears are now a bright shade of magenta-pink.

Roho rasps, "I would be the wrong one to ask. But are you from … do you … are you a Vartan?"

Zoltan rubs the back of his neck. "Yah… you never see one before?"

Roho shakes his head, "Still haven't, really… "

Zoltan arches an eyebrow quizzically, then notices Roho's eyes. "Oh… you blind? You find me quick for having broken eyes. Is impressed… Vartans live by eyesight, could not imagine living without it."

Roho smiles, "Eyesight isn't as important to my race … though I miss it sometimes. Listen, would you like to go talk somewhere, about the history of this vessel?"

Zoltan brightens. "Is would indeed! Ship is legend to Vartans… would like to hear about where it found." ( And what it looked like before all the fool bats painted it over ) He adds mentally.

Roho smiles, "I admit to being curious myself… " He turns to Josef and the others, "I'm going to take our guest belowdecks, unless you had some more creepy crawlies you needed me to exterminate."

Josef laughs. "You go on, Master Roho!"

Roho smiles and heads belowdecks.

Zoltan follows Roho. "This your ship?" He scrawks.

Roho turns a corner, into the Captain's Quarters, "I'd normally talk in my quarters, but for some reason this feels more appropriate… "

The Captain's Quarters seem frozen in time. Most of the dust is gone now, though the bed is lacking a mattress, and is nothing more than just a frame. The desk is still in place. There are several books on the shelves, though many of them are naught more than bindings holding collections of dust.

On the wall hangs a portrait of a stern-looking black Vartan, wearing shiny bracers. The pigments have faded, making it hard to tell what the original colors were, however.

Zoltan looks around in awe. "Is this way room was when you leave it?" He pokes around everywhere, the desk, the bookshelf, the bed… he stops cold when he sees the portrait.

Roho closes the door, "Not … precisely."

Zoltan scrawks something in a language Roho doesn't quite comprehend, from the direction of his voice he seems to be speaking to a wall. 'It… he… really DOES look like me." He scrawks to the painting.

Roho looks curious, "There's a painting here?"

Zoltan squawks, "Hr… yes. Is picture of Shokar… he was captain of this ship. "

Roho rasps, "What do you know of the ship?"

"Every Vartan know about ship. Captain Shokar and Silver Bell is legend." The Vartan scrawks, "Is hear they disappear while searching for island made of shinies."

Roho nods, "Boghaz doesn't know this, but we found a log in here. I got an acquaintance to translate it for me, it was in a Vartan dialect. It described their discovery of an island of shinies, and some other aspects of their voyage."

Zoltan coughs nervously…

Roho rasps, "I believe my assistant claimed the log. I might still be able to find her, though she probably wouldn't give it to you for free."

Zoltan squawks, "She sold to my master. That how I came to be here… is not often you get to set hoof on legend!"

Roho chuckles and nods, "Not surprised she sold it … quite a little entrepreneur. What do you think happened to the crew?"

"That I no sure." Zoltan admits, "Maybe they get caught in storm, maybe tails get tangled in island, maybe island come to life and eat them all." He hiccups at the last comment.

Roho nods, "I guess there's no way to know, other than by finding them. I just wonder how the ship stayed afloat so long." He pauses, "Is there anything else on the ship you wanted to see?"

At least, by the condition of the interior of the ship, it doesn't look as if a violent end to the crew on board the ship was likely. Any damage to the furniture appears to be simply a matter of extreme age.

Zoltan squawks, "Is good ship! Built by Vartans! That why it last so long."

Roho grins, "I don't doubt that they build the ship well, of course. But even the best-built ship will eventually come down to the surface eventually, there's simply no way to keep the light air for so long."

Zoltan looks around, "What you plan to do with ship now?" He looks at the ground nervously. "I make good shiphand… work cheap. Would be great honor to work on same ship Shokar did. and Zoltan much stronger than Eee… can lift heavy things, scout far, carry people on wing."

Roho rasps, "Well, I don't know, to be honest. It's Boghaz's vessel now. I may ship along with him as a medic, but there's no real clear mission that I know of yet."

Zoltan squawks, "Would be wonderful if you could find Paradys. Finish Shokar's mission in his own ship."

Roho rasps, "Perhaps he finished it himself … and didn't need the ship anymore after that."

Zoltan shakes his head. "Vartans not like that. If they find shinies… they take them to show off. They not disappear and hoard them. What good is shiny if nobody sees?"

Roho nods, "Well… " He looks unsure of what to say, "Then perhaps you would like to talk to Boghaz about his plans, tell him what you know of the ship's history."

Zoltan squawks, "Is mostly know legend. All Vartans do. But… is think I will. Maybe get hired onto crew… Vartan ship need at least one Vartan… for luck."

Zoltan winks… even though Roho can't see it.

Roho grins, "Of course!" He stands, "And if you find out what Boghaz's plans are, could you pass it on to me? Oh, my name's Roho."

Zoltan extends a hand. "I names Zoltanos Cambino, but you just call me 'Zoltan', yes? Big names always waste time in saying when there more important things to talk about.

Roho smiles and nods, "Indeed… " He doesn't notice the extended hand, "You can probably ask the crew where Boghaz is, I just know he's on his honeymoon at the moment. Perhaps it would be better to wait until he's back… "

Zoltan holds his hand in the air for a few uncomfortable moments, then nervously takes it back.

Zoltan squawks, "Hrr… is think I will. You know when that be?"

Roho shrugs, "I don't know … I wouldn't imagine more than a couple of days, while the crew resupplies."

Zoltan squawks, "I check back every day then. Is good excuse to see ship… "

"… and maybe scare Eee more," Zoltan adds with a mischievous tone to his voice.

Roho chuckles, "They can use that! I don't see how they could mistake you for a ghost, though… "

Zoltan nods and rises, he inhales deeply… as if breathing the air itself in this room is a privilege. "You think they mind… if I get job on ship… that I stay here?"

Roho scratches an ear as he thinks, "I don't think Boghaz planned to live in here … they might allow it. Probably by compromising and paying less."

Zoltan grins hugely! "Would be willing to work for almost free if I could sleep in same room Shokar did!"

Zoltan rubs his hands together. Jakka and Nicodemus would envy him to pieces! Ohhh!

Roho grins, "In that case, they'd probably be sure to hire you!"

Zoltan grins. "I be back tomorrow then… and every day until Bog-has come back. Maybe I help you find Paradys itself, yes?"

Roho rasps, "If that's what Boghaz decides to do, I'll be sure to join!"

Zoltan reaches down and grasps the fennec's wrist. "Is pleasure meeting you, Roho… hope we fly together soon." He shakes the hand in a firm and rather enthusiastic grip. Obviously the Vartan is quite excited.

Roho blinks at the grasp, then grins as he realizes that he's been missing a handshake. He shakes Zoltan's hand, "I look forward to seeing you again. And I'll tell Boghaz to expect you when he gets back."

Zoltan squawks, "Tell him I look like Shokar! He find me easy then."

Roho laughs, "I think he'd find you easily, anyways… "

Zoltan starts out the door. "See you later then. I think I going to tell friend of mine about ship… "

Roho nods, and gets up too, "I think I'll join the others back above decks … take care!"

And so, once again, a Vartan becomes a member of the crew of Shokar's Silver Bell (or Freedom's Dream, if you insist). After all, one cannot resist a strong back and strong wings for a pittance of pay and shinies. Boghaz and his bride, Saraizadze, it turns out, are honeymooning in a place known as "Faraon's Dome" – an establishment curiously located on the underside of the island. In any case, it's evident that nobody is going to be around for a while to protest a Vartan bunking in the cabin that once belonged to Captain Shokar. And as for Paradys … well, perhaps that will be a story for another time…