The City of Wei Jang

Eleventh day of Solae, 1485
 
I find myself writing this in one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen, outside of Alcarin. We are in the city of Wei Jang, “the jewel of the east” as I’ve heard some call it. It is breathtakingly beautiful, although I entirely agree with Grimaldus that it is a pretty wrapping over what must be an incredibly depraved core. But the wrapping is nothing if not beautiful…
 
But, before I go into a description of what I have seen and experienced in this place thus far, I must record the events that led us to this place, when a short while ago, we were likely a thousand miles away in the shithole that is Alfarid, or rather, was Alfarid…
 
After Secilia’s guardian killed the sorcerer on his flying disc, we all made our way to the tower. Dekar pulled something from the body, but I neither knew nor cared what it was… I was more interested in his items that he carried with him. Unfortunately, I didn’t see a spell book anywhere, I wonder if he had his spells all in his memory? But, I did see his staff and the black disc that he rode through the air… the staff’s head was fashioned into a serpent, and I honestly was loathe to even touch it. I was pretty sure that Inira or Secilia would be more interested, and honestly… I have had enough of staffs to last me a century, at least…
 
So, I placed the flying disc in my bag of holding and followed the others up to the tower. Grimaldus and Dekar led the way, as usual. Hasim disappeared somewhere along the wall, I think he climbed the damn thing.
 
A large contingent of priests met us outside the tower gate. But, at the sight of our party approaching (I think it was likely in large part to the swirling spiritual guardians surrounding Grimaldus), many of them turned and fled. A few remained though, some warriors, some with spears and a few with nets. There was one warrior who was equal in size to Dekar, which was slightly disconcerting, I must admit. But, they were not my focus. My attention was solely focused on the back, standing almost up against the tower itself, was a group of spellcasters. One was a blind wizard, who obviously studied the school of divination. He was accompanied by five identical albino humans. I don’t know if they were actual people, or some type of weird construct, but they served as his eyes, and they were competent enough spellcasters in their own right. There was another, who held a staff of snakes, but I was less concerned about him than the diviner.
 
Divination magic is tricky… it is difficult to wield, but when it is used effectively in combat, it is some of the scariest arcane to face. It can shape the tide of battle, and impede or enhance the skill and luck of the combatants. The diviner needed to die, and quickly. Between Inira, Secilia and myself, we managed to counter most of his spells, and Yahiro rushed over to him and was able to do a great deal of damage - but then, he was almost immediately banished to somewhere else. It wasn’t a banish spell, so I’m not entirely sure what he did, but we were able to do enough damage to the diviner that he lost his concentration and Yahiro reappeared. I think someone wasn’t used to having to maintain concentration in battle… and it ultimately cost him his life.
 
The warlock held the cobra aloft in the air and Grimaldus and Inira fell unconscious. Grimaldus crumpled right in front of the warriors that he was fighting. One of them threw a net over him and proceeded to spear him repeatedly. I felt my heart in my throat as I saw the growing pool of blood spreading from him… No! I was not going to lose another friend. I didn’t stop to think too hard about why it being Grimaldus caused such a visceral reaction in my gut, I just reacted.
 
I ran over to him, and ducked under the spears poised to stab again. I laid my hand on his shoulder and teleported both of us back to where I had been standing, far enough away from the enemies that I hoped Grimaldus would be safe. He was barely holding on to consciousness. As soon as I got him out of the imminent danger, I turned to Secilia. “Heal him!” I don’t know if I demanded or pleaded… but fortunately, she and her celestial guardian both healed Grimaldus enough that he seemed like he would make it.
 
I don’t ever want to feel that again… the heart stopping, consuming panic that I wouldn’t be able to get there fast enough. Maybe it is because I’ve never seen him take any serious injuries, or, it is because Ravlor was right… regardless, whichever it is… it was horrible, and I mustn’t think on it too much, lest my mind spiral away from me again, as it did after the war…
 
Rowan was thrown out of her animal form, and promptly netted and speared like Grimaldus had been. She is so small though, and her cries sounded like those of a child. It was horrible. So, I cast a fireball, detonating it in the air, so it caught all of the enemies, but the flames washed over Rowan, missing her by a mere couple of feet. That provided enough of a distraction, and caused enough havoc among the enemies, that Rowan was able to escape.
 
Grimaldus, after healing himself further, was angry. He charged back into the fight and loosed the curse in his mace as he swung. I have to admit, I was surprised. Impressed. But surprised. He has carried that same curse in his mace since we were in Latria… it was before we faced Mustafat and the bendeth… back when he asked what kind of spells I could cast, and I let him look through my spell book, telling him to pick one. He ultimately didn’t, I think he was looking for something more along the lines of what Inira casts than myself… but that was when I first realized that there was something different about him. I didn’t think twice about handing him my spellbook… which is something that I’ve only ever done a few times in my life… not counting Grimaldus, the only people whom I’ve ever allowed complete access to my spell book without me retaining physical possession of it at all times, are Filandrel and Ravlor. It is odd… if I were to actually focus on it, think about it, but I am choosing not to. There are more important and, frankly, more interesting things to think about at the moment…
 
When we were finishing up the enemies, Meriwald flew off my shoulder and cast rope trick. He hid himself in the little pocket dimension and started ranting about how we needed to get out of there, and that the hydra was something that he didn’t think we should fight. I listened to him, Meriwald has rarely steered me wrong in the past… and I’ve never seen him be wrong about a fight when he is that insistent. So, I asked him to go tell the others, but to please be safe about it, I don’t want to lose him.
 
A serpentine body crashed onto the ground with a sickening splat. Hasim appeared, holding a glaive made of some sort of crystalline material and ancient, twisted wood. He handed it to me and asked if I could identify what it is… I didn’t have time for it then, but it felt ancient and powerful in a similar way to the fragments of Lara Durdain’s staff… not made by Elven hands, but it shared the same feeling… I told him that I would inspect it later, and I will.
 
Hasim also told me of the ritual he interrupted… he described the magic circle for me, and it was either a teleportation circle or a portal… I wasn’t sure which, as he wasn’t especially confident in his memory of the exact runes and positioning. He said that he interrupted a ritual, and I asked him to take me to the circle, so I could see if it was something that I would need to dispel.
 
The door into the tower was heavily barred, but barred doors pose no problem when you have a druid with you who can transform into a giant mammoth… I didn’t even have to expend any magic to open it. Rowan stayed in the entrance, while Hasim and I made our way cautiously into the tower. We both looked around, knowing that at least one priest had to be in the vicinity… I found him hiding in an alcove. Hasim pulled him out and he begged us to kill him. We didn’t, and managed to get enough information out of him to determine that the magic circle on the roof was, indeed, a teleportation circle attuned to the city of Wei Jang.
 
The priest informed us that we were too late, his eyes alight with manic fervor as he explained that other rituals were being conducted at towers across the sands, and the awakening had already begun. I think he was spitting a bunch of nonsense, but I shoved a bit of fabric from the curtain in his mouth and tied his hands together anyways. I don’t want him to be able to cast any spells when we bring him with us.
 
People started pouring into the tower. Secilia appeared next to me, I need to return this talisman to her… it is making me slightly uncomfortable. Yes, it is useful, but there is always a trade off with artifacts… and I do not think I will want to have any part of the price of this… especially if it has anything to do with the black dog creature that invaded Dekar’s dream.
 
My friends came barreling in, Grimaldus carrying several small children slung over his shoulders. I told them to make sure that all of the villagers made their way to the top of the tower, and then ran up the stairs with Hasim to open the circle.
 
After we managed to get all of the villagers through the portal, I saw the figure of a man approaching up the stairs. It was mutated, contorted… it had the head of the same black dog that invaded Dekar’s dream and then dispelled my casting… Grimaldus turned to it and tried to banish it back to whatever realm it crawled out of. We all made it into the circle.
 
We arrived in a plaza of golden pillars. Gold and silver covered the entire area, and figures were patrolling, moving with an unnatural stiffness to their limbs. Their faces were hidden behind silver masks, hiding their dead, mummified faces.
 
The city stretched out in great ziggurats, the sun was glinting off the gold and silver encrusting the architecture, and reflecting off the deep blue waters of the ocean in the distance. Arcane glyphs cover the entire plaza we stood in, the aura of magic wrapped around us at a level I haven’t felt since I was last home in Alcarin.
 
I looked at the rest of the party, my gaze focusing on Grimaldus. He seemed unperturbed by the undead surrounding us. I tried to push them out of my mind, but couldn’t help the bile that rose in my throat at yet another time stepping through a portal to be surrounded by undead… I don’t think anyone else noticed, I hope not… there are some things that I would prefer to not have to explain… Grimaldus must have noticed though, because he quietly said that these were the guards - as if I wasn’t able to figure it out on my own… but at least he seemed to want to ease my discomfort, which is appreciated nonetheless.
 
My gaze was drawn to the far end of the plaza… a gigantic feline figure reclined, draped in cloth, with the head of a woman. I had read about sphinxes before, but I had never spoken to one, or even seen one in person before. Five guards stood at her feet, clad in red and gold.
 
The sphinx spoke then, its feminine voice booming unsettlingly across the plaza. She wanted to know who led the refugees that had just arrived ahead of us. She demanded an answer and questioned our bravery - but I don’t think she was paying attention to the fact that she was speaking Yongrel to a party largely comprised of foreigners. (I still haven’t told anyone that I speak and understand Yongrel… I think that it will suit me better in the long run if most people here don’t know… and it would seem that Grimaldus agrees with me, because he has refrained from speaking to me in his native language since Hasim joined us.)
 
Grimaldus then called out, his voice also booming through the effect of his thaumaturgy. They talked for a time, before she seemed to realize her mistake, and with an apology, she began speaking in broken low Imperial.
 
She said that we have come upon the temple quarter of the city, and offered for us to learn the coordinates of the teleportation circle. I immediately recorded this in my spellbook, I don’t want to lose the possibility of a safe location to teleport to… especially when I do not think the rest of the party (or the Princess for that matter) would appreciate being teleported to Alcarin in case of an emergency.
 
Grimaldus asked where to find Vignir… apparently Vignir, the lich from the Runestone coronation ball, resides here! Oh, fuck no. I have no desire to have anything to do with a fucking lich. I am too surrounded by undead as it is… I desperately do not want to add a lich into the mix.
 
After that, I ceased to pay as much attention to the conversation… The sphinx said that the gates of the city are open to us, and that we will find some rest, or perhaps knowledge, here.
 
My attention was drawn back to the conversation when she mentioned that there is an axiomite living by the coast. That peaked my interest. I want to seek out this ancient elf, so that I might speak to him… hopefully gain some knowledge from him… she said that he lives in the trade quarter, by the coast. I shall have to seek this elf out, perhaps he might have some answers for me…
 
As we were beginning to leave, a giant of a man (at least as tall as Dekar, which is saying something), scales running up his face and neck, came down from the balcony ringing the plaza… he said that we are welcome to stay in his quarter, of Magic and Opulence, as he very much would like to speak with Dekar. He seems to share the same type of draconic blood as Dekar, his scales red, but he seems similar enough. I don’t have a good feeling about him, based on what Hasim’s reaction to his appearance was… we will see.
 
As we were leaving, I just followed Grimaldus, as he seemed to know exactly where he was going. Honestly, I wasn’t paying that close of attention to our ultimate destination, for my eyes were distracted by the beauty surrounding me… the city is absolutely breathtaking in its architecture and design. As we walked, a giant mummified spider, draped in opulent barding, passed us by.
 
Vines and flowers hang from the very walls of this place. Sparkling fountains form centerpieces to catch the eye of passersby. The different ziggurats that form the city quadrants are connected by elaborate bridges crossing over the cerulean blue ocean. The view is breathtaking. But, as beautiful as this place is, I cannot help but feel that it is naught but a pretty wrapping over something sinister and corrupt...
 
I might have thought that it was just because of my discomfort with the amount of necromancy rampant in this place, but then Grimaldus confirmed my suspicions… I felt the weight of his hand on my shoulder as he said: “The difference between this city and Runestone… Runestone is a disgusting individual that hides itself under perfume. Wei Jang bathes and then puts on the same perfume to hide what’s in its heart.”
 
Grimaldus was leading us to a place called the House of Earthly Delights. It is a brothel. Apparently, according to Grimaldus, whores are the only trustworthy non-duplicitous people in this city. A part of me wonders if he knows the location and occupants of every whorehouse in the region, but I find myself disinclined to ask... I don't think I actually want to know...
 
We passed several groups of people wagering on racing pigeons. I could feel Meriwald perk up with interest at the smaller birds flitting around. "No!" I admonished him. I was not about to have him starting any trouble, especially not when so many of us had been so injured.
 
A child ran up and handed Dekar a flower. Is that a weird custom here? For random children on the street to hand flowers to people? Odd...
 
As we approached our destination, I was shocked at the sheer size and opulence of the place... it is easily the size of a small keep. "This is a whorehouse?" I mused.
"And a temple." Hasim answered. Grimaldus made a comment about a lot of worshiping taking place within those walls. Just how much time has Grimaldus spent frequenting whorehouses, I wonder?
 
The interior of the establishment is just as ornately opulent as the exterior, just a hairsbreadth shy of being garish. The patrons and employees were both a wider variety of people than I've seen occupying the same room since the battlefields of the Union War. My attention was drawn to the middle-aged woman addressing Grimaldus.
By her manner of speaking, I assumed she must be the priestess who runs this establishment.
"So, you bring foreigners? Her gaze swept over me. "Ah, I see your tastes have changed." I wonder if she would have spoken the same if she knew I could understand her, but then again, the woman runs a brothel, she probably would have.
 
The madame seemed utterly enchanted by Rowan, at first thinking her a child. I disabused her of that foolish, albeit common, misconception, and she seemed even more enchanted. She even went so far as to offer Rowan some sugared lemons... Rowan seemed pleased. But does the woman realize that Rowan is very likely twice my own age? Perhaps even older? Apparently not...
 
Grimaldus booked a room for himself and I think he rented one for Hasim as well. The woman winked at him and said they would talk later. Dekar and Inira also booked a room. I sincerely hoped it would be out of earshot of mine. But I didn't book a room yet... I was unsure if I would want to spend the extra gold for the nicer accommodations, as Grimaldus had done, so I decided I would go with the others for now and we all followed Grimaldus up to his chambers. I would see the expensive and regular rooms, and then make my decision.
 
As soon as he entered, Grimaldus stripped off his bloodstained gear and sank into the massive tub recessed into the floor. I was relieved to see that his wounds appeared to be nearly healed, and none of the blood soaking his garments appeared to be fresh. I still find it slightly odd that he doesn’t seem to have any sense of personal modesty when it comes to bathing, even around the rest of the party. I’m not complaining by any means… but it is just so far from what I am accustomed to.
 
I asked Grimaldus if this is more of what he has been telling me of… he replied that this is a better representation of what the east has to offer, but it is not what he is planning on showing me. I was distracted from further conversation when Hasim approached me with a bundle of items and asked me if I would tell him if they were magical and if so, what do they do. Some of them were, others weren’t. The most interesting out of the lot is the beaded necklace that each bead will release a fireball when thrown. Then, I heard him ask Grimaldus about Damian... Apparently, since the members of Hasim’s order believe him to be dead, he needs to take on a new identity.
 
Even though he promised that he wasn't looking to steal anything from Damian, I don't fully trust him-and I definitely don't trust him enough to risk any harm coming to Damian. I told him that if he wanted to take a name not his own and related to Damian, then he should take the name Viktor von Carstein... it might even be enough to distract the horrible ghoul enough to leave Damian alone... I have seen Hasim's handiwork... I think that he would have a much better chance of defeating von Carstein's failed experiment than Damian would be if he was blindsided by it…
 
A table was set up in the foyer, heavily laden with fruits, breads, wine, coffee, and the centerpiece of a roasted boar. Meriwald immediately flew over to the coffee and dipped his beak in to try it. He squealed, and his eyes grew to the size of the saucers the cups sat upon. Then, he began flying in circles, exclaiming how amazing he felt, so full of energy. I am glad the little shit didn’t poison himself, but if he can tolerate it, I decided to try some of the odd, brown sludge-like substance…
 
Rowan made as if to sneak out, probably wanting to find a tree to sleep in or something, but Hasim stopped her. She said that she wanted to sleep outside, but I see his point, she looks like a child to most humans… she would be making herself a target by sleeping outside, alone. Grimaldus bade her to sleep in an actual bed. But, I think it was Hasim who finally convinced her… he asked her to stay in his room, because he would feel much safer if the person who can turn into a giant scorpion was in the same room with him as he slept. It was a smart move on his part, I would have likely just told her that it was too dangerous to sleep outside alone, we are in a massive city, after all…
 
Everyone began to leave, to give Grimaldus his privacy and much needed rest. As I walked past him, though, he reached out and put his hand on my arm. It was his words, more than his touch that caused me to turn around…
 
“When I was underneath that net, and that fourth spear pierced me... the next time I looked up, I was away. That was you, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.” I replied, unsure where he was going with this.
 
Before I knew what he was doing, he tugged on my arm and pulled me into his lap. One second I was standing by the door ready to leave, and the next, I was in the tub, and his lips were on mine. Any protests or concern for my now saturated clothes was lost in the heat of his kiss. I vaguely felt Meriwald leave, but even that barely registered in my thoughts…
 
The first light of dawn is beginning to peak over the horizon as I write this. Last night was… different. I barely even have words to describe it, and I am not going to go into too much detail here… but there is something to be said for the mortality of men when it comes to the art of lovemaking. I am not going to make a judgement on it one way or the other, but there is something to be said for it… it is different than that of the elves… and the most logical explanation that I can come up with is that because of their shorter lifespans, humans seem to do everything with a sense of their mortality in mind… last night, Grimaldus loved as though that night was his last, and it’s not as if we are actually on the eve of battle.
 
I find myself now thinking of those nights in the forests of Alcarin… of Ravlor and I...
 
It feels like a lifetime ago, even though it’s been barely a decade… I treasure those memories, and will forever, but I am also grateful that Ravlor didn’t ask me to stay… for if he had, I might have agreed, and then… I would never have had this… and, even though I know that this will inevitably lead to more pain, I can’t help myself. I scoffed when Ravlor told me that the pillars of love are forming, but he was right… and I am terrified of what it means for the future… but now, when I look over at Grimaldus, so relaxed and peaceful in his slumber, I cannot help myself. The pillars are forming, perhaps they already have been… I just hope that when our time passes, or his life fades away, I hope that I have no regrets...
 
Grimaldus is stirring, I want to wake him with a kiss...