A cursed chain

General Summary

The last dance

The dirt kicked up high sending shadows in the night as a white horse ran through the roads of Rhuvni. The dragonblood had been traveling for a week now through the state to reach his next objective Port Arion. The crystal in his satchel was well protected, even though it had stopped shining it's constant pink light it was still a sky shard something that was extremely powerful and important.
Communication with the Altar was fully cut and it was too far to turn around. Port Arion was the main hope to have any kind of news from them as it had the pigeon carriers.
It was a weird thing. Those hadn’t been used for years, only recently coming back full force as if they had never been just a little piece of older history. At least now it was one way of communication. It would also be a good opportunity to find the ‘bronzecaller’. The riflers had the need to create codenames for almost everything so it would be much difficult to trace down their intentions, locations or people. The bronzecallers were the people responsible for the registration of whoever entered or left the country and worked in secret to the chosen.
The horse came to a stop in front of Arion’s North gate. It’s doors were closed with two guards wearing full plate armor standing by each side. Archers on watch.
“Hold there! State your business!” one of the guards stepped ahead.
There was silence for a moment as the hooded gentlemen looked down. He appraised them kindly and relaxed "What answer will get me through this door without being your enemy?" he smiled beneath the cowl.
"Hah! Wouldn't that be easy if everybody knew what I wanted to hear. It is in the last of my intentions to be enemy with anyone. Just be honest and tell me what it is you wish in Arion?" the guard rested his axe on the ground. The other one simply standing at ready.
The man seemed pleased. He spoke with a reassuring tone "I have come to visit an old friend, who I'd heard had taken up residence here." he mulled, looking out into the wastes behind them and the roads that cut briskly through ice and frost. "Why come so far up here is beyond me. But he was always a strange one. Are the gates closed only to essential traffic, then?"
"Well. I understand. It will be explained in a moment. I'll kindly request that you show your belongings. I'm sorry you have to go through this, but it is a safety measure we must take. " The other guard started approaching going for the horse and waiting for Dmitri's confirmation " Do not worry..." The guard reassured with a smile "Name is Velkas Riel"
Dmitri disembarked carefully from his horse, making sure the crystal was still in the hidden satchel by his side. He made no moves to avoid being searched, nor to draw attention to himself. They could check his horse all they wanted. He knew if he made a move or attempted to hide what he'd put on his belt further, they'd have reason to search it.
The second guard approached and started searching while Velkas stood a little further away. The second guard didn't speak, only carefully going through the satchel on the horse and searching. He was careful and more gentle "Sir. Are you carrying any letters on you?" he asked firmly.
"He rides a Pearl Steed, friend. I'm sure he is not." Velkas told him, dismissing the second guard.
"We are looking for letters that travelers may be carrying. It is a cursed letter that will kill whoever opens it if they do not copy it and send it to more and more people. So, sir... If you happen to recieve a letter with the royal stamp, sealed by blue wax. Do not open it! Bring it to Mota, the alchemist in Arion, or the Silverbay holding..." Velkas explained "Also... The Pearl Steed at West Arion as well..."
The guard stepped aside, waving his signal to the ones inside. The gates slowly open....
"Welcome to Arion!"
Dmitri began leading his horse in rather than ride it in, ready to take it to the stables to get some of his money back for renting it, but he halted a moment, making sure no one was trying to get in behind him "...Wait... blue letter? I'm a bit intrigued." he said, moving to stand in front of the guard who had mentioned it. "Cursed letters?" He had his hand on the horse's reins still as it moved its head back and forth, unsettled.
The guards themselves were getting back to their posts before Dmitri called to Velkas, he approached the gate, holding it for a second. The chains controlling the gates stop "Not blue letter, but the wax seal is blue... It looks like a simple letter, but when one opens it the curse starts rotting their body slowly until they make three or four copies and send them away to somebody else. It appears to have some kind of code, but once you're cursed, it's hard to really focus on what it says." he explained "They come in through travellers, couriers, merchants... Anyone..." the guard sighs.
"I shall keep a wary eye out then. Such dark magic... what could one gain from such sinful acts?!" Dmitri actually raises his voice a moment, exasperated. "May the one who designed such a thing be cursed himself. A curse begets a curse, after all. Thank you for the warning." He gave a nod to Velkas and led his horse further into the keep. He'd have to remember that bit of information.
The town was quiet by the North gate. As he went deeper and deeper into the town he would find the market, where the people gathered for an early celebration of the upcoming meat festival, the Rheax Spical. One elf had his lute playing cheerful tunes to the crowd while two dwarves served muffins to the others. There were small colorful flags dangling between the buildings and confetti almost covered the cobblestone paths.
A lone man with a broom was cleaning the place, grumbling to himself and cursing when a Kenku approached throwing more confetti up around him and chuckling, pulling the grumpy man close and inviting him to the party.
Dmitri had to cross around the party and down the roads to reach the stable, right in front of the Silverbay Holding. A pudgy guy popped the door open "AHAA! Now finally---" he stopped in front of Dmitri looking at the horse. The man with a little party hat on his head.... He pulled it off "--Greeeeeetings! Sir!-- Welcome back to Pearl Steed" he greeted cheerfully waving his arms out "Returning horse I presume?" He opened the doors back up.
The stable had a red kind of wood. It was stained and very well polished, even the iron details embedded in the wood following a circular pattern. Even though the stablemaster himself didn't wear the finest of clothes, all of the establishment was impeccable without a single strand of hay out of place.
The stablemaster soon took the reigns guiding the horse inside to one of the stalls. Most of the stalls were empty except for 2 horses right at the back. All of their steeds were white as ever, a few brushes on the table at the corner, the man lit up the lamp once more, going to the saddle and producing the documents from somewhere under it "Here we go. Sugar? Hah! " he pat the horse after offering a small cube of sugar to the horse, which took it happily. He got out of the stall and leaning against the wooden door prepared to sign on it as Dmitri gave him the documents. Making small talk while he waited for the man to sign the documents and pay back the trust.
His hands searched his pockets and pouches for a pen, but of course he had everything back at the work bench as he was prepared for the festival and not for work, he went back to the table grabbing a quill "We are known for the best steed! Now it is hell to treat that pelt, but the pearl in our name is earned!" he bashed his chest with a proud fist, triggering a short burst of coughs "Aahuum--- He,heh... Excuse me" He continued, putting on the date on the sheet of paper.
He hunched under the table, opening his little vault, getting 8 gold coins. He handed the quill and paper first "There you go. Just sign your name at the bottom and we will be done here! Will get to eat the frost marvel at the party!!" he chuckled.
As the two talked, the sound of the door opening falls upon both Newt and Dimitri's ears, interrupting them as a small green Kobold bursts into the doorway, running up behind the person at the counter "Hey, hey Newt! I'm here, I'm here on time this time! I-I think, I have to be, it looks like you're doing business! So.. So hey, I'm here and I'm ready!" The kobold bounces gently on his feet, looking rather excited about something, a happy smile on his face.
It had been two weeks already at the small town with every single day a new opportunity to talk to Newt was missed. Either talking to someone, finding out more about the town's culture, being enthralled by the colorful decorations and even helping with some of them! Now here he was and the lucky thing that made him come on time was that the man just got another late custumer.
The Kobold called the dragonblood's attention, a little tilt to his head as he noticed the strange way those scales shined at the lack of light. It didn't glow, but somehow small sources of light seemed to reflect of the dark parts of his body!
Newt then looked at the door as it was bashed open " AAAH!! Come ooon!" he threw his hands up "I just want to go to the party! Alright, Gorgon. You're late again. But I'll be with you in a second" He told the little kobold giving Dmitri the gold coins.
The Kobold nods a little bit “Thank you Mr. Newt! I’m so sorry! I just, really need to get to that Shrine sometime! I’m just so excited, it’s like the most important thing to me right now! But then I heard about some kind of party so.. Actually maybe I’ll stay for another day or two! Or a week, this city is so much more interesting than I thought!” He takes another step or two towards the counter, smiling wider. “I hope his shrine is as beautiful as I’ve been told, that’d be a dream come true..”
"Oh trust me, it's amazing. They dropped so much money in that." he sighed "Lots of white riverstone, gold." Newt nodded.
The stablemaster took the paper back, checking it "It was a pleasure doing business Mr...Bmitri?" he asked trying to decipher the handwritting before putting it back and extending his arm to offer his hand to the Dragonblood "Oh! Where are my manners, I'm Newt!"--"You new in town? You can come over to the party! Everybody is invited, even the newcomers! The Frost marvel is a creation of 'Mugs & Cakes'. The sisters made a sweet and creeeeamy dairy treat that is served frozen!" He was almost salivating as he described it.
The clip clop of a centaur outside can be heard "YOU'LL BE PART OF MY STABLES JOREEEEN!! ONE DAAAY!!" Newt shouted from within the stables.
"FUCK....YOOOOOU!!" The centaur shouted, but continued on his way towards the marketplace. Their little made up rivalry was just a lighthearted fun between the two.
Satisfied with the gold coins now in his coinpurse, Dmitri coughed and let his arms fall to his sides, relaxed "I have had a long journey. I'm not really one for festivities in the first place, but I'm certainly far too exhausted for it at the moment. All I'd like to ask is where to find a decent inn in this city, and I'll leave you be."
"OOh! The inn is behind the market and the rich district. You'll find the 'Rotting Inn Hell'. The best one in all Rhuvni! Most famous as well, if you've been told to rot in hell... That is the place! " The stablemaster rested his hands on his waist
Gorgon nodded in agreement “Ooooh, I’m at the Rotting Inn Hell, it’s a lovely place! The beds are so big, I can’t believe it! And if this festival is anything like the quality of what I’ve seen around, there’s no way I’m missing this! We never really did ‘parties’ back in my village! There were the leaving rituals, where a going party was involved! That was fun! I was actually the recipient of one of those, it was.. Sad, but necessary! And now I’m on my path!”
"Well.... Gorgon?" Newt went back to the table at the corner, looking through papers before giving him a sheet " Here... See if you can find a few people to go with you to the shrine. I can put you in a random carriage, but... I think it is better when you go with people you already know."
He takes a long breath in, and starts on again. “So, who will be going with me to the shrine? And when can we go? Tomorrow? The day after? This week? Next week? Will they be cool? Or interesting? Some kind of noble? Or.. Did you people call them ‘tourists’? I can’t wait honestly, this’ll be so amazing!” He’s bouncing on his feet again.
"There are lots of people who want to go. I got 10 carriages in total, but only 2 left. One of them is almost full and I will need to talk to them still. But the one that is empty" Newt hands him the piece of paper "This.... is the reservation. One carriage can get 5 people... 6 if you... well.. with you being so small..." he chuckled " Invite people you know so you will be safer if you can. If you can't find anybody I still got you registered for the first one to part next week, 3 days after the whalehunters come, okay? So you're all set!" he smiles "You pay in the day you leave. Go on.."
Newt looked at both of them "We all set now? It was a pleasure doing business with you, Bmitri!" he repeats " And with you, Gorgon! So we all good to party?" he told them walking up to the door and waiting. He put on the party hat...
Dmitri paused, hands on his hips. Something was off about this Kobold. He could tell. As much as he didn't like festivities "It's Dmitri, sir. With a D..." he finally said, setting the record straight. "...And I guess merryment never hurt me before." Of course, he did appreciate a well-done party, but he also couldn't forget his mission. He had been charged with this after all, and he wasn't about to let down the entire group behind him. But... Why would they suddenly go to the Shrine? And he didn't know too much about the Whalehunts, just that the economy of this area needed them greatly. If that was the case.. and all of the high-tier people were going... This was no longer a matter of whether he wanted to or not. This was a possible lead. And the little Kobold in front of him was a good start.
"So um... got an idea of which six people you'll grab, ...Gorgon, was it?" Dmitri turned his attention now to the young reptilian being in front of him.
Gorgon looks up at the big figure with the hooded garments, smiling. "Hi, I'm Gorgon, yeah! Nice to meet you.. Dmitri? Bmitri? Sorry, I didn't really catch your name." He looks the person up and down. "I like your style though! It's all mysterious! Although.. Huh... I can bring five other people?" The Kobold looks down in deep thought "Oh gosh, I didn't even think of that! Uh.. Uh.... Shoot, no, he's out at sea... I don't really know anybody around here I'd want to bring!" He looks back up at the practical stranger in front of him. ".... Why? Did you want to come? Is that why you're asking me? You can come if you'd like, I like helping people out! We can see the shrine together, oh that'd be so awesome! Don't worry, you can come with me sir! Now, let's go party!" Gorgon heads outside, grabbing a party hat and putting it on his head so he can join in on festivities.
Dmitri refused the hat but accepted - if a bit begrudgingly - the invitation. What was drawing people to the shrine, then? As he began to walk out with the Kobold, he mused over the information for a moment "And it's DA-mitri." he finally corrected, not wanting to offend or sound pretentious. "There is no 'i'. I have heard tell of some with another spelling." He wrapped his hood further around himself as the wind blew a bit around them for a time. He supposed he'd have time to think on this as they went.
So they went with Newt right behind them after closing and locking the stable's doors. The town was decorated in many tiny colorful flags all around hanging between buildings on a thin line that kept them up. No symbols or anything, just simple colorful flags. There was so much confetti on the grounds and even though this part of the town was more lonely, the songs coming from the center of it kept it lively and cheerful.
The group walked along the cobblestone streets and right into Western Arion past the quiet residences. Not a single sound or light came from within those. The sound of music grew even louder as they approached the center of the town and as soon as their vision was not obscured by the Black Sheep Tailor, the party was well visible.
Elves and humans made most of the people dancing by the gazebo in the center of the market where this man with green and blue attire played his bright, bouncy tune to the percussion of 4 elves. The Pork corner had his doors wide open with more people coming in and out with plates of the biggest steaks, pulled pork, sausages, potato salad. They served the people by the establishments having to keep their hands held the highest they could so they wouldn’t let the platters fall over as they pushed through the seas of people.
Near the Inn trotting and bouncing along to the rythm of the music, Joren was gathering quite a little crowd around him with a smile "Feel free to party on, friends! Anything you need I'll be right by the Pork Corner" Newt was quick to walk into the crowd and mix in with his friends who welcomed him with open arms and beer.
A small Kenku, was handing this grumpy old man a plate of salmon by the swordsmith shop. He was sitting on a rocking chair with a weak smile as he watched the crowd. Grateful, he thanked the little one and proceeded to eat from the plate. This leonin called all the attention to himself with a huge green bell dress, spinning to the beat of the song. His mane fell silky smooth. The dress flowing with his movements. Other two women wore the same kind of dress and the same color. They matched the spinning lion’s movement. It was a common practise for some males to put on female clothes and vice versa, a little trademark from their celebrations. Lighthearted fun to remind everyone all were equal.
“Hey kobold! Do you know how to dance?” The kenku, spotting Gorgon approaching took the opportunity to run right towards him expectantly. The bird was all dressed up like a doctor even with the mask. It was the closest thing to a costume he could come up with from his old clothes and a mask he usually used for welding. He completely forgot about Gavril, who he offered to change his armor earlier.
"Well, do you know how to dance?" Dmitri asked a bit humorously, his lip curled sardonically. "..I'd have to say I do but I don't dance alone. Prefer a woman's touch." He laughed "However.. I have a friend to meet before I do anything. You, masked one - do you know where I can find a certain feline who is good with.. Books?" He asked a bit quietly but not suspiciously.
Gorgon looks around the crowd, and spots the leonin in the dress, pointing them out to Dmitri. “Do you see them? They’re good with.. Wait, no, that’s the one who was listing people on the docks. Okay, so you want to look for a person who looks very similar to them! The difference is going to be in their mane, you see that one has a longer mane, with these kind of lighter brown tips on the end, but the one you want to look for has these grayer tips on the end, more likely from age then a style choice! It might be kind of hard to see in this lighting, but if you pay a lot of attention, you can actually learn to tell the difference between these incredible individuals!” He takes a breath, and smiles widely.
“Now, I’m gonna go dance with a complete stranger, have fun Dmitri!” Gorgon turns back to the Kenku. “Yeah, I know how to dance! Though, I might not know the same dancing as you city folk, so forgive me if I mess up in some way!” He takes the Kenku by the hand and disappears into the crowd with him, the smaller people disappearing amongst the tall crowd before Dmitri can ask for more information from the Kobold.
The kenku took his mask off to look at the Kobold and reveal his face. Calm blue eyes were revealed with a cheery expression to his face. Before he could continue he was already being tugged away "Just take a look at the people over there" he pointed at the humans hooking their arms and bouncing in a half circle "Just try and do the same! Then improvise! It's all about showing our origin!!" the Kenku told him.
Closer to the blacksmith's stall, there was a taller humanoid, clad in heavy armor standing to the side and waiting for the kenku to return. Upon realizing he's been forgotten about, he does make his way past the stall, deciding to at least see more of the celebration from a distance. He watches the spectacle in the center of the party, getting some food and hanging back. The man slides the visor up on his helmet, taking small bites of his food. To a person running one of the food stalls he turns to them, they can see with the visor lifted a younger looking orc, he leans down to them and speaks up "Hello...Uh...I'm not exactly from around here...Could you explain what this is all about? The...party I mean."
He kinda stammers out this question, not seeming too keen on conversation, but more-so looking for answers.
“Greetings, sir! Oh!” he looked over the paladin armored man “Sure! This-“ the man gestured towards the crowd “Is the town’s early Rhaex Spical! It celebrates the unification of all races for the first hunt! For hundreds of years all races get together to hunt whales, Sea Leviathans and all those enormous fish, bringing meat and blubber to all the continents and kingdoms. Dragons, humans, haregon, leonin and humans all forget their differences to provide for their people. Once an year we celebrate those differences with costumes, food, dances and the parade to show off each part that makes us unique. This year it’s going to be taking place in Altos and port Arion is celebrating early, since the whalehunters are on their way here. Cause when they arrive we going to have the whole town working to chop the meat, work the bones and process the blubber.”
The restaurant owner explained, looking at yet another set of costumers “Lyra will be right with you!” the old man told them, waving at a young lady who promptly got to work greeting the hungry costumer.
“It does sound pretty interestin’. You said its early though, do you celebrate it for a while? Or is it a weekend thing?” Gavril asked while slowly eating more of his food he’s been given, also taking note of all the various costumed individuals along with the various people in the streets celebrating the event. He tries to recall if he’s heard of any of this before, but can’t seem to recollect much if anything at all.
"We started the celebration a while ago, but the party as it is now just go on for this night." The man returns already explaning with a couple of plates of food to offer the orc. His eyes shifted to the armor "That is a bit too well made to be just a costume. You a knight?" he asked curiously.
Gavril does take some of the fish offered with a thankful nod, before shaking his head no. "I'm...not a knight, but this armor is made for a reason. That being said...I don't really know why I was sent here yet." He looks down at the food before eating slower, eating the fish given to him.
" Um.. Sent? You were sent here?" he leaned against the stall in curiosity " You're not the one...That... No, that would be ridiculous...." he shrugged, mumbling something to himself. Surely this wouldn't be a lost paladin of Voltaire, he thought to himself. Those people were sure to be the ones spreading these curses. This couldn't be, but the half plate said otherwise. Perhaps he was being cautious?
He scratches the side of his head, turning to him, seeming slightly confused. "Sorry...but if I can ask, what did you mean? The one that what?"
The cook shook his head at Gavril "Someone has been spreading these cursed letters around the country. When the letter is opened their skin will start decomposing until they copy and send it to 4 other people.... This thing started around one of the ports and I made a connection that wasn't really there" he explained. It wasn't the case, it couldn't be.
He makes a bit of a wince, hearing the details of the rumor, taking a few moments to compose his next reply "I...had no idea that was happening, I didn't even think something like that could happen. I'm from pretty off the grid, so... Farm life for the past few years!"
Deeper in the crowd Dmitri looked for the one the Kobold said was good with books. That was certain to be the bronzecaller. He approached the dancing feline who stopped and approached him, ready to invite him into a dance himself when he was interrupted "I apologize. I'm not here for pleasure, Tovarich." he said almost sadly. "Are you able to spare some time to talk about faith?" If the Leonin was the one he we looking for, he'd hopefully get the hint. If not..
Erether, the leonine stopped, almost taken aback "Faith in light... And the dark star..." he took a step closer with a little nod "I certainly have a bit of spare time. Let me go get properly dressed. Meet me by the Atheaneum." the feline turned around saying his goodbyes to the girls, greeting some people and slowly making his way towards the buildings where he disappeared into an alley....
"About showing our... Origin?" Gorgon looks down at his own hands before clenching them gently and smiling "Yeah. Yeah, I can do that!"
" Yes, yeess! It is how we ceeEEEE----" he told the Kobold before he was hooked right up into the dance " --EEheeeeyy!!" the kenku had to speed up to match Gorgon. The little dance divided in two little rounds bouncing in that circle twice and then separating to dance one in front of the other. Jeff carefully watched the movements to make them opposite following Gorgon's lead " EEEEIiitaaahh!!"
An eye on his stuff and the rest on the Kenku as they dance amongst the forest of people, and slowly he starts to incorporate small foot movements into their dance. He begins with a quick step forward, then a quick step back, and gently dragging your backmost foot in a half circle around to the front, where it meets your partner's foot in the middle, then another step forward and back, adding that to their little dance. "So, my name is Gorgon! What about you sir?" "Name is Jeff Ratbeak!!" he told him in between short breaths.
"Jeff!? Pleasure to meet you!" Gorgon focuses on his hands and arms to match the movement of Jeff's, making sure to keep in time and that they're synchronized. "I haven't danced since I left my tribe! This is wonderful!" He keeps up his dancing, having surprising stamina as he's not breathing fast just yet. "This place is a ton better than I thought it would be! I'll definitely be staying here for longer than I anticipated! Thank you for this Jeff!"
"Right back at ya!" the crow chuckled "YEE!!...Neither... Have I..." Jeff continued to go for his moves and trying to match Gorgon as best as he could. The little Kobold had so much energy! While the Kenku was getting tired after the first couple of minutes it seemed Gorgon could go on for days " Ooh pffft!! Thank you for being as tall as me!"
"Oh. no problem! I'm happy I could be as tall as you for you! I'm so happy to be here!!" He goes to hook his arm with Jeff, cheering along with the crow as they bounce to the quickening rhythm.He chuckled "We are happy to have ya, Gorgon!" the crow released another cheer and once again went to hook his arm around Gorgon's and bounce happily. People gathered along, watching the Kobold and Kenku, clapping to their rythm. The bard picking up the pace, approaching the ending of the tune.
Gorgon's smile is as bright as the lights sparkling around them, and as it seems that the bard is about to end his jaunty tune, he makes sure to loosen his grip on the Kenku's arm and bend down, making sure to cup his arm beneath the kenku's upper legs while using the arm that had previously been hooked to hold him by his upper back, and in (not quite) a feat of strength, he lifts the Kenku up over his head, posing like that for the song's end. That caught the Kenku a little off guard as he was just about to go for another move when the kobold bent down and just like that he was picked up and lifted into the air. He took a moment looking down in surprise, almost messing up the pose, but he quickly played into it stiffening up and spreading his arms with a big smile. The people around them cheered louder, the applause that followed was massive with a couple of guys up front throwing more confetti "Ha,ha!! Thank you!! Thank you!!" the bird chuckled. Accidentally breathing in a single piece of colourful paper. He coughed it out "Uuuhaaam.-oof.. ehh." he smiled sheepishly waiting for Gorgon to put him down.
The kobold's scales absolutely dazzle in the light from the festival as they stay there posed for a good few seconds, but eventually Gorgon lets Jeff down, and waves happily to the crowd. As soon as he did Jeff pulled him into a hug "That was an amazing performance! Oooh boy! You said you didn't know how to dance..." "Yeah, that was so good, you dance incredibly! But, I said that I might not dance like city people, I'm from a tribe! I never said I couldn't dance!" Gorgon returned the hug gently and Jeff simply huffed, parting the hug "Gorgon, Gorgon! Come on, let's get some frost marvel!" the kenku told him, now grabbing his hand and pulling him along towards the famous Mugs & Cakes stall.
With a small nod and a heavy sigh the human apologised to the orc "That was rude of me." he sighed looking towards the party in the distance. The people now seeming satisfied "Yeah. Whoever did this is just a sick bastard. I mean... Why? Why would you spread a curse like that? Is that some kind of a game to them? This will achieve nothing at all! Ah..." he huffs in anger. This was clearly something that the human hated and didn't really understand why would someone do such thing.
" So, if you don't mind me asking. Who sent you? " The man asked curiously.
Gavril stumbles over what to say as he just blurts out an answer. “T-Trenalor Windseeker. Er, well…he gave me a letter, said he can’t go; That I had to for him. Thought it’d just be a trip here and back, but I don’t know how long it’ll take.” Just like that it was apparent that it maybe take far longer than he had ever expected.
" Didn't he tell you what to do? Where to go?" the man asked in confusion, pulling up a bottle of mountain beer. Pouring himself some then taking a moment to pull a chair and sit down since there were no more costumers "I don't mean to intrude, it just sounds odd."
Gavril was about to speak up and defend the old man who helped him through the latest years of his life, but he remembers that this journey was to be kept a bit hidden. "W-well..uh...H-He did tell me where to go. S-specifically just to 'go see the world, you're still young and full of adventure.'" He clears his throat.
The human resting on the chair looked at Gavril trying to understand and decipher "Aah... That makes sense specially at this time of the year with the festival coming up. There is a lot to see and do all around. It is also the safest time too, the riflers never attack or steal during the festival, it's the only time they respect retreating into their territory and protecting the people." He told the orc. His eyes seemed to be lost in time for a few moments as some of those statements weren't exactly accurate. The lack of some of his merchandise was there to prove it.
He relaxed back against the chair "You know what... Would you be up to earning a bit of gold?" The human asked Gavril.
"Uhh....I don't tend to stay in one place for long, it depends on what you mean. I'm really only good for heavy lifting and the sort. I think I'd just need to hear the job first." Gavril leaned in to listen to the offer.
“We’re going to restock on pork soon with the farm. Now who said it was a good idea to keep the farm outside the town, I got no idea. But the carriage will need protection on their way back and since you got a good armor there, it might just be enough to push away any attempts to steal my merchandise. Should be an easy one!” the man asked Gavril with a smile “Gives you a short-term objective, some gold and brings my meat home But also… There is a special stock coming directly from Samblar, that’s premium! It’s swine, but ooh that stuff is heavenly! You meet them outside Nylian and you got it!! Your presence will be enough to ward anybody off!” he told Gavril with a smile “What you say huh? Half now, half later?” The cook offered.
He listens to the proposal, but due to certain phrasings he uses, as well as the mentioning of his armor, and thinking back to the blacksmith's earlier proposal, Gavril declines the job offer. "That sounds like a job that might take a bit, I...do not think I'll have the time to do that. I do appreciate the offer, but I will have to decline."
With Gavril's response he nodded "Understandable. Well, if you change your mind I'll be right here in the Pork's Corner the rest of the night. I'll just finish packing up for tomorrow" the human told him with a nod, getting up from his chair, pulling it away and going to help the others " Oh! It was good to meet you, sir. Name's Henry!"
Gavril nodded and shook his hand politely before excusing himself to offer help with the clean up after the party.
Mugs & Cakes had their own stall with two dwarves tending to it. Since the party had been going for a while the people had enough to eat and by the time they get to the stall, it is quieter with only one or two costumers outside "Sarah! Jenn!! The main attractions have done their performance. Now we demand treats!" the Kenku pulled Gorgon beside him and let go of his hand just so he could cross his arms. "Oh yeah? Thought that was Travis. You know? The one who is actually performing on stage!?" Sarah teased "We may not have been the main attraction, but people were cheering us on like we were!" Gorgon stands proud next to his new companion, and looks over the stall as he tries to figure out what a frost marvel is, and upon seeing the jar full of milk that the dwarf named Jenn holds up, it clicks in his mind.
"Haha! It was hard to see everything from here, the people were just swallowing you both, but judging by the clapping. Think that deserves a good Frosty" Jenn told them "Mine is gonna be strawberry!!" the kenku called.
"As always" Jenn sighed pulling up a wooden stein and a jar of milk. Next she dropped in some strawberries, sugar. A metal lid on top. Her hands glowed a bright blue with the stein shaking, the air around it becoming cold. Frost gently covering the surface of the wooden stein. When it was done she handed it to Jeff, pulling away the lid to reveal a very well stirred pink cream. "As always" Jenn sighed pulling up a wooden stein and a jar of milk. Next she dropped in some strawberries, sugar. A metal lid on top. Her hands glowed a bright blue with the stein shaking, the air around it becoming cold. Frost gently covering the surface of the wooden stein. When it was done she handed it to Jeff, pulling away the lid to reveal a very well stirred pink cream.
"What about you, mister....?" Sarah asked, getting the milk jar "There is strawberry, pineapple, apple, caramel, banana and!! Vanilla..." she said the last flavour with utter boredom.
"Oh, so this is some kind of drink, I understand! Uh, hmm, may I have... Banana, if you would not mind?" Gorgon watches the process of the drink making after he picks his flavor, being very curious about how some liquid and a multitude of other ingredients organize themselves into a delicious looking cream inside the bottle.
"Banana it is!" she pulled up the fruit, peeling it, then slicing. Once more going through the same process, then handing the stein to Gorgon filled to the brim with the frozen deliciousness. The Kenku started drinking his right away, but he was slow with it having gotten his brain frozen way too many times by now "Thank you, so much! It is as marvellous as always!" the bird told them with a bow. His tail flicked behind him, then he straightened up.
Gorgon, not knowing anything of this 'freezing of the brain', takes a couple of hard sips on his frosty, sucking the delicious liquid into his mouth. “Oh.. Oh wow, this is incredible! I’ll definitely have to sample more of your products if they all taste like this!! Thank you so much you two!” The kobold’s tail lightly thumps the ground wagging from the delicious treat he’d been given, sipping the liquid more vigorously.
"You are sweeter than the treats we sell, Jeff. We're going to take the food back inside soon so. If you want more just come right back here before 9 It's only free until then..." Sarah told the bird.
"Oooh don't tempt me... I'll have your bakery go broke before 8!-- Anyways! You bet I'll be back!" He chuckled before turning back to Gorgon "They are baking geniuses those two... So... You came around to put up breathtaking performances all over Rhuvni?" he asked taking another gentle sip of his frosty.
“Oh, uh, no, I’m not here to perform!” Gorgon giggles at the thought. “I’m not much of a performer! No, I came up north looking for someone! But first, I’m going to make a pit stop! The shrine of Ruvni is apparently north of here, and I plan to go there soon! I can’t wait to see- Agh, ow ow!” Gorgon holds his hands to his head. “Why does my brain hurt so baaaaad!?” He starts to rub his head.
"Ooh!! The frosty! I'm sorry I forgot to tell you, don't eat it too fast cause it freezes the brain for a short while." he stopped looking at the kobold in concern.
“Ah, whaaaaaat!? Who would make a treat that temporarily freezes the brain when eaten too fast!? That’s accursed! Evil!” Gorgon looks down at the devious frosty in his hand.. And starts to eat more of it “It is really good though..."
"So yeah, Rhuvni!" he continued, seeing that Gorgon was alright "Each swing from the Leveller able to crash the air and send the biggest of creatures tumbling back. I've made a replica of it in my shop. It's one of my most requested items, people keep requesting their own and that is pretty much what has driven my shop since we bought it from Joren! He still kind of owns the place though..." Jeff smiled and looked away for a moment. That centaur helped him through so much.
Gorgon's eyes went wide at the mention of what he did "OH! You make replica Levellers!? Can I see one of them? Please, pleaaaase? That would be so cool!” He puts his hands on Jeff’s shoulder. “I need this, please.”
"Of course! We could just go to the Golden Leveller, there are two always in display." He finished his frosty giving the stein back to the sisters and guiding Gorgon back through the streets.

Shadow of an Idol

The moon outside was getting lower towards the mountains. The two small young guys ran through the cobblestone streets excitedly. Jeff was holding Gorgon's hand as he tugged him along all the way through the quiet streets down west between the buildings. Gorgon was positively bouncing with energy as he followed the Kenku through the streets, the excitement clear in every muscle of his face as he walked along with him, looking around to memorize every detail he could about this. It might not be the real thing, but a replica? That would work wonders for him and his imagination.
Finally they reached an old establishment with a relatively new wood sign that had a carving of a hammer. Jeff approached the big door, the lock was at his height "Just be very careful there are a lot of heavy metals in the shop. " he warned.
Gorgon would nod quickly. "Y-Yeah, of course of course! I wouldn't mean to play around amongst heavy stuff! I would know, I'm not the strongest." He chuckles a little nervously as all of this slowly builds inside of him. It was beyond this door, so close. Just a lock away, a lock which was just clicked open.
Jeff walked right to the oil lamp in the wooden pillar at the middle. It was held by a rope that went around a pulley, when he was done lighting it he pulled at the rope raising the light. Gorgon walks slowly inside. Everything was clean and tidy. All swords organized against their rack from smallest to biggest, shields lined up in their respective places inside a hole in the wall, separated by wooden pallets. An anvil by the forge carefully positioned in the back of the shop. But centered against the wall a light blue gem was visible, it was glowing faintly illuminating the ground near it and it’s polished wood stand.
I bet this is what Ruvni's shrine will look like! Perfectly clean, amazing.. The kobold thought to himself as he looked around, it was hard for him to see in the light. But, as the lantern was raised, and the light falls upon what he came to see, his eyes widen in awe, legs shaking so hard that he actually falls to his knees.
There it was floating 3 inches above it’s stand. As Jeff lifted the light it’s metal shined. The battle scars from time cut it’s finer edges and the slight imperfections of the head showed the handcraft. The gem radiated in the middle and the light inside mimicked the flow of water as if it was containing the ocean with constantly crashing waves inside. The way the light shined off its metal. The slight erosion of the varying parts and the cuts in the pieces that showed just how long it had been used. The mesmerizing dazzle of the light off the gem that was said to give the hammer its power, how that light seemed to pull you in with its gentleness before blinding you with its strength. It was everything he'd ever heard it would be like, and yet its greatness blew all of his expectations out of the water, creating that feeling you would get from a stranger with a familiar face. This was a weapon that could destroy many, but was used only to protect them. It was everything Gorgon believed in.
And in its brilliance, Gorgon can only say. "This.. Is the best thing I've ever seen... Thank you so much for this, Jeff.." And he will wipe at his face, not allowing the tear in his eye to make it down his cheek. He wouldn't cry over this. He was too happy to do that.
The bird approached the Kobold in genuine concern trying to check if everything was alright if maybe he had tripped on his way in? His hand gently rested on a shoulder and the other went for his arm holding it "Gorgon?"
"He's incredibly important to me... I grew up with so many stories.. Not only of how he stopped wars and storms, but of how he freed kobolds from slavery altogether.. He did that.. He's one of my heroes.." He would slowly step forward with Jeff's help, closer examining the legendary weapon, eyes running over it again and again.
"I didn't know he was this important to you" Jeff said softly, letting him take a look closer at the legendary weapon "This is the one I keep up front. Every little detail from the true thing had been carved in by hand, the battle marks, the dents on the metal it's the closest I was able to get. People usually order one with no marks and aah..." he looked away for a moment, frowning "It's not the same. From the day he fought the captain in Mirthe to the moment he stopped a hurricane, all those stories, it's like I'm erasing them when I make a brand new one... "
"I.. Would never ask for this to be made brand new. The history is what makes the weapon the weapon... If I was to ever have a famous weapon, I would only want it to be sold as it is, not as it was." Gorgon nodded to himself, still mesmerized by the gem.
"But even when they order the original. None of them are like this." he looked into Gorgon's eyes. The light from the Leveller shined and he pondered. All these years living in the blacksmith shop he bought with the money his dad left for them. This right before him was the reason he came and yet he never brought himself to get it back to his dad. Or to sell it out. He... Didn't want to. It was just the wrong thing to do. Was... Was it worth it?
The Kenku turned his head back to the Leveller with his eyes tearing up. He... Had to tell someone. Not Joren. But someone who would understand him and Jack "I'll tell you a little secret, but you must promise you will never tell anybody ever!" He had to muster all his strength to say those words. Part of him was excited to finally let it out, the other part was scared.
Gorgon then promised, listening intently and closely. It was time....
"Several years ago Rhuvni stopped a war in this port. His hammer defeated the strongest warriors and he was the shield between the armies! During that battle the gem in his hammer got a slight crack. It wasn't good to use anymore so he came to Joren Iron-- And he requested he pulled out that gem and installed a new one. As a token of gratitude he didn't just pay Joren, he let him keep the gem! Rhuvni transferred most of his energy to the new one, but he left some of it in the old.
Hundreds of people came looking for this gem so they could harvest his power, but Joren hid it from everyone! He spread rumors that the fight took place in Argyle. Or Fellwater and nobody could ever find it..." Jeff looked at the hammer himself with a warm smile. This was it. He was telling him and all the memories that came back, what he did to get here, how he had been simply forgotten by his father for not giving him the one thing he was meant to bring back and all this brought down onto the shoulders of someone so small and young.
"... I... Me and my brother we were like those people......" his eyes closed and he took a deep breath as the familiar pain came back tying a knot in his throat "This is the real gem..." he managed.
Gorgon's eyes went wide again as he looks back to the gem. "I've.. Never heard that one. I didn't know he had it replaced.." A bit of the power his hero had had was right there? With it, could he be like Rhuvni? His hand slowly lifted towards the case... But then he stopped himself.
No. Rhuvni didn't want anyone common to have the gem, that's why he gave it to someone he trusted. I'm.. Not worthy of that power. And if I was, I would have that power already. The kobold sighs as he looks the gem over again. Maybe one day. "Wait... If you and your brother were like them... Did you steal this from Joren? Are you trying to harvest the gem's power? Are you... Bad?"
"We were young we had a desire for adventure. Seeking this treasure was our way to become our own legends so here we came with a small boat. We detected this power in Joren's shop so we stayed all determined to find it... Time passed we kept working as blacksmiths for the town and.... We... Found something more valuable than that pursuit for power" he sighed.
Friendship, family... Not like his dad, no... A true family. People who cared about them for who they were and not what they could offer. Who valued their opinion, who showed them that it was much more important to have a nice cold lemonade at the sunset, than to seek lost treasures to add to their piles of gold and riches. They came here to find power and found something much stronger. It couldn't be bought or sold.
"The wish to find that gem was never gone, it only changed. We didn't want it's power cause we didn't want to leave the town, our new friends and our new life, but since it was nowhere to be found we started making copies of the weapon dreaming of one day being the ones to forge one for Rhuvni. Not for ourselves. Years later when Joren saw how much we changed, he chose to reveal the gem to us. In the same day.... There was an accident in the shop... Our species is small. The work with heavy metals was too much to Jack..... A Cannonball. It was all it took. He passed away before he could see this. I finished this one for him. My only wish now-- is to see him again to show the fruit of his work... He made the head. I... The handle. " Jeff slowly sat down in front of it.
Jack was outgoing just like him, but he was the kind of guy who would believe in the best of people no matter how much evil was inside of them. He was happy, kind, the most bubbly of the two. In his eyes the world was bright and that positivity was so contageous. It just felt good to be beside him. Like it was good to be beside Gorgon.
The Kobold heard the story, feeling a tightness in his chest as the story progressed. He approached the Kenku and wrapped his arms around him tightly "I... That's so sad, I'm so sorry to hear that Jeff.. That's horrible.. But... You learned to be better people.. So I'm proud of you two! You know.. I always believe that people can be better, so.. I'm glad you can be an example of what I believe in? And... You know, since the current chosen has done a little bad.. I always pray that he can be better too! But, uh, that's not important right now.. Your brother would be proud of the work that you both have done, Jeff.. Have comfort in that." He squeezes the bird gently.
Jeff leaned into the hug, happy to finally have told someone who understood.
“I apologize, this wasn’t supposed to be about me. I’m just…” he pulled away to wipe away his own tears and smile once more “… Okay… Gorgon, I’m trusting you to never reveal this to anybody. There is one like this in every port, but only this one holds the original gem. The others just cast an illusion.” He explained.
"No, of course! I'll keep this secret to my grave, I swear!" He puts a hand over his heart. "But.. If you do need any more help, I will help you the best I can!" He offers a smile to the Kenku. "You're a good friend."

Blue light contract

---

The hooded figure began to head South, avoiding crowds as he could, but keeping his head up and his walk careful. He doubted the guards or others would pay much attention to him - since he wasn't trying to steal money or cut throats - but he really didn't want to miss his meeting with the one man who he had been sent to see. "I will not fail in this mission." he had promised. "Even if the crystal goes dim."
"It will, more than likely. If it does..."
"Then I shall follow our last contact and go from there. I have learned much. Do not fear for me, Tovarich."
He shouldered his way through another group. The crowds were parting now. Most of the party was in the center of town. No one would be out here. No wonder the Leonin had picked this location. But Dmitri prepared for anything. Even if this man was trusted by the group he'd been sent by, he could easily turn on them in this dire time. He began channeling a few of his Seeds, the Light beaming from them as they formed in his fingers, under his coat. The light was dim, but it would not take long for them to activate if need be. All the other parts of the town seemed to be dead. Only the weak flickering lights of oil lamps through kept it from being much darker. Dmitri would reach another gate. It was slightly ajar and beyond it several feet away there it was, past the Gold Hammer Court on the right.
Arion's Atheaneum. The library. A tall building with columns holding the main structure up, doors that were 10 feet tall. There was no light coming from within. The fountain in front of it was still running with the water continuously flowing from a spherical rock atop it. The water seemed to be coming from nowhere as the sphere was floating about 8 feet above it. "Wisdom comes to those who seek it, not given to those who ignore it." Dmitri pondered, moving through the gate and closing the aged metal behind him. The sound clanged through the stone and echoed among the walls and rocks of the area around him. He stepped around the fountain, examining it for but a moment in its beauty.
The floating stone expelled water always from the top even though it slowly rotated, no holes anywhere. Dmitri's tossed a coin that splashed in the water, sinking in and disappearing among the others.
He reached within his coin purse at his side after a time and withdrew a single, copper coin. He tossed it into the rippling waters without further thought, a single desire echoing in his mind. "May this venture, too, bear fruit."
Perhaps it was the inner romantic or a fool's errand that drove him to deposit good coin into water, but the other shining metal pieces in the drifting current told him he was not the only one. The dragonblood approached the library, now standing before the dark red doors. Now that he was closer it was possible to see the carvings of ancient dragons carrying entire whales and boats filled with elves and humans throwing harpoons at Leviathans bellow.
Dmitri traced the doors before finally resolving himself to open them. With one hand still keeping his concentration as he channeled, he placed the other on the door, testing its resistance before pushing it open.
The door was heavy, but it gently pushed open with no noise, giving him vision of the inside. The main hall divided into 2 stairs and 2 entrances to the sides. The floor was of a smooth reflective white tile. Red carpets adorned the stairs and the hallways. The only light that made it possible to see came from the massive windows. Deeper in the dark just behind the main reception desk the leonin waited with a big book opened on the desk and a quill on his right hand.
Erether waved him over. Putting down his quill and working on lighting up a candle to bring light to their meeting spot.
Dmitri walked forward, glancing only briefly at some of the texts on display. No longer needing to hide the Seeds of Light in his hand, he closed the door behind him and lifted them up for Erether to see clearly.
Three, tiny orbs of shining, prismatic radiance floated gingerly in his scaled hand, his fingers moving only slightly to keep them concentrated. It was not an act of threatening or intimidation. Dmitri was known among these followers. This was an act of sincerity - to show who he was. It was to remove any doubt from Erether that the man in front of him was anyone else. He walked closer to Erether, carrying the precious power within his palm and finally coming to rest before the counter, his other hand hanging by his side. "I am truly sorry to have called you away from such a jovial time and can only hope you can enjoy yourself when this is over." Dmitri admitted.
With a gentle sigh the leonin waved his hand, then the click of a lock was heard behind the dragonblood the windows and the door itself shined a faint golden light in a wave that washed from the top to the bottom " Come! We are safe to talk now!" he assured. "I only come for what others come to you for - information, and nothing more."
Erether was now wearing a fine white shirt, green vest and red silk that crossed his chest "All those colors, the glow! So wondrous! Yet it feels cold?-- Can you remove the hood, sir? " he asked gently from the hooded man " I am Erether Muni. Please forgive myself for the introduction at the celebration, it was only a display of lighthearted fun!" He paused. "I hope you know what I'm here for... in particular."
Erether bowed gently "Ah..." he closed his eyes in discontentment "...Isn't that typical. Leave us in the dark for months and return asking for information. Enough of that, I need answers myself! Why are the callers being left aside? And for the love of Niarhaam! What do the damn letters say?" Dmitri did not remove his hood just yet.   "It was not by his desire that you were left devoid of word." he stated firmly. "It was by necessity. He fades, dying, cold and distant while you dance and revel and forget him. Or perhaps you have not."
The leonin frowned at his words taking the time to listen to his words "Don't try and preach to me of the Ir'Kaila. We fight our own battles and to dismiss everything the people do as trivial is to put yourselves above. It pains me to know the dark star fades, but I have been risking my whole life, wife, my only child to be here. His sacrifices are noble and kind. But take your time to step beyond the golden Leveller in front of the western gate and you will see, we do not forget what he did..." Dmitri lowered his hand, still channeling the brilliant, white light within it that shone upon his scales in a myriad of color and hue.
"The importance of your festival is not lost on me, Erether. But your leader fades and loses his faith while people seem to tend to their faith in the whalers which bring them food and comfort, not the man who sacrificed for them and bled for them. But..." He shook his head softly.
"No. Forgive me. My cynicism is blatant. I do not wish to insult your desire to relax. You have certainly earned it. But i have not yet earned such pleasures." He grabbed a wooden chair with his free hand, pulling the construct to a stop before the counter and taking a seat of his own. His hood still draped around his face lightly. Only a single eye was now visible from the darkness, illuminated by the light in his outstretched right hand.
"You want information... so do I. I hear the words of the stone you sit on. Of the books you write in. Of the air you breathe. All of it is tense and nervous, a silence cut only by the music played in the streets and the laughter of the free." he commented. "You have knowledge which they do not speak. Of names which they do not know. People who would serve and assist to bring back the Great Knowledge. I need those names."
He leaned back, his hand now resting on his lap, the other over the backside of the chair.
"I assure you no one wanted to leave you in the literal dark, Sir Muni. No one. Especially not Him. If he had it his way, there would be no darkness to be in... at least, not this kind. I cannot tell you what the letters say, but I can tell you that He has had to be far more careful."
He growled looking down at Dmitri with a sigh "The letters were sent by a group in the east. Riflers too with an important message to us! Everyone of us. But they carry a curse now and an indecipherable code. I hope he was not the one to order it, but it wouldn't be the first time he takes hundreds of innocent lives."
"He did not order anyone to write cursed letters. He has had enough sin in his existence which he did not want." Dmitri said with firmness. "The murders he committed were without his desire. You may insult me as you wish but do not hold a grudge against him. It would not matter. You could never hate him as much as he has hated himself since."
Erether looked down upon the book "The names... I'm... Not sure what his true objective is, but these are not the kind of people who should be involved in his battles. It is... Tempting to simply lock this behind my eyes so they may be safe..." the leonin leaned against the desk. Several names registered on the book, but only he knew the ones who mattered "...The callers have gathered and we can't offer more help. These will be the last names to approach the dark star." the leonin stated "Do you understand?"
"I am Copperlight. And if you are the Bronzecaller, then we must work together. Will you stand again, in the pursuit of wisdom lost, and help me undo these curses, Erether?" Dmitri asked, releasing the grip on his own fist as the lights escaped and began to sing among his fingers. "I will work to save the people in this city and all others. I vow it. I swear it." He stared, unwavering, into Erether's eyes.   "Very well..." the book swings closed with a loud thud that echoes through the great halls "It is of little importance to me if he suffers for his sins. Let him drown in self pity, but do not pull others under! If you can't see. I do." he huffs in anger.
" Gorgon Laa. A child! Gavril! A lost paladin...Judith Hope, the whalehunter... And Lestad Hazelstar, the famous director." the leonin told their names "The Kobold and the paladin already reached our docks. But the director and whalehunter are yet to come." Erether told him "The books are now closed to the dark star..." the leonin growled "If you want to save anyone, seek the letters in Arion. Clean up after his mess...Copperlight..." he spat the name out in fury "Or I will...."
Dmitri narrowed his eyes but did not retort with anger or violence. Instead, he stood up slowly. He had been correct. Gorgon was one of the people. And Gavril sounded familiar. He was sure he had heard him in the docks.   "Forgive me if your first impression of me is arrogance or foolhardiness." Dmitri spoke, finally removing his hood for a moment. "I cannot leave knowing you spit my name with venom such. We are allies. Far from enemies."
As he removed his hood, the scaled, prismatic face of the dragonborn shone still in the light in his hand, now more fiercely. "I was unsure if we were being listened to, or if you could be trusted. But you've put your faith in me, so I will do the same." Dmitri held out his right hand, the seeds now retreating up his arm to rest back upon his shoulder. "Let us head back to the party and have a good drink. With it, we shall honor this bargain, and I will find the ones you speak of. After all... Gorgon already hides within the docks, dancing and partying. I'm sure Gavril is there as well. But the other two.."   Dmitri pondered.
"Lestad is not an unfamiliar name.. but I don't know where he could be. And I have no idea of this Judith person." Dmitri said sullenly. "If only things were so easy. Also... I need a few copies of these letters to see what I can do."
The leonin stayed in place watching the dragonblood stand and finally pull off the hood to reveal his face "We have offered enough help, we cannot afford more risk or see more innocent people brought to fight a battle that is not their own. If you really care about the people, then you will protect them. Even if it means against the dark star." The leonin warned.
" There was one letter that got to Arion, but the one who turned it to the alchemist had no signs of being cursed. It was still active so I'm afraid it has been copied and spread around. Please..." Erether sighed, allowing himself to calm down and sit back down on the chair "I've been tracking those down, the only inactive piece is here..." the leonin pulled the letter from within the pages of the registering book " I will politely reject your invitation, there is much to be done with the royal guard on my tail."
"As you wish. But then may I at least have that letter?" Dmitri asked, holding out his left hand. "I have no intention of copying the accursed thing. But I should be able to safely purify or open it." "You need not to worry about purifying it... It is inactive" Erether took it and handed it over to Dmitri.
"Wait, then you knew what the letters said..? Or are they written in a confusing way..?" Dmitri asked, keeping the seeds at the ready. Still, he opened the letter carefully, glancing at Erether as he did. He then began to skim the page.
"They are coded, Copperlight." he explained, watching the dragonblood skim through the letter "I couldn't break it. I didn't have enough time." "So simple... yet so unnecessarily difficult." Dmitri whispered, folding the paper slightly. "You require a shape to blot out the letters that are unneeded, so that only the ones you need are shown... then you can begin to decypher it. I trust you don't have the key it mentions?"
"It is referring to the missing elder." Erether told him "But how!? I don't know." His arms crossed "A shape to bot out letters? Well, I haven't tried that one." "It is an old cipher, but not used by the Riflers... Not once. Their letter was intercepted, Erether, and now someone is trying to make our benefactor look bad." Dmitri gazed at him angrily. "Someone sending a message using HIS message."
"Whatever the original letter held, this is not it. Someone has discovered the Revelation too soon." He folded it up and placed it within the folds of his pocket, furious. The Chosen had done nothing to earn this ire, and now someone would play games with his kindness? Someone would pay, not by blood, but by suffering. Until they atoned.
Repentance.
"I leave you, Bronzecaller, until we may speak on better terms. For the Beacons." Dmitri said with a parting word, heading to the door of the library. "For the Light." The leonin shook his head "It wasn't needed before when we had the crystals. But after that we had to get our own ways of coding them. Each group has their own way, but in our region we used a key referring to a name. So... Say... The key is... 'Key'. Pick out those letters from the alphabet and put the rest atop the original. You have a cipher key. But in this case it does not work. " he waves it off.
"May the dark star shine bright once again. But until then. We offered all the help we could." the feline told him. ".....A word...?" Dmitri halted. "Faalthith.... Wait..... I know of that place. That was ..." He paused, unwilling to reveal more to Erether just yet.
"....I may be one of the only ones who can figure this out to begin with, Erether." he began again, pressing his hand on the door. "But you did more than you know." "There is only one key, from that year..."
Erether nodded "Glad for all the help I could give" he waved at him. Once the door opened the sound from the crickets outside came back. The sounds of the celebrations were fading. Dmitri stopped, then turned.
"Do you have a piece of paper on hand, Erether?"
He looked up from the book "Yes, just..." he twisted and bent on the chair until he pulled out a piece of paper from under the desk and dropped it back on the desk "There..." he waited "Ah, what for?"
"I require a wheel and enough space to write this down. I feel this cipher is difficult, but there are ways to break it." Dmitri said, placing the letter back on the desk. "It will take time. But there are always ways to do it."
As he said this, he began drawing a circle, writing the alphabet within it once, then around the outside. He also wrote a name in broad, capital letters: "SULWARUM." "This ancient went missing in the year 1712. You mentioned a cipher that required removing letters...." Dmitri said, crossing certain letters out and aligning them among the sheet.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S B C D E F G H I J K N O P Q T V X Y Z. As the Leonin watched, Dmitri would write down the letters behind the symbol, carefully making sure he wrote them properly. "The first are the letters behind the symbol, faded into the paper." he began, writing them out on the blank paper with the quill from Leonin's desk. ETQA FBA AIF PFBA
"...Yes... now if we treat A as meaning T...."
The feline pulled the big book aside pointing his hand back at the door. It would close and once more lock. The same golden shine washed the windows and door itself. Sound was gone again. He watched him take the quill, draw the circle "Yes. He was the one who started the hunt." the leonin commented watching him solve the cipher "Faded?" he looked at the paper "What? Where? There is nothing behind the symbol" Erether crossed his arms "There isn't..."
His eyes darted around the circles trying to get where the letters came from. But after a bit of skepticism he looked down and slowly matched " 'DONT'... Hmmmm? Where? Where did those letters come from?" the leonin frowned in frustration.
"Look carefully at the paper itself, Erether." Dmitri instructed, holding the Seeds of Light to the parchment to be read. "Don't look at the wheel just yet." As the dragonblood insisted the leonin tried to look at the paper. He approached, narrowed his eyes, pulled away, tilted his head to each side and nothing would reveal the hidden words to Erether's eyes "Copperlight.... There is nothing there." he looked at Dmitri convinced that there wasn't anything else in the paper "If you're really seeing something aside from the elemental star and the messages around it, then proceed" he nodded in a little more confidence. Perhaps the dragonblood was different than the riflers in some way. "Nothing there...?" Dmitri was vexed. "..Anyway.. When we translate it... It says..." He lifted the quill from the paper.
"DON'T EAT THE MEAT."
"Erm... A statement to be sure... But the meaning..."
"The meat at the festival??"
In the library the leonin watched Dmitri pull the quill off to reveal the phrase "Don't see any reason to worry about it. Unless they're talking about.. There has been a boar meat that are not from our own farms, maybe talk to the cook about those. " Erether told him and kept looking down at the circle " What about this? Surely all those don't translate into 4 words do they?" he pointed at the circles.
"No.. And rather than try to crack their cipher by their rules, we shall use mine, Tovarich." Dmitri said, smiling. "There are very few words in common which contain two or three letters... By using that logic, we use this wheel."
He pointed at the dual alphabet circles he had made.
"This will take me but a moment to crack." He said pleasantly. "But I do love the challenge."
He set to work..
Finally, Dmitri leaned back after a good amount of time had passed, yet not fully an hour. He wiped his forehead with his free hand and sat his back against the chair, dropping the quill. "It was a numbers cipher.. based on the elemental circle numbers from the center... But uh... That's not how I ...came to figure it out." he said sheepishly. "As I said, there are ways to force it." In the center of that pale papyrus there sat a group of phrases, now open to both of them to see:
BLUE SCALES ARE SCATTERED IN THE EAST. THEY ARE THE SIZE OF THE BIGGEST SHIELD AND DRIP WITH RECENT BLOOD. TITAN SCREAMS SHOOK THE TWIN MOUNTAINS' VALLEY.
Dmitri stared the words over and then looked up at the Leonin, watching for his reaction. "Any idea what they could refer to?"
The moonlight was almost reaching the desk as they worked on the cryptic messages "Then this key was for something I could not see." the lion stated and kept spelling out the letters to make the substitution on the letter slowly forming the message on the paper. The feline stood up to look closer "There is only one dragon who matches that description. Sulwarum Dahvogar. He was headed to Endrya with two ships of warriors to extend the unification, but all that reached their shores were broken pieces of wood. No blood, nothing... Endrya, Altos, Khar and the dragon lairs all were looking for them for years... Hmm..." he lightly chuckled " Even when he disappeared he managed to bring people together." he sighed.
His claw pointed at the word 'recent' in the letter " This.... Surely is a metaphor for something.. it has been 77 years since his disappearance, nothing can hold an elder for that long even being the smallest of them he is a powerful being and immune to magic. The curse of Su-...Sulwarum's curse..." The lion looked past Dmitri in disbilief "The curse of Sulwarum laced all pureblood scales with a kind of dark magic so strong it kills any spells used against it. That... Can't be... Is he alive?" Erether's heart froze with the realisation "Copperlight, if the words in here speak of the missing key of Faalthith, their intentions-- Whoever is doing this-- are much darker than anything I've imagined. Elder magic is volatile, unpredictable! THAT curse was unleashed from the peaks of mountains to affect an entire continent, whatever they are working on could be endangering the whole continent." the lion growled, not at Dmitri himself, but at the circumstance. Erether took a moment to calm down, closing his eyes "The bronzecallers cannot help more than we already did. We must now focus on the defence of the ports to prevent any innocents to reach into what could be the stage of a new curse. I have to... I need your help... Reach the dark star and find out why was this letter cursed. I need to confirm this is truly coming from a trustworthy source. The festival is coming, if I don't get a response from you in 3 days I will need to reach the king and lock the ports" The leonin warned in deep determination.
Dmitri clicked his tongue once, drawing his seeds back to the full brightness of their light.
"There is no curse wisdom cannot cure, no blight that knowledge cannot pierce." he assured. "And this will be no different. It matters little what games they play." He took one of the papers and wrote down the names Erether had given him, finalizing their deal, and kept a copy of the cipher translation. Should he ever need it, it would be good to look back on. It was, after all, a clue. And he loved to solve mysteries.
"Erether, you have done much tonight, more than you know. I will make sure that He knows of your valorous actions, if it means anything to you now." Dmitri moved to stand by Erether, then placed a hand on his shoulder. "And His opinion does not matter, then at least know that I am grateful. This can be solved. The world will remain safe. No Elder or dark magic will rise so long as I draw breath."
He paused, however.
"I will return to Him as soon as I have collected those that He requires... and then the Revelation can begin." he smiled, almost unnervingly. "'and thus shall the first Beacon be lit, by the selflessness of man, representing its compassion and humility, and will the first rays of the returning light come..." He folded up the papers and nodded to Erether.
"Times are changing, Leonin. And you have helped to begin that very process."
He walked to the library door.

Report Date

02 Dec 2021

Primary Location

Altos

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