Chapter Three: The City of Stone and Splendor. [Interstice]

Kayadin Reeyeh


Kaya's palm clutched over her heart dramatically as she turned towards Adair. "You wound me. You're implying that I'm not usually in a lively mood? May I remind you of who won our little race today?" Unable to hold back the laughter, she gave in, nearly spilling her drink.
 
Anju





Anju smiled like a laugh as she did as bid. To the children she waved with her free hand and to the kind lady, she thanked and gave her best words of blessing. No weight behind them but heartfelt intentions, but Anju didn’t have anything else. If the caravan looped around to Shalebridge again, Anju would have to have to do something to return the old woman’s favor.


Her path continued until she found a less crowded area to look at her new belonging without getting in the way. A gold chain meant it’d have to go under her shirt, wouldn’t it? Too fancy and it’d stand out against her lack of wealth. Best she had before was an illusion formed by shaded yellow threads.
 
To Kaya


"And she's laughing and cracking wise! I dare say, there may be hope for you yet, Kaya." Adair snorts and deftly dodges the hit his arm would have taken. He even smiles wider for it. "I am quicker than you give me credit. But I will say a smile suits you more than the serious face you love to slap on." He mimics your typically quiet, stern look you reserve for your brooding times. He squints his eyes and sets his jaw, hmphing and then breaking into another smile.
 
To Anju


You'll slip into a quiet park, somewhere. You just took a way out of the market and strolled along swiftly down a side road and into an alley and through an archway into this rather charming park. Shorn grass, light and fluffy on the feet, beige walls rising up all around, sunlight kissing every surface, rows of potted plants, a cluster of cypress trees standing firm in the center, a ladder leaning against the three story building hemming in the northern side of the yard.


You'll come to a small stone bench and open your fingers and behold the strangest looking little jewel ever. It almost looks to be carved of jade, but of such bizarre craftsmanship. The bauble is small, maybe an inch long, egg-shaped. It's as if someone carved a face and then jumbled it up. A closed eye here, the mouth on the complete other side, the nose pointing to the ground. All a jumble. Curious...pretty in its own way.
 
Kayadin Reeyeh


Amazed that he dodged her punch and unused to being made fun of, Kaya stared at Adair for a good while as he stood there and tried to mimic her facial expressions. She replied slowly, "You know, Falcon, you do surprise me." Her face started to set in her typical stern expression, but the way he squinted and hmphed amused her greatly. Try though she might, Kaya lost the battle to keep a straight face, her lips quirking a few times before erupting into uncharacteristic giggles. "Excuse me, but I do not look like that all the time!"
 
Kalek


Kalek lets out a heavy sigh, rallying his pieces to close in on the once more lost land


"Sacrifices, friend. Sacrifices."


(Buying 6 dice for 4 motes) 4, 2, 3, 1, 7, 8, 1, 2, 1, 8, 3, 9, 6, 7 Using 7 as the target number, the roll resulted in 5 successes.
 
To Kalek


"In truth, this brings to mind the Battle of Moj'shon, a full five hundred miles from here. I read about it once. Happened during the Wyld War in the 550s. Late in the war, when all the little kingdoms here were spent. The Legion drew in the Fae for a knock out dragout, they kept fighting over this one inconsequential piece of land, long since blighted. It meant nothing to either side, but it became the pivotal battle of that year. The Fae did it...simply because it made a wonderful tale to be told. Isn't that wonderful in its own way?"


He'll make a move for one your tiers now weakened by the push for the strongly disputed tier three.


Results for 7 dice: 4 successes [ 8 3 3 8 8 0 4 ] (TN: 7)
 
Anju


She held up her hand and let the chain slide until it caught in her fingers. What a strange gem. Anju twisted her hand this way and that and watched the light catch the mixed up features. Was it because the face was scrambled that it was good luck? Ill will tried to make sense of it and it became stuck before it worked against the wearer?


Anju took a hold of the gem and turned it to the spot where the face made the most sense. She’d heard stranger things, she was pretty sure. She smiled and bounced once in place while putting the necklace on. She could show it to Jonas and ask if it made any sense to him.


The question was ‘now what’? Anju leaned backwards over the bench. She hadn’t even spent a whole day yet! She suddenly sat back up again. Sight seeing! She could start with the Auspicious Hall of Law.
 
To Kaya


There's a decent crowd watching the Gateway game and yet oddly humming or singing along with the bard, softly to themselves. Decent money is changing hands now. But Adair is not moved by it. He'll take his eyes away from the game to look at you with a doubting look. He'll take down the whole mug.


"Are you kidding? For a three whole days last week you looked like that, being all mopey and as ravenous as a tiger toward anyone just because Jareth accidentally hit you with a mudball when the children were playing! It was glorious." He makes the face again, flattening his cheeks and puffing them out, hmphing.
 
Lyrik Evensong


Lyrik plays the standard songs for about 20 minutes. Time to change things up. The musician addresses the audience.


"Okay, ladies and gentlemen. I'm going to try something new here. There are a lot of standard songs that bards, musicians, gleemen and singers perform throughout Creation. They are, for the most part, unchanged. What I'd like to do for you now is make up a brand new song, right here, on the spot, just for your entertainment. You pick the subject, you pick the style, and I will create for you your very own song, right here, on the spot. Let us begin. To start with, I'll need some suggestions." The musician looks around the room, and his eye comes to rest on the knight's table. He speaks to the man. "You, sir. Will you help me out? I would be much obliged. What sort of song would you like to hear?"
 
Kalak


"While history proves to be a great teacher, personal experience trumps all. Some years back, there was a small skirmish amongst my unit- War games. There were four key objectives with which either side was trying to attain. A fortified watchtower, a small cave, some impromptu 'ruins' we scraped together and a clearing set out amidst the center of it all. We fought back and forth for days. One would attack, the other retreat. Then vice versa. Seems, though, that I forgot that lesson."


He continues the press on the third tier


(Buying 4 dice for 3 motes) 4, 7, 3, 1, 5, 4, 3, 6, 4, 4, 6, 10 Using 7 as the target number, the roll resulted in 3 successes
 
To Anju


It takes a good half hour for you to wend your way out of the maze of roads and alleys where you ended up. It's a lovely town, rich colors and architecture and a strong love of arches here. The roads are clean, walks swept, pretty nice. The Tower is an easy guide though. Its the largest building here.


But you'll find the Avenue of Four Thousand Steps soon enough, and of course, the Tower. It seems so massive even from the front gates. As you walk down the Avenue, minutes pass and it simply grows larger and larger, trying to look up at it when you enter the Forum of Mountains, it feels like you'll topple over just trying to look up at the shining white top of the tower far above you.


It's like the root of a mountain, the base takes minutes to walk around, the archways leading in are easily fifteen feet tall. It makes you wonder if just men constructed this thing.
 
To Kalek


"Indeed, all things with time, sir. All things." He seems positively giddy. "I've not had this good a match in years! Ha! More ale!" He'll toss down some silver coin. You'll notice the betting men watching the match now. Golgo is all for the match though. "Hmm." He'll match you on the third tier for now, pleased with his moves thus far. He's got a number of your pieces, you only slightly less of his. The match is set attrition at the moment.


Results for 7 dice: 3 successes [ 4 3 7 5 8 6 8 ] (TN: 7)
 
Kayadin Reeyeh


Before she even tried to form a reply, Kaya downed her mug of ale as well, the match nearly forgotten. Grabbing Adair's empty one, she exchanged it for two full mugs from a barmaid that happened to be wandering by and handed him the new one. She glared at him as he made yet another face, allegedly mimicking her. "Oh, of course you'd bring that up. You were so amused when that mudball hit me in the face. You couldn't stop laughing for the entirety of the next day! Her brows knitted, her face starting to get stormy. "And I'll have you know..." she jerked her mug towards him, sloshing the contents a bit, "you were decidedly exempt from that series of bad days!" In a fit of childish temper, she stuck her tongue out at him.
 
Marcus


To whom it may concern:


Progress slow, little to report.


No indications of essence use or interference in economic/state activities.


Will attempt to maintain observation within Shalebridge.





A quick look over the small piece of paper before placing it inside its envelope. Slipping the small parcel back into his coat pocket, Marcus will push himself off the wall, watching the backs of the group file into the tavern. A couple hours spent speaking with locals (and after buying a new crimson coat from an especially talkative tailor), Marcus will catch sight of Garda. His footsteps take him along side the cart of books and tomes, staying out of sight for the moment, making sure the Southerner is alone.


Perception (4) + Awareness (4) + Awareness: Spotting People (3) = 11 dice: 5 successes [ 9 5 8 2 2 8 3 6 9 5 7 ] (TN: 7)


Wits (3) + Stealth (5) + Stealth: Remaining Inconspicuous (3) = 11 dice: 11 dice: 6 successes [ 8 4 1 3 1 1 8 9 8 8 8 ] (TN: 7)
 
To Lyrik


The knight shifts a bit as eyes come to him, sighing. He'll ponder a moment, then speak with a soft voice, "Play a song for the Hawk and Its Knights upon this earth. A good dirge. I have seen many and more lain low in the fields of Midland. One for the Exalted* Dead."

*He does mean the glorious dead. Not Exalts dying. :P
Click to expand...
 
Kalek


"One of the largest mistakes ever made by any sort of leader... is feeling that he is too invested in a maneuver to change it- Even though it is clearly failing. However... The same mistake can be made in reverse, where if they had only pushed a bit harder..." He seems to be speaking to Kaya, though too focused to really know where her attention is


Kalek nudges another piece to the third tier, pressing once again


8, 8, 5, 4, 2, 2, 10, 4 Using 7 as the target number, the roll resulted in 4 successes.
 
Anju


Craning her head back, with a hand to protect from wayward sunlight, Anju whistled. If it was built by man, they were definitely capable! Raised as regular mortal, she never questioned man’s worth, though some Lunars seemed to forget. As Anju stared she wondered where Saeka fell. To make a Stream, you had to believe it was possible, right?


Why commit to inevitable failure? Maybe more people would believe if more towers like this existed.


Anju stopped and thought about Lyrik’s towers and what Jonas said. No. Towers just meant that the civilization was great for a time. Grand architecture hadn’t saved the First Age. Anju frowned and touched the new chain around her neck.


No time to be sour! Time to find someone to tell her about the Auspicious Hall and maybe they’d let her read some of the things inside.
 
To Kaya


Adair snorts, "Dear Gods." He starts to laugh his airy laugh, quite amused of the sight before him. "I know I was exempt, but the fervor and the storm clouds! Oh! It was worthy of song! I even dared Lyrik to write one about it. Even he was not so bold." He put on his best innocent face. "What?" He'll take a drink of his ale and shrug. "I'm allowed to have some fun! Far from a crime, wouldn't you say?" Adair is far too amused. FAR too amused.
 
To Kalek


Golgo merely nods, his old eyes alive with laughter and glee as he searches the board for new fronts and tricks. His forehead is beaded with sweat, but he doesn't seem tired at all. If this man had been Dragon graced...who knows. Taking a deep breath, Golgo pauses to focus himself, moving a piece to the fourth tier, overtaking it completely.


Results for 7 dice: 4 successes [ 3 0 2 6 0 9 8 ] (TN: 7) + 1 Willpower = 5 successes.
 
To Marcus


He's simply with a small cart and mule, taking along a rather large collection of books--the ones from the Nephra ruins. Seems to be off to give them to the local college as he had promised. Impressive indeed.
 
Marcus


"Quite a find you have here. These should prove an invaluable window into the past."


With a slight smile (and squinted eyes, in the bright afternoon sun), Marcus will walk up alongside Garda. He looks different, in the dress of a merchant apprentice, but has the same features and mannerisms. There is a note of anxiety in his voice.
 
Garda


"In truth friend, the donation is to help lighten public opinion of us, should anything be brought to 'light' about our natures. And it may potentially link me with the people I'll need to talk to, to begin a more lucrative venture." "But I admit part of me is glad that these people will reconnect with some of their past, I find that's the best way to avoid repeating it."
 
Marcus


The young man will quirk an eyebrow at this explanation.


" An optimistic approach. I've found, though, that fanatical beliefs often far outweigh reasoning and evidence."


Marcus picks up a particularly weighty tome, replete with intricate designs upon its cover.


"But perhaps you're right. How else does one change people's minds?" After spending minutes drawing along the different shapes and curves on the cover, he will crack the book open and begin leafing through its thick pages. His head will pop up suddenly, looking over toward Garda.


"...What sort of lucrative venture?" he whispers with a grin.
 
To Garda and Marcus


In time, the cart shall roll into the massive Forum of Mountains, the centerpoint of the city, in the massive shadow of the great Hall of Law. Signs near the threshold of the Forum point that the University is along the western road leading out of the forum, surely they'll want a cache such as this. And it's the best lead you've had yet.
 
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