Yrantan adventures (Completed)

[ArcticFox]

Yranta was a big city. Situated on the mere shores of the Yranese Sea, the city's main source of income was trade. It was known by its huge harbor and big trade galleys anchored there. The merchants who brought their ships to Yranta established their guild inside the walls of the harbor. 
The city itself was comprised of many parts, each separated by walls and sturdy wooden gates. Through the Gate of the Sea on the walls of the harbor you came into the market square which took up almost one third of the city. It was a vast space filled with stalls and noisy sellers of wares that came from across the sea, which were very expensive, or those made in the country, which were less so.
If you wanted to leave this square you had to go through the Gate of the Money, aptly named, since it opened on the wealthiest part of the city - the administration part. This square was the smallest and in the mere center of the city. It contained administrative buildings, city hall, the courthouse and of course the palace of the Duke along with the villas of the richest in the city.
Going through the Gate of the People you walked into the resident district, with the houses of the common people (notice that there are no poor people in the city of Yranta and beggars on the streets are a rare sight).
And the last district was the district of workman's shops, blacksmiths, chemists, carpenters, clothiers and so on. This district had the Gate of the Labor on one side, and Gate of the Army, which led to the garrisoned space behind the first great stone wall of the city - the outer wall - where the bulk of the military was stationed.
Of course, this division doesn't mean that the district of administration doesn't have a few elite shops, of the district of the residences doesn't contain a dozen taverns. The city of Yranta is known by its versatility after all.

Considering the population of the city, well it was dominated by humans. After all, the First Duke who found the city was a human as were all the rest that followed. But, due to its trade which enabled interactions with a wide range of races, the city also became a home to high elves, wood elves and even a few groups of dwarven smiths.


Anna Penrose was one girl in a city of a few hundred thousand people. She had that advantage to be born as a daughter of the council chairman and a woman from the minor noble house. Her father's family were foreigners in the city two generations ago, but through clever investments and a little bit of careful scheming, managed to come on top of the political society of Yranta. Her father was a second chairman in their family and meanest on by far. He was strict and demanding, traits that weren't passed down onto his daughter. He paid for the best private tutor for the girl since she turned 5, until she was 18. After that, she was free to do what she wanted with her life, until she found a favorable suitor. Getting married was to be her primary obligation, that was until her mother found out that she couldn't get pregnant again no matter how many times she tried. Her father was furious with the fact of not having an heir, but soon directed all of his attention to his heiress. At age of 18 Anna was offered a choice - she could get married and lose her name and with it her father's status, or stay unmarried and learn to lead their household which will one day be passed down to her. Anna stayed with her parents, learning a great deal about finance and intrigue both, but after 5 years one part of her started yearning for the world outside. She wanted to travel to far away lands, to meet people, to fall in love!

As she walked through the crowded streets of market district, with her adventure in mind, Anna gazed upon a strange sight - a dark elf, sitting in a corner, in the shade of the tree, wiping the blade of his sword with a piece of cloth. That was not good! That was not good at all. Dark elves were not looked upon favorably in her city. They were considered a lower race, barbarians and brutes and normally weren't allowed through the gates, except as servants or personal companions. And that elf was alone, pretty conspicuous with his blade out, practically asking to be apprehended by the local guard. What should she do?

- Walk up to the elf and try to let him know that he needs to get out of sight
- Drag the elf in a side alley and there explain everything to him
- Continue on her way

 

[Ezri]

- Walk up to the elf and try to let him know that he needs to get out of sight


It was quite a shock seeing a dark elf alone, especially with such a casual demeanor. While it wasn't something she had grown up with, the Yranta's general opinion of dark elves had been made very clear during the time Anna lived there -- was it possible that he wasn't aware of it? Knowing what might befall him, she wouldn't feel right just leaving him to be captured or worse. The thought struck her that she didn't know anything about the elf or his circumstances, but she repressed that uncertainty in favor of his well-being -- giving up because of nervousness wouldn't be very adventurous at all. Anna approached the elf cautiously, hoping not to draw too much attention to either of them while she stepped into the shade herself and voiced her concern. "Excuse me... it's dangerous for you to be here." Her voice was low, but not quite a whisper. "The guards might see you!"

 

[ArcticFox]

"What?" The elf regarded her blankly, his dark blue eyes portraying no concern.


"The guards might see you!" The tiny human woman in front of him was speaking. He scanned her from top to bottom and then returned his gaze to his weapon.


"The guards let me in." He answered simply, his voice a little firm and definitely without worry.


Now it was Anna's turn to be surprised. That never happened. Unless...
"Are you a servant?" the girl asked.
"No." The elf hissed, apparently offended and then stood up, holstered his sword and strode off quickly away. Anna was left in the middle of the square to wonder what just happened.


She now had a choice where to go next. She didn't have any special arrangements for that day, it was the end of the week and business was slow. It was also extremely hot and she stood in the sun completely exposed.

- Go home.
- Go to the docks.
- Find shade.

 

[Ezri]

- Go to the docks.


That was definitely strange. Anna hadn't meant to offend, but the elf left before she could apologize. Thinking back on the exchange, it was a little embarrassing; she'd only wanted to look out for someone, but instead she just made a silly assumption. Her tutor would surely be scolding her for such a breach in etiquette, if they knew. That said she couldn't help but be curious; why had the guards let him in if he wasn't a servant?


Anna sighed -- there was no use standing around and dwelling on it, she supposed. Especially not in this heat, which only seemed to be getting worse. Trying to chase the mystery out of her mind, she stood up a little straighter and headed for the docks, hoping that a pleasant sea breeze might give her some relief.

 

[ArcticFox]

As Anna decided that she can afford to slack a bit more and take a walk to the docks, she walked through the Sea Gate. The guards at the gate nodded to her, some exclaimed their greetings, some expressed regards for her father. It was good being well known in the city. It wasn't as good being known only by the deeds of your father. The sun was beating down on her pretty badly and Anna needed a drink. Finding her way through busy workmen unloading the docked ships, she proceeded towards a familiar vessel. A huge black lanterna was tied to the pier, its sails fastened down. On the side of the ship gilded letters formed a name on the old tongue that vaguely translated to "The wind's sister". It was a ship Anna's father employed every time he ventured into trading, which is why she had spent a lot of time on its deck, checking the cargo or making deals with the captain.

"Oy!" A familiar voice called for her from the above. Blonde head and tan face of a sailor peaked over the deck.
"Hello Nate." Anna raised a hand to wave. Nate was sort of a friend to her, for two years now. He served on that ship, but had bigger dreams of travel and heroism. Maybe he was the first person to make Anna wish for a change in her life. He was the one who constantly told tales about wandering islands and distant lands where magic still lived.
"Anna!" Nate yelled, cheerful as ever. "Did you come to check on the shipment?"
"Oh. No, I didn't. I have a day off. I'm just taking a walk."
"Great!" Nate yelled again, taking the rope that hung over the deck. Then he jumped over the railing and slid down, landing with his feet on the dock. With a big grin on his face, he asked: "Do you need company?"

 

[Ezri]

While Anna hadn't been looking for him exactly, it was pleasant to see Nate. It was a given for sailors and other ship crew to be strong and capable, but she was always impressed (and the tiniest bit startled) by his more acrobatic stunts. It really did feel like he could take off on a fantastic journey at any moment -- what an exciting thought!


'Do you need company?'


Anna frowned and tapped her cheek with her forefinger, pretending to think quite hard about the decision. After a few moments she abandoned the act, finally giving him a smile and a nod. "That would be nice!" Anything to get her mind off of what happened before -- or maybe she could get a second opinion. She should probably be heading home soon, and she knew it, but a little stroll with Nate couldn't cause any harm.

 

[ArcticFox]

"I was planning on taking a break, myself." He said and then took the girl by the elbow and playfully dragged her with him. Before she could protest, Nate glanced at her sideways with a smile permanently plastered on his face. "I have something to show you."

A couple of minutes later the two walked into a tavern. It wasn't a sleazy place as you may expect by being situated in the harbor. The tavern, unimaginatively called "The Pirate Ship", was as clean as any commoner's house. It was spacious, with a dozen tables and a wooden bar, complete with two robust chandeliers and many paintings and other wall hangings that depicted pirates, ships or treasure.
"Two Mermaids, please!" Nate strode to the bar stool with Anna in tow and confidently raised his hand to order. The bartender nodded and grabbed a few bottles to start mixing, when the blonde boy turned to Anna. "So, how are things? I heard your dad got reinstated."

- Avoid the subject and ask him something else.
- Shrug.
- Enthuse about your family moving to another city.

 

[Ezri]

- Shrug.


Filled with curiosity, Anna followed Nate's lead with a spring in her step, and she was pleasantly surprised once they reached the Pirate Ship. The tavern was nothing as extravagant as even her own home, but it was well-kept and the theme was rather charming. As Anna took a seat she wondered briefly what a 'Mermaid' contained -- she supposed she would find out soon enough.


For a second she wondered how Nate knew about her father's reinstatement, but the answer was a fairly simple one; since he worked on one of her father's ships, it was natural that word would reach him somehow. Anna shrugged, deciding that she could confide her mixed feelings in her friend. "Of course, moving to a new place is always interesting." she admitted. "But sometimes I wish I could do so on my own terms."

 

[ArcticFox]

"I can understand that." Nate nodded, his face mimicking a grave expression. "My young spirit yearns for adventure."
"You've been telling me that for years. You had time to go on one of your adventures until now." Anna teased.
"Times, yes. Alas, no money." He leaned only a few inches from her face. "And I would miss your pretty face."
Before Anna could say anything back, the barkeeper put two clay cups on the surface in front of them. The strong scent of exotic fruit and alcohol filled the air. Anna inhaled, but the mere smell of the drink made her dizzy. And it was too warm for a summer day such as that. Nevertheless, Nate picked up his cup and raised it to toast. Seeing the girl reluctant to do the same, he said:
"Come on! This is what I wanted to show you. It's amazing! Your head will be floating for a couple of hours after a cup of this baby."
"I can't." Anna moved the drink away. "My mother scheduled a meeting of the servants of our house today, she said something important is to be announced. I need to be present and able."
"Just a sip! Please!" Nate continued, a pleading look in his brown eyes.

- Drink
- Don't drink

 

[Ezri]

- Don't drink


Any thoughts about how close Nate had been a moment ago were immediately chased off by the drink placed in front of her. Her mother would be furious if Anna had the gall to arrive at a meeting drunk, especially a meeting in front of all the servants. Looking at his puppy-like gaze it was still tempting to concede to just one sip, but considering how the Mermaid threatened to knock her over just from its smell, she had better not risk it.


"I'm sorry Nate, but I really can't today." she insisted, although she did offer an apologetic tilt of the head. "Maybe next time?" The Mermaid might be a bit much for her to handle even under the best circumstances, but she didn't want to write it off entirely.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Spoilsport." Nate frowned and then knocked down his drink. Then he took the cup in front of Anna and drank that also. He looked at her with a wide smile. Redness immediately crept onto his cheeks. "Maybe I shouldn't have drank it so fast." He said and stood up from the stool and instantly stumbled, falling on top of Anna an pinning her against the bar.


"You idiot." The barkeep shook his head in disapproval, but didn't move to help. "You drugged yourself."
"Drugged?" Anna asked, still pinned.
"Don't worry." Nate reassured her, his voice perfectly normal. "The charm of this drink is that your thinking isn't affected. Just your sense of balance and well, some other senses."
"It's a rape drug." The barkeep said nonchalantly, cleaning a mug with a wet rag.


"Don't make it sound that bad, old man!" Nate said, then turned to Anna, his body still against her and his cheek brushing her own. "Please, move me."


- Get angry and demand explanations.


- Help Nate and trust he didn't mean anything bad.


- Get angry and leave.

 

[Ezri]

- Get angry and demand explanations.


Despite the barkeep's almost annoyingly nonchalant reaction, Anna supposed she should be thankful. He had told given her some very important details after all: Nate didn't sound at all surprised about this drink's true nature, which could only mean that he knew already. She wriggled uncomfortably in her pinned position, more anger welling up inside her with every passing second.


"Make it sound 'that bad'?" she cried, doing her best to push the man off of her, more for her own sake than his. "What do you mean? You were intending to drug me this whole time?!" It was hard to imagine Nate doing such a terrible thing, but perhaps she had just been naive... ugh! Once she was sufficiently out from under him, Anna glared expectantly at Nate -- her patience was running thin, but she wanted answers.

 

[ArcticFox]

"It was supposed to be a surprise." Nate said, now slowly regaining some feeling in his extremities. He had to grip the bar firmly with both hands in order to stay upright. "You were supposed to drink it and not me. But, I just love the taste of it." He gave her an innocent look and then realized that he wasn't explaining himself very good. "Look, I wanted to bring you with me. I'm leaving for Adro in a couple of hours and I knew you wouldn't go with me willingly." Now his tone was a little bit bitter. "You always claim that you want to have an adventure, but in truth all your actions are tailored by your parents. You've lost your free will."


- Call him a hypocrite and continue arguing.


- Leave.


- Calm down and thank him, but still refuse his offer.

 

[Ezri]

- Leave.


A 'surprise'! Almost more than her anger Anna felt hurt -- had Nate thought so little of her all this time? Part of her wanted to tell him how hypocritical he sounded, criticizing her choices while trying to cart her off against her will, but Anna wasn't in the mood to argue with him any longer. Clearly he didn't think much of what she had to say, anyway!


"Well, you won't have to worry about my free will anymore! Just go off to Adro and don't come back!" she huffed, stepping away from the bar and straightening out her clothes. Staring daggers, she looked at him one last time before turning on her heel and marching out of The Pirate Ship hoping to never see it again.


As Anna stepped back into the hot air outside she let out a heavy sigh. Of course she wanted adventure and independence... but being abducted hardly seemed like right the way to do that. Surely she could find it on her own... or at least with someone who would actually listen to her.

 

[ArcticFox]

Half an hour later, Anna was back to her family's home. The atmosphere in the family residence was tense. The moment Anna passed the front doors, she almost collided with busy servants carrying all manner of things back an forth. Maids were cleaning the great hall, footmen were dragging big woven caskets filled with clothes. The house didn't look like there was a meeting in process, it looked more like packing.
"Oh, Anna, dear!" Her mother appeared on the stairs leading up from the great hall. She was dressed simply and her hair was down. Quite casual for the mother she knew. "Good thing you're here." Quite too friendly, also.
"Yes, mother? You told me there was a meeting today?" Anna asked warily.
"Meeting?" Her mother paused on the stairs, putting a finger on her lip in thought. "Oh, the staff meeting. No, that is over, never mind that. I have some news." And she quickly descended, stopping in front of her daughter. "You know that your father got promoted, right? And you know how we were supposed to move to Odessand next month, right?"
Anna nodded. It was the one exciting thing she looked forward to, leaving this stale old city.
"Well, you won't be going with us."
"What?" Anna suddenly felt wobbly on her feet again. She couldn't mean that. But she was enthusiastic with the prospect of moving, she lived for that day ever since she found out the news.
"I am sorry, dear." Her mother put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "But your father insisted on you overtaking his responsibilities as a chairman in Yranta. You know how he is when he decides on something."
Anna sighed, she knew very well.
"Also, we'll be leaving tomorrow."

A couple of hours passed and Anna was in a daze. She tried to patch things together. Her parents were already packed, and her father only confirmed her mother's words during lunch. She tried to protest, but didn't manage to budge him. He was confident that she learned well with her tutors and him and that she was ready to take on his job of administration and counseling. That meant that she'll attend the meetings of the council to decide on important matters of the city's politics and that she'll even have some influence over the Duke. Her father's individual assignment was the worry about law, which meant attending the most important trials and even acting as a judge when needed. That almost sounded more than she could handle and Anna could only imagine the trouble the other chairmen were about to give her, being known as impossible people to get along with.
The other important task for the day was meeting the new steward of the house, a butler of sorts, a man her mother carefully selected from the wide range of applicants. He was going to take care of her home while she was away on work, and due to his knowledge in accounting, he'll be running the bills of the residence, thus taking off some load from her shoulders. Anna changed in a more comfortable gown of light material and green color, sheer under her knee. and entered the library where the steward waited for her to introduce himself.
She was surprised seeing the man in the room much younger than she expected. Instead of an old, grandfatherly figure, this man was young and handsome. As she entered he immediately bowed and his posture was perfect.
"Madam." He said, his voice deep, with a tinge of foreign accent.
"Oh, I am not a madam, I am just a miss." Anna said, her voice trembling slightly.
"No, you're now the sole mistress of this house and I can't call you anything else than Madam." The butler straightened. "My name is Levon, your humble servant. From this day on I will be your faithful steward."

- Insist on not being called "madam".
- Say your name.
- Inquire about Levon's origins.

 

[Ezri]

- Inquire about Levon's origins.


One shock seemed to come after another -- although this was a more pleasant one than those preceding it. Anna would have surely felt a little tense around an old grouch of a steward; Levon was still a bit intimidating, but for much different reasons. While it was a little uncomfortable being called 'madam', it had been a long day filled with arguments and she was reluctant to get into another. At least he seemed to have good intentions, or at least a serious devotion to his duties.


"It's very nice to meet you, Levon." Anna nodded, giving her best smile despite her her tiredness. Then she hesitated, but with her curiosity getting the better of her she continued. That brief tint of an accent had not gone unnoticed. "I apologize if this is rude question, but have you spent a lot of time out of the country?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"I am born in Ulmo." Levon answered, his voice deep.


Ulmo was a city-state north of Yranta and once their worst enemy. Ulmos hated Yranese with a passion and always started wars over some stupid dispute or another. The truth was, they tried to conquer Yranta once in past and failed at it miserably. Never getting the coast of Yranta like they wanted, Ulmos continued waging petty wars over trade routes and pockets of land.


"I apologize. I also wish I was born elsewhere." Levon continued. "If it is not by your taste, Madam, I must resign right now."


- Tell him his being silly.


- Let him stay, but be on guard.


- Fire him.

 

[Ezri]

- Tell him he's being silly.


Ulmo was not a name she had expected to hear; considering the tension between their two countries, it was natural that Levon would be reluctant to bring it up. But to offer to leave on the spot was a bit extreme, wasn't it?


"Oh, no! Don't be silly -- I was only curious." Anna insisted, shaking her head. "I wouldn't ask you to resign over something like that. Please, don't worry about it." She hadn't known him long enough to say she knew him, but he seemed so far to be almost overly earnest. It wouldn't be right to send him away based only on the country of his birth, especially if he was as good of a steward as he appeared to be.

 

[ArcticFox]

"You are very kind, Madam." Levon bowed politely. "If there is nothing else you need me for, I must return to my duties." He bowed again and left once Anna allowed him to be dismissed. 


Anna excused herself and went into her room to sleep. Her bed was already made, so she just slipped into her gown and under the sheets. It was pretty warm so the tall windows of the bedroom were open. The wind blew in, lulling her to sleep.

It was very warm the next day too, when her parents left the city of Yranta. Her mother waved from the window of the carriage, until it disappeared down the road. Anna was up on the ramparts of the walls, waving her goodbyes and when the carriage was just a black spot on the horizon, she stepped down the stairs onto the area of the military garrison. With the thoughts weighing heavily onto her she walked through the gate to the residential district, when the shouts of the people drew her attention.
"That's him!"
"The thug!"
"Filth!"
"Serves him right!"
Anna raised her head towards the crowd. On the platform in the center of the residential district was a person chained to a pillar. His hands were raised above his drooping head, legs barely holding his weight. He was beaten, bruised and cut, and presumably starving and dehydrated. Anna walked closer and just then noticed something familiar about the figure: his skin was dark bluish-gray, his hair long and silver. That was the dark elf from yesterday! She knew he could only bring trouble upon himself! As the people pushed around the platform and the guards tried to keep them away, Anna thought of a right thing to do.

- Go to the guards and question them about the crimes of the elf.
- Ask someone in the crowd what was happening.
- Go about you business.

 

[Ezri]

- Ask someone in the crowd what was happening.


Anna felt her stomach drop as she laid eyes on the brutal scene. She had been worried about that dark elf, and it seemed her worries were well founded. It had only taken a day, maybe less, for some horrible fate to befall him; even if he had committed a crime, she suspected his punishment was done more because of race than anything else. Heartbeat pounding in anxiety, she delved a little deeper into the crowd, hoping she had some time before the situation escalated further. "Excuse me -- what's going on?" she asked the person closest to her, raising her voice so she wouldn't be drowned out by the shouting around them. "Did he do something?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"He is a savage." The man in front of Anna answered simply. "He attacked a good man last night. Bertrand." He continued. 


"This barbarian came into Bertrand's inn." A woman on Anna's left chimed in, more that willing to gossip. "Asked for a room even though the inn was full. When he was denied, he attacked him! Out of pure malice! This is why we don't allow them in our city!"


The rest of the crowd continued to shout insults and demand for punishment. The guards stood there next to elf, unflinching. The elf looked like was half unconscious, he was in a pretty bad shape and if left there for much longer the damage might be irreversible.


- Leave the square.


- Use your newfound authority to question the guards for details.


- Demand the elf be punished.

 

[Ezri]

- Use your newfound authority to question the guards for details.


That was quite a story... but knowing the attitude towards dark elves in this city, Anna couldn't take it at face value. It sounded almost too dramatic to be true, like some trumped up gossip made as an excuse. For a moment she felt rather helpless, but then it hit her: she had, albeit very suddenly and recently, become someone of high standing in Yranta. Someone who dealt with the law, no less -- if anyone had the power to help this man, she did.


"Wait!" she cried abruptly, making her way to the front of the crowd. The elf was looking even worse now, and there was no time to think further about the consequences of her actions. With one last deep breath, steeled herself and faced the guards, speaking with adrenaline-fueled confidence. "Stop this! As a chairman, I... demand to know exactly what is going on here!"

 

[ArcticFox]

Suddenly there was silence like everyone took a deep breath. And then everyone laughed. The crown and the guards and everyone within hearing distance.
"What are you on about, woman?" The guard stepped forward in order to push her, obviously getting tired of the display.
Luckily in that moment Anna remembered that she stashed the sigil of office in a pocket of her gown. She reached down with her right hand and pulled it out. Round cut piece of cloth, a scale embroidered on it. The guard stopped and then took the cloth tenderly with his fingers. There was silence again.
"You might have stolen this." Of course it was difficult to believe that such a young person held any authority. The announcement won't be official until that afternoon, but she had no time to waste.
"My name is Anna Penrose. I am the only daughter of Chairman Penrose, now the heir of his title." She said, with as much confidence as she could muster. The guard returned the sigil to her and then turned to his colleague, who shrugged.
"Fine. This dark elf over here tried to buy a bed in the inn. When the innkeeper said there was no more room, he threatened him, made a ruckus and almost hit him. Luckily the guardsmen were there to act on time."

- "I'm sure he didn't deserve such a treatment."


- "So he didn't actually attack him?"
- "It was good you were there, but that cannot be the whole story."

 

[Ezri]

Being publicly ridiculed was enough to make her flush in embarrassment, but she had come too far to give up now. Already the story was changing, and Anna suspected they'd still only scratched the surface of it. If she had to guess, the innkeeper wasn't as innocent as he was being made out to be -- could she get anyone to admit that, somehow? Even after seeing her sigil, the guards still weren't taking her very seriously; if she relented at all, she risked losing what little credibility she had. Maybe being harsh was the best way to go. "I'm sure he didn't deserve such treatment. Was that the only thing the innkeeper said?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"They're lying." A broken voice croaked. Anna looked over the shoulder of the guard and realized it was the chained elf talking.
"Shut your mouth, mongrel!" The guard turned around and shouted furiously.
"Let him speak!" Anna ordered, trying to sound as authoritative as possible. Elf raised his head, his face under the silver hair was bruised, his lips chipped and bloody. He hesitated a moment and then spoke weakly. The crowd was silent, waiting.
"Most of the rooms in the inn were free... The owner didn't want to rent me one... because of my race... When I complained a couple of other men in the inn surrounded me... I was defending myself."
"Be ashamed of your lies!" The guard interrupted him, and then turned to Anna. "We found him standing over the beaten bodies of half a dozen citizens! Our citizens! The innkeeper was terrified. He attacked them for no other reason but being a filthy savage!"
Anna didn't know what to believe.

- Trust the guard and let the elf be punished.
- Trust the elf and demand him released.