CH. 3: Mages, Mages Everywhere

[djhyland]

Finding Kynaston's residence locked up and abandoned, Darga turns back towards the street and heads towards the elf's magic shop. As he makes his way through the streets, he keeps his eyes open, looking for signs of his companions, for the thieves who rolled him, and for anything else unusual.

[BishGada]

"I'd rather give it to her in person. I hope I'm not insulting. It's not a matter of trust, but there is her spellbook and it shouldn't fall to any other hands by mistake as it might prove dangerous. You, or Biggs and Wedge can accompany to her if you prefer that."

[JadedDM]

Kendra Synclair (Synclair Residence, 2723 Crooked Road)
Garnet appears visibly hurt, as if Kendra just struck her. "You mean...you don't want to wear the dress I wore when I got married?" she asks.

Darga (Harbor District)
As Darga makes his way from the harbor district to the merchant district, where Raetmal's shop is, he does see something noteworthy.

He spots a boy, no more than 6 or 7 years old, dressed in rags with short brown hair and big brown eyes. He sneaks up behind a heavy set man who is chatting with an elderly woman. Reaching deftly, he manages to snatch the man's belt pouch then slip away. He starts heading toward a warehouse down by the river.

Tulbas, Haahqae, and Kynaston (Abandoned Warehouse, Cult Lair)
Nora sighs and places her hands on her hips. "Very well. Come with me. You two," she says, looking to Kynaston and Haahqae, "remain here."

She then leads Tulbas to a private room in the back, where Biggs and Wedge stand guard. She nods to them, and they step aside, letting her and Tulbas enter.

Inside is Daxia, still tied up and gagged. She is sitting up on a small cot, conscious. Her pale blue eyes settle on Tulbas and they reveal faint recognition, but otherwise she doesn't seem to react much.

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"We had to drug her a bit to keep her calm," Nora explains.

[HorizonsDream]

"Well, I don't know if I can even fit into your dress," Kendra points out.

[mgbevan]

"That moon is fascinating, but sunset and the red sky... ah... never mind I digress."

This was a lot of information to process, but Gregeddin did his best to focus his thoughts on the task at hand.

"Well in the mines... It was magic, definitely, and I assumed it was divine from Coroccoco's faith and prayer to Zilvyan which brought about the effects. I don't think she ever had a spell book, she couldn't even read!..." Gregeddin let out a small sigh, "Ah I don't know what to make of it, but yes, If you can help me enter this mysterious craft I am interested."

"The black robes then, do they deal in blood, money or secrets?" Even as Gregeddin asked this he began to hope the situation with the cult could be resolved without having to approach these terrifying mages. "And what should I prepare for someone of your own order?"

[djhyland]

Darga watches the young thief for a moment to make sure that he was the only one who saw the theft, then hurries after him. When he catches up to the boy, he puts a hand on his shoulder. "You should be more careful, boy," he says. "I saw what ya did back there. Yer lucky that I'm th' only one who did. Ya take that to buy food, did ya?"

[BishGada]

Tulbas nods to Biggs and Wedge his greetings as Nora and him pass by. In the private rooms he approaches sitting Daxia carefully not to alarm her.
Talking quietly and reassuringly he says, "Hi Daxia, here is all your stuff back, as I promised, including your spellbook." Looking back at Nora he asks, "Did she eat and drink?" Leaving Daxia's backpack near her, Tulbas goes back to Nora keeping some distance from her, thinks for a moment and then, "Nora, did you have a chance to interrogate her? Do you know why did she ran off?" he looks down worried and shakes his head a little, contemplating his next words. Looking back at her eyes he says emotionally, "You know me only for two days, but I think I proved myself trustworthy and efficient." Making sure he has her full attention he continues, "You must know I did learn something about her. You have been deceived and she is in a grave danger for her life."

[JadedDM]

Kendra Synclair (Synclair Residence, 2723 Crooked Road)
"Well, it's easy enough to have it modified," Garnet points out. "Any tailor can do that. But if you are insistent on wearing some other dress, I'm sure you can afford it now."

Gregeddin (Erogundali Mageware Shop, 253 Herbalist Street)

"It was magic, definitely, and I assumed it was divine from Coroccoco's faith and prayer to Zilvyan which brought about the effects. I don't think she ever had a spell book, she couldn't even read!"

"Zilvyan? Zivilyn? The Tree of Life?" asks Raetmal. "Interesting...there was an old god by that name. There were even small temples to him still standing in Silvanesti before I was exiled. We never tore down the old temples, although we stopped worshiping the old gods long ago."

"If you can help me enter this mysterious craft I am interested."

"To begin with, you will need a spellbook," Raetmal says. "I believe I have an old blank one for beginners. As you are assisting my nephew, I can waive the normal fee. Then, you will need to learn spells to place in the book. What manner of spells will depend on your own choices, of course. Some wizards are generalists, learning a bit of everything. Others specialize in specific areas."

"The black robes then, do they deal in blood, money or secrets? And what should I prepare for someone of your own order?"

"Each of the three orders has their own philosophies. Some say the only thing we all have in common is our love of the Art. It's how we use the Art that makes us different," Raetmal explains. "The Order of Solinari, the White Order, believe that magic must serve man, not rule over him. They see magic as a tool, a blessing, meant to aid others; to defend the weak, to improve life, and to support civilization. They are altruists, essentially.

"The Order of Nuitari, the Black Order, believe that magic separates us from the weak. They see magic as a weapon, a way to bolster their own power and ambitions. While their first loyalty belongs to the Art, their second always belongs to themselves. This makes them difficult to deal with, as you can only enlist their aid if you can offer them something they want in return.

"The Order of Lunitari, the Red Order, is not interested in personal ambition or in helping others. We are only interested in one thing only--the acquisition of knowledge. To us, the Art is not primarily a weapon or a tool, but a path toward enlightenment. We desire knowledge for the sake of knowledge, and not to fulfill any particular agenda beyond that."

Darga (Harbor District)
The boy whirls toward Darga and looks at him, eyes full of terror. "I...I...I jus'...I had ta'..," he stutters, looking ready to bolt at any second. "Th-they made me...ev'ry'un hasta pull 'is own weight..."

Tulbas Erogund (Cult Lair, Back Room)

"Did she eat and drink?"

Nora nods. "We have been taking good care of her."

"Nora, did you have a chance to interrogate her? Do you know why did she ran off?...You must know I did learn something about her. You have been deceived and she is in a grave danger for her life."

"We questioned her. She claimed that her father is dead, and that her uncle is trying to kill her as she is a threat to his rule. She said that if we hand her over to her uncle's men, they will kill her." Nora crosses her arms. "We have yet to confirm this; I'm sure she'd say anything to escape, though."

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra stands up from where she was sitting, playing with her siblings. "Where is the dress?" she asks with a sigh.

[djhyland]

Darga holds out his hands non-threateningly to show that he means no harm. "Don't fret, I won't do nothin' to ya. But what do ya mean ya got ta pull yer weight? Who's makin' ya do this?"

[BishGada]

Tulbas conceals his great relief at Nora's answer, keeping his seriousness he says, "I can confirm with high confidence what she had said. When I read her spell book I found her full name is Daxia Cheroneau. She is a half-elven daughter of an Ergothian nobleman who died of sickness but named her his heir. The Ergothian look down on women and half-breeds. The nobleman brother siezed the lands and castle an ordered Daxia executed as she threathened his claim. She managed to escape but if we hand her over to the Ergothians, they will probably take her back to their homeland and kill her." Tulbas gives Nora a moment to process the information. "My uncle told me that, as he keeps in touch with some of our kin who fled to Ergoth when Silvanesti was invaded and still live there." Tulbas adds somewhat gloomly. "As he or our kin have no special benefit if Daxia or her uncle take the lands, I see no reason why this information wouldn't be genuine."
"I agree that we should confirm that information farther if that's possible, but we can't hand her over blindly. I'm sure Darewind wouldn't want any harm come to her, and besides, she might be a very powerful ally in more than one way. She is much superior in the Art than myself. We were lucky to take her when she was off guard. And also if she can reclaim her lands and castle, I believe she would be able to help us in fundings and army forces. Last but not least, this is the right thing to do." he adds, smiling for the first time ever in Nora's presence.

[JadedDM]

Kendra Synclair (Synclair Residence, 2723 Crooked Road)
Garnet leads Kendra to the back of the room where they store their old stuff, and she pulls out a trunk and opens it. She removes the dress, shaking some of the dust off of it. "I'll have it cleaned first, of course," she says.

It's a gorgeous dress of pure white with flared sleeves and an intricate design of gold on the torso. It looks like the sort of dress a high lady would be married in, not some lowborn peasant who married a woodcutter.

Garnet's Dress.jpg (39.29 KiB) Viewed 6128 times

Darga (Harbor District)
"Th-The people I live wif now," the boy says. "Mama d-died on the way here...gobos killed 'er. So I'm all on my own. Some people took me in and they take care of me now, but I gots to learn the trade if'n I wanna stay wif 'em."

Tulbas Erogund (Cult Lair, Back Room)
Nora listens to Tulbas' story and nods thoughtfully. "To be honest, I thought it was odd how eager they seemed to get her back, considering they claimed she was just a runaway. Not to mention the large amount of steel they offered for her return."

"I'm sure Darewind wouldn't want any harm come to her, and besides, she might be a very powerful ally in more than one way. She is much superior in the Art than myself. We were lucky to take her when she was off guard. And also if she can reclaim her lands and castle, I believe she would be able to help us in fundings and army forces."

Nora shakes her head. "As we captured her and held her here, I sincerely doubt she'd be willing to aid us in any way, even if we agreed to let her go now. So not only would we not receive a reward, we'd make an enemy of both her and her uncle's men."

Last but not least, this is the right thing to do."

Nora cannot help but smile back. "The 'right thing to do,' eh? To be honest, I'm surprised to hear you say that. I always thought elves disliked half-breeds like her. But you seem genuinely worried for her well-being." Nora tilts her head a bit, as if looking at Tulbas in a new light. "She is awfully pretty. Perhaps even the Silvanesti men are not immune to a pretty face?" she wonders. "Or are you truly that righteous and altruistic after all?"

[djhyland]

Darga thinks for a moment before replying. I'd be th'last one ta tell ya that ya shouldn't steal ta eat, boy," he says, considering. "But ya sound like yer not happy wit' livin' there. Do they treat ya well? D'ya want ta keep livin' wit' them?"

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra looks a little confused as she runs her fingers over the fabric before she looks to her mother. "Where did you get a dress like this?" she asks curiously. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone in Haven wear dresses like this unless they were extremely rich."

[JadedDM]

Darga (Harbor District)
The boy's eyes begin to water, and he tries wiping them with his sleeve. "I ain't happy...I want my mama...but I ain't got nowhere else to go."

Kendra Synclair (Synclair Residence, 2723 Crooked Road)
"It belonged to my mother, and her mother before her," Garnet says. "I'm not sure when or by whom it was first commissioned, but it has been in the family for a very long time."