Lev Tahor

[Rickshaw]

They were heading for the door, and despite the roaring applause I've not seen them stop. I was fully confident they've left by the time the audience regained their wits, so the next scene caught me by surprise.

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*eyes the quoted passage* Where the hell did the next line go?
Thank you for spotting that, edited for clarity. I swear I had a line there explaining she'd stopped.

giving concerts at taverns spreading word of their intentions.

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I didn't say this in the post (because I was dead to the world when I finished writing) but I think I can provide an adequate explanation for that. David would likely have explained this to you as well, seeing as you admitted you'd been to Zoroaster and didn't recognize them.
The Royal Family of Zoroaster was run out of the capital about a generation ago. The King and Queen were killed in the invasion and the Princess was forced into hiding. The conquering Warlord put out a decree saying the Royal Family would not be harmed if they stayed out of the capital (which they have). This is all fairly common knowledge that the last generation would recall as the most important event in recent history. As far as most know, that's the end of it.
What David tells you is that the old Princess had a rebellious child in Aurelia, who on her eighteenth birthday dragged him along with her as she stormed the capital to demand her Kingdom back. The Warlord laughed in their faces before exiling the two from the nation by force. They've been seeking asylum in Zak for the past few years, and Aurelia has been moonlighting as a singer to make connections and get funds for her little revolution. She's more famous here for her musical ability than as a Princess, though people have suspected for a while. This was her big reveal before she goes off, but David doubts whether it was a wise idea to let her do it. He really can't say anything, though. She's the Princess, and he's just a knight who happens to be related to her. He does as she orders.

 

[Rickshaw]

I understand you're confused, and your interest excites me. I'll go line by line for ease and try to fill in gaps that won't lead to spoiling a later plot.

First things first, did Aurelia tell her own story in the song, or does she have talent/magic to make the audience feel whatever she sings about, regardless of whether she lived it herself?

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Both. Harmonic magic will, as stated before, amplify the feelings of the musician. They could potentially tell any story which meant something to them, whether they lived it or not. Den is proficient enough with this magic that he could probably put vague images in people's mind as they listen. Aurelia is a bit more talented than you (she's maxed out the stat) which means she can do a lot of cool stuff, and she told her own story, so she had plenty of strong emotions to bolster the magic she attempted. The combined aspects is what made it so powerful, allowing her to do something incredible that could put a crowd of 30+ people into a hypnotic trance.

TL;DR Aurelia told her own story, but anyone who max their stats, had strong emotional attachment to the story, and rolled a crit success could do the same.

But how can one be a brother to a Princess without bearing the title of a Prince?
[...]
Is he illegitimate, or something?

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He's not of the royal bloodline of Zoroaster. He's grown up with them calling him "brother" and "son," but he's well aware that he's really nothing more than a lucky kid that the old Princess had pity on. Though as you obviously noted when Den was still fighting off Aurelia's influence, she doesn't see him as anything less than her dear brother.

Why is he a knight subordinated to her?

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Everyone, including Den, might consider him the rightful Prince of Zoroaster even when knowing the truth, but David doesn't. He's a street rat that received more grace and mercy than he deserved. He plays as Aurelia's knight to protect her, as thanks for the kindness her family showed him, and because he doesn't see himself as worthy of much more. Whether that's an honorable or stupid decision is up to the opinion of the reader.

 

[Rickshaw]

FADE IN:​

INT. SURVEILLANCE ROOM - NIGHT

Screens. Dozens of them, images floating in empty space. They fill the room, flickering from picture to picture, shifting between a dozen or so faces before stopping on one in particular.

On screen appears DEN, 21, dressed in a green jacket and red scarf. He has an average build, slightly taller than average, and wears a bone-claw NECKLACE. On his back is a worn MANDOLIN, and on his hip is a strange black device with multiple latches. He reads from a heavy TOME in a back corner of a tavern.

J.R. (O.S.)
Sir, we've found one.
​

Sitting on the floor, lit only by the myriad images around him is J.R., 20s, thin and wearing glasses. He twitches his head and the picture of Den expands, all others fading out of existence.

Behind the "hacker" appears FINLEY O.Z., 30, dressed in black military regalia and cloak. He squints.

FINLEY
Must you really keep it so dark in here?
​

He pulls a stone out of his jacket. It's clear crystal with a claw much like Den's inside.

FINLEY
Kindle.
​

The claw catches fire within the stone, casting a flickering glow across the room. It burns but is not consumed. J.R. squints in the increased light.

FINLEY
Alright, what's his story.
​

J.R. twitches again, creating more images with Den in various places such as taverns, libraries, and on the road.

J.R.
Twenty-one years of age, goes by the name of Den.
Little known of his origin, but he claims to come from
Hafenport, out east.

FINLEY
He's from the Fifth Empire?

J.R.
So he claims. No official records or paper trail until a
year ago, when he registered in Zoroaster as a mage.

FINLEY
A fake name, then. Out of curiosity, what School did
he specialize in?

J.R.
(beat)
Harmonic.

FINLEY
(flatly)
So he's a bard.

J.R.
Correct. Does this information bring back any
memories, Mr. Oz?

FINLEY
Correlation does not equal causation, J.R. My
situation was... unique. Give me more to work
with, here.

J.R.
Of course, sir.
​

The images move around, showing a live view of Den as he clasps the TOME to the black device on his hip, which latches to the book and holds it tight. Pictures of Den on the steps to a giant library and amongst ancient ruins are shown.

J.R.
After studying for some time in Zoroaster, where he got
that Tome he carries, Den traveled east to the Nomad
Ruins. This is presumably to look into Demonic Magic,
as he left the place with the Demon's Necklace he
currently wears.

FINLEY
So, he's looking for something. Some kind of magic, but
what for?​

Images of ANNA, 20, an average-height, blue-haired woman dressed in religious attire appear. A few images of Den and her interacting in a clinic of some sort are seen.

J.R.
When he appeared in Zak at the Temple City, he
partook in some sort of ritual which affected him deeply.
Afterward, this woman was seen taking care of him. He
revealed to her that he seeks some kind of magic to
return him to Hafenport.
​

Finley looks momentarily alarmed, before schooling his expression.

FINLEY
Return by magic? You were right to bring this to my
attention. Tell me, what do we know of the girl?

J.R.
She told Den that her name is Anna. Beyond that,
we have no record of her. She is no one of import
and seems to spend all of her time in that Church
of theirs, which we do not monitor regularly.

FINLEY
I've never been there myself, but even when
I lived in Zoroaster I'd heard of the Temple
Synagogue. It would be wise of you to keep an
eye on it. The girl, too. She is connected to him,
somehow. If he truly desires to become a Traveler
and return to the Fifth Empire, we must be ready
for him.

J.R.
Yes, sir.
​

The images collapse, and the room goes dark except for the light from the stone in Finley's hand. For a moment the flame grows brighter, filling the crystal with hellfire that strains against the rocky confines of its prison. It crackles for a moment with black lightning, seeming to siphon the darkness of the room into itself...

FINLEY
Extinguish.
​

The flame abruptly flickers out. There is DARKNESS, the tapping of FOOTSTEPS, and then LIGHT from a doorway as Finley exits the room, leaving J.R. alone.

A single screen appears before him, revealing a feed of Den finishing his breakfast. Besides it, another image appears, this one of scrawling white text against a black background. There are dozens of small pictures aligned along the left side within this greater image, one of a demon trapped in a strange-multisided prism, and another of some sort of carapaced creature.

A keyboard appears before J.R. and he types away. When he is done, he hits a button and the keys disappear. Suddenly, the image before him alters, and a new line of text appears at the bottom:

Spoiler

JACOB RICKSHAW
Votes, people.​