Chapter II
"In which our intrepid HEROINE returns to her beloved home city, and boring meetings are held with government officials"
-
In your dream, you stand on the edge of a vast lake. There is nothing and the lake as far as you can see. You know, with a dreamer's certainty, that there is another side to the lake, and that there may be others looking back at you.
No.
There
are others looking back at you.
The feel of being watched, and unable to identify where the watchers are, becomes too uncomfortable for you, so you look at the lake instead.
Annnnnd you see... yourself.
You're about 180 centimeters tall. (Okay, 179cm. But you do have
very thick hair.)
Your skin is what you tell yourself is a rich purple, one that borders on crimson. Your facial features are sharp, well defined (Though you consider your nose perhaps a bit too prominent). In said face your eyes shine silver and, like Reese, your horns (almost Gazelle-like if you could possibly know what that is) sweep back from your temples towards the crown of your head where they taper out into thin points. In the lake's reflection your black horns catch and scatter light like obsidian in the shifting(?) light.
Over, around, and behind those horns flows your thick hair. Hair which is a dark blue that borders on black. Like many of your kind, you do have a tail, though it isn't quite as thick and powerful as that of many other Zaradian purebloods. (Your father once confided in you that your family line likely had an incubus or succubus as its founder back before the defeat of the Demon King during the Great Invasion.)
Your build is a bit on the thin side, though you still very much have your mother's curves, and you've been called "lithe" before. (Sometimes even by people
not trying to win your favour or sleep with you.) And you are quite well muscled from your bladework, which is
very good exercise.
You reach out at your image in the pool, and you don't feel the water, or whatever this dream quicksilver is, but the ripples cause you to vanish, and then your image is replaced by that of-
And you wake.
-
It is your second day on foot towards Starwell and you sing as you move quickly through the forest.
For you are not just a mage, not even just a mage with two rapiers and an unquenchable thirst for stabbing!
No.
You are a Zaradian Bladesinger, a so-called
Songbird!
They (they usually being those people with an ax to grind against Zaradians) say that the first Songbirds were taught their arts by succubi and incubi survivors of the first, great, demonic invasion. Those, like yourself, who are given to less… fanciful readings of the past, figure that it's plainly obvious that, with a culture as given to artistic pursuits as Zaradians are, it would only make sense for magic, swordplay, and music to be honed into a single, beautiful and deadly, art.
And that means that you out-sing every bird in the forest, you dance gracefully between trunk and bush, you soar aerodynamically as you hop over fallen trees, and you basically make good time through the forest at a fairly brisk walk. A brisk walk made much faster by your spellcraft and Reese's bardic arts.
Because Reese joins you in singing. Well, actually, he sings and you provide accompaniment. He
is a bard afterall. Whatever skill you have is amatuer hour choir practice compared to a man that's spent his entire adult life tracking down story and song across Phaneron.
Reese is a man who is an artist first, combatant second, and an arcanist last. Whereas you're a arcanist first, a combatant second, and an artist third.
EIther way, you make a good double act, and the two of you used to actually pay for your party's inn stays on your duo's entertainment value alone. Arcadius would always get on Reese's case for his bawdy song selection, and while you kept the salaciousness to a minimum (For the health of Arcadius' heart if nothing), Locke always did seem enamoured with you despite your rather open attraction to your female admirers rather than your male ones.
Why, you remember… That time when…
Your voice wavers, and you catch Reese giving you a worried look.
You shake your head, and redouble your efforts.
Another advantage to being a Songbird is that you can bury your memories and emotions in the focus that it takes to maintain your arts..
-
Even with making good, magically enhanced, time it takes the two of you nearly two days to arrive at the edge of one of the farms that feeds the Vinyari capital of Starwell.
A pair of disheveled individuals of clear demonic ancestry emerging from the forest near arguably (Arguable to everyone not
from the city) the most important city in the world draws less comment than you'd expected. But perhaps that's to be expected from a place as thoroughly cosmopolitan as Starwell is.
As you and Reese finally step onto an actual road made by actual people, and not a path made by (and for) deer, you carefully plan out your next move.
Namely that he'd use his contacts to figure out how to kill the fucking Demon King and you'd warn the Vinyari Alliance's leaders about the IN PROGRESS DEMONIC INVAISION.
And then you step through the walls of Starwell and you're
home.
You've always loved cities: the people, the food, the venues, the books. Some of the smells… Well, none of the non-food smells. And they can be quite loud sometimes. And, then there's the Never. Ending. Construction.
Well, actually maybe you hate cities sometimes. A little bit.
But, even with the smells, Starwell is where you were born and you'll maybe die here your (though your wizard's hubris tells you that you never
really have to die). Surrounded by your hordes of fans and lovers. If you had a horde of fans and lovers. (Look, it's been a while since you left Starwell to go save the world.)
You decide to ease back into Starwell, keep out of the back alleys and disreputable locations, and stick to the main thoroughfare, Radgat's Road, which leads from the main gate to the central square that houses the beating heart of the city and country.
Starwell hasn't changed much since you left her. You look on either side of the street and see Radgat's Road lined with Starwell's famous Insula; apartment blocks with little shops and cafes lining the lower levels and with their owners' accommodations towering above them. Sometimes the Insula rise up to seven or even eight stories tall when a particular landlord decides to either hire, or anger, a powerful wizard.
And around the Insula teems the vital lifeblood of Starwell: Its population. While a lot of the people you see on the streets are old stock Vinyari, pink or light green-skinned, you also see many other kinds of people. Dwarf, Elf, half-Elf, those of Dragon blood, and even a number of people who share Demonic ancestry like you and Reese.
You used to have an apartment in one of the newer Insula -your father left it to you in his will. You honestly kind of miss that little place. But selling it bought you a cloak… that is currently somewhere in Nerus' tower. Frustrating.
You wish you had the time to browse the little shops for arcane trinkets, partake of the food carts, talk philosophy in the cafes. Or even perform yourself, to probably, maybe, rapturous applause. Another reason to hate the Demon King.
But forward you go, Radgat's Road cutting through the sea of Insula and through Starwell's famous Diurnal Gardens. These being famous for their assortment of exotic animals, rare plants, and the world famous coffee shops of the
Palais Congressionale that face out onto Starwell's central square, where the cream of the Alliance government and merchant class do all the country's real business. All these luxuries are available for a not insignificant entry fee. (Or buy a season pass for major cumulative savings!)
Once past the gardens you step out into Equinox Square, named for the day that the last Vinyari King was forced to abdicate, the location of basically the whole of the Vinyari government.
In the middle of the quare is the Grey Arch, commemorating King Yradin the Grey's victory over the Avalan Kingdom of Kings one thousand years ago, and nearer to you are the cafes of the
Palais Congressionale, around which are today's assortment of hundreds of artists, socialites, inventors, dreamers, and philosophers. Each one more flamboyantly attired and equipped than the last, all competing to catch the attention of passing government officials, or better yet, one of Starwell's thousands of extravagantly wealthy men of business. It's an ugly game that you have no desire to get reinvolved in.
And, well, you no longer have the wardrobe for it anyway. Your stained travelling clothes and battered armour would draw attention for the wrong reasons.
Also in the square along with the teeming mass of civilians going from here to there, and hoping to be seen while doing so, are soldiers resplendent in their parade uniforms, and city watch in much more drab gear.
You are torn between charging the Congress of One Hundred Delegates building itself or, spirits and saints forbid, rejoining the throng at the cafes and look for a familiar face.
Reese interrupts his stream of comments that you'd been ignoring in your joy at having returned home to The City, and pats you on the back, "Hey, cousin. This is where we part."
"What?!" you pause. Right, right, he's headed to the College of Secular Saints (Of which he is currently in his… third??? Consecutive gap year) to dig into how the Demon King was vanquished during the great invasion thousands of years ago.
You kinda… Don't want him to go?
"Okay." you smile at him, and get a determined smile and nod in return, "Stay safe. We'll meet back here at the Arch before nightfall, yes?"
He grins, "I'll make sure to find us an inn before then."
You grab him by the shoulders and look him dead in the eyes, "You stay safe, okay?"
He nods solemnly, "You too. You're only my second cousin but I'd still think I'd be sad to see you die"
-
It is late afternoon and you are currently frustrated by your lack of progress. It appears that (For some inexplicable reason) it is difficult to get in to see the Vinyari general staff or Congressional delegates without contacts or an appointment.
After being thrown out of "your" delegate's office by a very polite Lieutenant of the Starwell Guards Regiment and two of her burliest men (Who had informed you that you really should get an appointment instead of barging in unannounced - it'd probably only be a week at most!) you had decided to take a break and spend one of your last Vinyari copper slips on a meringue from one of the food carts that supplied the congress' serving staff.
It's while you're debating breaking down and joining the (sigh) hangers on at the cafe to make connections that you notice a familiar figure in the crowd walk by you and towards the offices of the Congress of One Hundred Delegate's with a determined stride.
You can't be certain, but you think it has to be Yarmak, an old colleague of Arcadius who you'd met a couple times during your time in Locke's party. At least you think it has to be him, there aren't a lot of men walking around in the same plain brown cassock of Arcadius' order and wearing a thick hood up over his face during the middle of a perfectly normal day. (You suspect overreaction to male pattern baldness)
You honestly have no other possible leads that don't involve the
Palais Congressionale cafes, so you follow Yarmak (?) through the crowds and into a side door to the Delegate's officers.
You slip through the door just before it closes and walk with purpose after Yarmak, which is apparently enough for no one to stop you. (Moderately worrying)
At some point you must make a wrong turn and lose Yarmak (?), but continue to walk with your purposeful stride until you hear what
has to be Yarmak's voice. You've never heard anyone else in your life with that particular booming, deep tone. (You wouldn't be surprised if the man was half golem, the voice is that deep and gravelly)
You follow the sound of his voice and see the cleric step past a green-skinned secretary and into a familiar delegate's office.
Seizing your chance you jog through the office after him offering only a quick, "I'm with him" to the startled secretary before the Vinyari woman can react.
Before anyone inside the office can react, you start speaking as fast as you can.
"Basically:LockeandArcadiusaredeadandthere'saDemonKingandaninvaisionandI'mheretowarnyouaboutthat." You speak quickly, very quickly, only your long Songbird training letting you enunciate the words so that they are still understandable.
The Delegate is rising to his feet, opening his mouth, (probably to call for the secretary and a coterie of angry young soldiers) when Yarmak holds up his hand towards the Delegate.
"Mireau, I think. That perhaps. We should hear Lavisia out."
-
"I don't know how this is so hard to grasp." you say three quarters of an hour later, lifting your hands up on either side of your face, shaking in frustration, "Nerus died. The Demon King arrived. Here. On Phaneron. And then he killed Locke." you thrust your hands down and forward, palms upwards, pleadingly, "And. Now. There's a demonic invasion. And I am going to kill the Demon King myself." You finish by crossing your arms. Having finished your story for the… somethingth (You've lost track) time.
You stand in front of the desk of the man who represents the district of Starwell where your little Insula flat used to be. You didn't
vote for him, being out of town for two years, but you still sort of consider him your representative.
That and Yarmak's familiarity with you were the only things keeping you from being thrown bodily out of the office. The cleric is a hard man to read (Hood), but he was clearly shocked to learn that the man his order had designated as the Chosen One was dead. And that not just Locke that had died, but that his old colleague Arcadius, who had resigned his senior position in the Order to accompany said Chosen One, was also dead at the hands of a powerful demon.
And now, while you stand near the doorway of his well decorated office, Delegate Mireau sits behind a desk made of a fine dark hardwood (and your arcane senses note, loaded up with an enchantment designed to prevent stains) and looks at you with a look of mild concern; his hands folded atop the table in front of him. He's... not an impressive man, but he does give off an impression of solidity. His brown hair is short and his face is clean-shaven save for a pair of (hilariously, ludicrously, outrageously) large sideburns.
"We were aware of the possibility of a… let's call it
demonic incursion? Many arcanists have been warning of the possibility for decades now." he looks over at Yarmak, as he stands next to the Delegate's desk, who nods back at him, "And I do sympathize with your loss. I remember that powerful speech that Locke gave about opposing Nerus' Legion. I even voted in favour of issuing Nerus an arrest warrant were he to ever set foot on Vinyari soil again." he shrugs and looks over at his mage guest, "Is there anything we can do right now, Patriarch Yarmak?"
The second man, his hood still drawn up over his head so that you can barely see his face (Very dramatic!) takes his time to respond, "There are things. There are things that we can do to verify this information. Divinations. And other techniques. She certainly seems to believe the story she is telling."
The third figure in the room cuts in, she's a bit of a mousy woman, flaxen-haired with thick glasses and four or five pens and pencils tucked up behind her elfin ears, (you almost didn't notice her slipping into the room halfway through your second retelling of your story, her arms full of various books and pieces of paper) who has been quiet until now. You believe, via context clues, that her name is 'Xenie', "Th-thi-this is a serious is-ssue. Potentially" she flips through papers on her lap, "The expense to deal with a full blown invasion would be immense. We must be made a-wa-aware if something is amiss."
Mireau raises a hand to rub his chin, looking at you through half lidded eyes, "Still, the cost of responding to a false report would also be great, in both treasure and political costs. Perhaps we could forward this report to the relevant Ministerial delegate for further investigation?"
The meeting never gets any more productive after that exchange, and later ends abruptly when Xenie reminds the other two that it is now time for a working dinner appointment with the deputy First Citizen. And then afterwards informing you that you should schedule an appointment for some time next week, as your concerns are being heard, and there is now no longer a need to yell at random strangers that the world is ending.
-
Reese looks at you over the meal the two of you are sharing in Equinox square, sitting on a bench, the sun finally starting to sink in the sky, "Hey, so, you remember the stories about the Seven Maidens?"
You raise your eyebrow at Reese, as you swallow down the last chunk of the fried bread that you'd bought from a food cart, doing your best to avoid getting your hands sticky from the honey the bread had been dipped in, "The racy ones or the family friendly ones that talk about how they saved the world from the Demon King using the power of friendship and artifacts given to them by the Spirits themselves?"
"The old ones. Some of the ones we were collecting back before we joined up with Locke." he doesn't wait for you, just pulls out the pad of paper he usually reserves for song writing. He frowns, "Well, this is a
terrible translation, by the way, Professor Tulgat loves my work but still refuses to translate things after last time." he flips to a different page, "
Saviours are Seven Maidens Fair, With Seven Relics Silver, They the Demon King Abhor, The Veil The Seven Repair, as they did now, and they shall do again, as they did before"
You raise an eyebrow, "So… What, I find seven maidens and seven relics, and together we'll kill the Demon King and seal the veil?"
"Yeah." he shrugs, "Maybe? It's a lead. I kinda hope it pans out because I do sort of have a date with Tulgat's assistant riding on this panning out. Can you believe that he: a handsome man of wisdom. Would bet against me?" he dramatically points at himself, "When romance is on the line?"
You look down and take the sheet of paper that Reese offers you, "Well, maybe I can bring this with me when I burst into the Delegate's office again tomorrow."
-
You do successfully burst into Delegate Mireau's office the next day, much to his carefully veiled frustration. (You did have to squeeze past several rather burly guards to do so.) But you manage to pre-empt his other appointments, and are even invited back after lunch, once you've been escorted out by several more burly guards of the capital regiment.
In the afternoon you do
not have to squeeze past several burly Congressional guards, and are instead escorted in by that very nice junior officer in the white and blue uniform of the Guards Regiment that protects the Equinox square and the important buildings surrounding it.
And while you wait to be let in to Mireau's office for the meeting you talk swordsmanship with said attractive junior officer, comparing your rapiers against her officer's saber. Sadly, your attempts to impress her with your Songbird footwork are stymied, first by the restrictive hallways of the Delegate's offices, and then by Xenie calling you into Mireau's office.
Your third meeting (and second meeting that doesn't involve you being quickly removed from the premises) begins with an update from Yarmak and Xenie where they explain that reports of demonic attacks really have risen slightly in recent days, and that the Veil of Worlds is noticeably weaker than it was before.
"We're still uncertain about the extent of these Demonic Raids, but with your information they very well could be the prelude to something larger." Mireau holds a sheet of paper in his hand that he refuses to let you see, "We had initially considered offering you a Captain's commission in the
Tirailleurs, but in light of…" the politician exchanges a look with the hooded cleric, (You wonder what he can even see under that hood) and nods.
"The relics that your cousin speaks of. Each of our neighbours has one within their borders. As do we. They continue to be powerful artifacts even centuries after their construction and enscourcelment." Patriarch Yarmak speaks, his deep voice rolling out from under his hood like a landslide, "We currently use the relic kept by the old Kings here, in Starwell, to help moderate our draw on the Starwell Leyline's power. And to keep the Veil of Worlds in its proper place."
Mireau leans forward and adopts a tone that makes you feel listened to, but also slightly condescended to, "Listen, Mistress Lavisia, you're not going to form alliances and build a coalition all on your own. That would be the job of the Vinyari diplomatic corps. One individual, no matter how talented, could not get all of Phaneron to move in one direction. Many have tried and failed. But-" Mireau sits back in his chair and smiles, "-But, the relics of the seven maidens are a different matter. Even if there is no prophecy, these are very powerful items to equip a group of adventurous sorts with."
You smile, "A company that could decapitate the Demonic Army"
Xenie speaks up, "Yes! We can send you with letters of introduction, but t-the-the others would never give their relics to a V-Vi-Vinyari organization. Not when such relics could be used against them. We could re-register you as the head of Locke's mercenary group. You'd be independent. But we would still provide you with funds as long as you work to destroy the Demon, uhm, Leader."
This is… Too easy.
The Vinyari government never moves this quickly, or this easily. Especially not to offer
funding to what basically amounts to a random woman off the street, "And you're willing to give me your relic?"
Yarmak shakes his head, "If you can convince the others to give you their relics we will give you ours. If you can't gather a team it would be pointless to part with such a valuable item."
You have trouble getting a reading on him. The hood pulled up so far that you can barely tell that he has a face contributes to that. But… yeah, your judgement tells you that he is telling you the truth here.
The cleric seems to sense your thoughts and continues in his deep voice, "In any event, I have consulted the Stars and the Spirits. Star and Spirit both say that we should support your endeavour."
You grin. "Well, if Reese and I are going to form a team to take down the Demon King, we could do worse than convincing our neighbours to lend us their most potent weapons. And perhaps we could even pick up six more prophesied companions along the way."
-
You are now the head of a fully bonded mercenary band. With two members. And a letter of introduction from the Vinyari diplomatic corps. And four hundred Vinyari electrum rods.
Actually you have something else. You narrowly managed to talk Mireau into having his office issue you a one-time pass to use the Vinyari diplomatic teleportation network. The cost to pay for a commercial teleport would basically bankrupt you, and the travel time on foot or horseback would mean time spent not working towards your goal of personally fucking up the Demon King real bad in the face and body area.
All together, it's not much, but it's a start. And you do have the promise of the Vinyari relic if you can pull this off.
All that remains is to decide on a destination and hope that your funds will keep you housed and fed during your stay.
[ ] Avala, The City of Gods, the seat of the Kingdom of Kings.
Considered... slightly odd by a Phaneron that mainly worships the Spirits of All Things and the Secular Saints, the Avalan Kingdom of Kings has long warned against the threat of Demonic corruption, even going to war against the Great Zaradian Empire and later the newly independent Zaradian Colonies several times to prevent the spread of "Demonic Taint". They might be the easiest to convince. Or the hardest -considering your heritage.
[ ] Jewelsberg, the capital of the Gorath Dominion
Once considered a jewel of Phaneron on par with the Vinyari Alliance, the Gorath Republic suffered from several demonic attacks and incursions which led to the adoption of increasingly harsh measures, many xenophobic and authoritarian in nature. Though the newly christened Gorath Dominion hasn't suffered from large scale demonic attacks yet, you hope that they'll be sympathetic to your requests.
[ ] Centerpoint, the capital of the Jien State
A people as harsh and unforgiving as the mountains and tundras that make up their territory, the Jien are often explained with the common saying, "An army with a state". The entire State is arranged in military fashion with political power being directly correlated with military rank. They're often known for being diplomatically standoffish, always looking to take offense and seeing threats on all their borders. Hopefully that tendency to be reactive to all possible threats causes them to take your warning and subsequent requests seriously.
[ ] Liberty, the capital of the Confederacy of Zaradian Colonies
The place that your parents came from is still a new country. Only two generations ago the Zaradian Colonies revolted against the old Empire and broke free to establish a state with liberal freedoms and even a representative government. They've since fought to maintain their independence from all comers. If anyone would be sensitive to a new demonic invasion it would be the descendants of the old invasion who like their current way of life, thank you very much.
[ ] Dragongrad, first amongst equals of the Valenti city-states
They say that anyone can strike it right in the Valenti city-states. But you can also lose everything you've ever thought to own in a single bad deal. The region is generally 'peaceful': even though each house, city, and dragon hires mercenaries and assassins to attack and sabotage every other house, city, and dragon, they generally leave everyone else alone. Reese informs you that the relic you seek is in the hands of a particularly powerful Dragonblood merchant family. If you could convince them of the threat posed by the invasion, convince one of their many enemies to help you 'acquire' it, or even somehow buy it off them…
[ ] Progress, First City of the Union of Cities
The Union of Cities is devoted to one thing and one thing only: the advancement of mortal science and arcana. Only the Vinyari Alliance rivals the Cities for technical sophistication. You understand that the Cities' relic is being held for study at the University of Progress (The center of learning came before
the urban center). While such a relic would be immeasurably valuable to their studies, there must be some way to convince them to give you the relic before it is too late…
Current Vote Options:
[ ] Progress, First City of the Union of Cities
[ ] Dragongrad, first amongst equals of the Valenti city-states
[ ] Liberty, the capital of the Confederacy of Zaradian Colonies
[ ] Centerpoint, the capital of the Jien State
[ ] Jewelsberg, the capital of the Gorath Dominion
[ ] Avala, The City of Gods, the seat of the Kingdom of Kings.
