"Kaer Maga is a city like no other! She is a mother and a dreamer, and she is as old as anything in Varisia. Not even the elves remember a time without her."
Roakkad steps back and throws his arms up toward the sky. "Imagine the great cliff, the Storval Rise, and 3,000 feet up at its peak rest city walls eight stories tall! Beyond, a fortress-city frozen in perpetual twilight! Eleven districts ensconced in hollow stone rings, themselves honeycombed with cavernous spaces holding entire wards, neighborhoods, and hovels. The roaming undead of Ankar-Te, the fabled ledge-manors of Bis, the revolutionaries of The Bottoms, the smithies of Cavalcade, the towers of Highside Stacks, the theaters of Oriat, the mystical artifacts of Tarheel Promenade, and, my home, The Warren, where true heart dwells. And in the center, the Downmarket, Hospice, and enigmatic Widdershins. And rising above all, of course, Great Sky Spire and her sky druids."
"One day, when our work here is done, I will show you all this, and more!"
"I would show you around Magnimar in return, but from the way you describe it, that would be a poor trade for you," Tera says as she finally catches her breath.
When the three of them turn to leave, hopefully before being noticed, Tera pulls Zache behind Roakkad, waiting for the Shoanti wizard to gain a few steps before she hugs the Varisian and whispers into his ear.
"Thank you, Zache. I don't think I'm done with this, but you've helped me take a step in the right direction."
Kaede grins at Sal's comment as they leave the Desnans. "All the time. The temple that I grew up at was much larger then the Cathedral here, so there was more that needed to be done. So, there are times here that I'm at a lost of what to do." After a moment, she loses her look of amusement. "Though, the trip here from Sakakabe was far, far worse. Three months of nothing but cold and boredom....That was awful."
She'll shake her head in an effort to get thoughts about that trip out of her head. "Is there anything that you want to that you haven't had a chance to do recently?"
Zache scratches the back of his neck sheepishly when he realizes he's been panicking over nothing. "Well, uh, can't be too careful," he laughs, his dusky skin flushing faintly. With everything that's been happening around here, he adds silently, hoping the subtext is clear.
When Roakkad begins talking about Kaer Maga, he grins broadly, elbowing the larger man in the ribs. "Careful, there! I thought I was the storyteller around here!" he teases.After a moment, his face grows wistful. "It sounds wonderful, though. All I have to offer in return are the rolling plains, the views of the ocean from every point of the coastline, and the view of the endless stars above." He gestures grandly to the sky as he says this - or tries to, before his arm gets tangled in a stray scarf.
Still trying to disentangle himself after several seconds, he doesn't notice Tera approaching him until her arms slip around his middle and her words into his ear. He freezes momentarily, surprised by the sudden display of affection, before grinning, wrapping one arm around her shoulders, and playfully tousling her hair. "That's good to hear," he beams. "It'll take a while to get everything sorted out upstairs, but you'll get it eventually."
I would show you around Magnimar in return, but from the way you describe it, that would be a poor trade for you.
"This agreement is good," Roakkad says simply, declining to comment on the obvious truth that no city is as good as Kaer Maga.
It sounds wonderful, though. All I have to offer in return are the rolling plains, the views of the ocean from every point of the coastline, and the view of the endless stars above
"Those are the most important things in the world. The Shoanti say that we should take no action that cannot be seen under the light of the sun, the moon, or the stars. We should live life under their gaze. This is a good thing."
Without needing to be anywhere for the next two hours, Kaelaah decides to walk the perimeter of Sandpoint – a frugal man, as many of the inhabitants of the Cathedral were, he has little need for any supplies being proffered by the various traders and, with no real friends – other than those of the ‘marked’ to whom he feels closest, he has no desire to meet with anyone. The walk is simply for the pleasure of it, an opportunity for fresh air and to feel the sun upon his skin…
…and, if I bump into any of my ‘brothers’ or ‘sisters’, well that would not be a bad thing…
"Hey! Stop that," Tera laughs as she bats Zache's hand away. Her chuckles continue for a moment as she tries to fix her hair. "Still, thank you for listening. It's good to know that I can speak with someone about this without having to worry about what they'll say."
As Roakkad leads Tara and Zache around the outskirts of the bonfire, he notes the enormous boar carcass. He realizes he has no appetite. Besides, today has seen enough excitement. As they turn to head northeast up Festival Street, Roakkad notes the sizeable crowd that is forming in the busy road. "Let's avoid the crowd," he offers, cutting through a back alley to bisect Gaffer's Walk instead. As they roam along the backside of Turandarok Academy, he spots a familiar head of hair walking in typical, solitary fashion.
"Kaelaah!" he calls. "What are you doing back here all alone?"
"Kaelaah!"
Roakkad's voice rings out from down the street, snapping you out of you reverie.
Hearing the familiar voice, Kaelaah is wrenched from his reverie and consideration of the sun’s rays upon the waters of the harbour below… a broad smile washes across the Shoanti’s face, ”Brother Roakkad…”, and nodding towards Zache and Tera, ”Brother Zache, Sister Tera… I had no business to attend to at the Cathedral so I thought to take a walk. It has been a most enjoyable hour – the sun is warm and…”, in an unusual display of light-heartedness, ”the goblins have decided not to come shopping today”.
Kaelaah points down to the harbour, ”See how beautiful the light of the sun is when it catches rippling water… it is well to savour the beautiful when one has been confronted with things that are less...”, Kaelaah’s words hang in the air; maybe he is talking about the goblin raid, maybe the undead within the crypt or, quite possibly, he is referring to Lord Foxglove.
Tera takes a deep breath and let's it out slowly.
"Well," she says, trying to change the subject, "I don't know about you three, but I'm starting to get hungry. Who's up for finding something to eat?"
"Well,"Kaede responses with a smile on her face," when I have free time, I like to visit the Rusty Dragon, if anything so that I can hear my home tongue being spoken. Amieko is a wonderful artist, both with a frying pan and with her shamisen. I also like to visit the Glassworks from time to time. The glassblowers there are quite talented, when they're allowed to experiment a little bit. I'd love to watch them work."
"Alot of the time, though, I tend to just find a quiet corner somewhere in town and just watch and listen. There's a certain beauty in the day-to-day that's just a joy to watch."
Kaede nods, and heads toward the cathedral's doors. "We all have a right to be happy, and exploring what that means to each of us is a key part of life."
As the pair exits the cathedral, she'll pause, "So, where do we start looking for the others? They could be anywhere in town."
Zache opens his mouth to respond, before his stomach does the talking for him. Coughing nervously and scratching the back of his head, he instead grins sheepishly. "Something to eat sounds good, actually," he admits. "Guess I kind of forgot about it."
”See how beautiful the light of the sun is when it catches rippling water… it is well to savour the beautiful when one has been confronted with things that are less...”
"Innocent." Roakkad completes Kaelaah's sentence with his own interpretation of the day's events. "But you are correct, the sun shows us that there is always hope for a better day, and reminds us of our blessings."
"Would you like to return to the bonfire? We may find Salomae and Kaede there as well."
”Hmmmm… innocent? Yes, I believe that is the word Brother Roakkad”, Kaelaah watches the sun on the rippling water for a few more moments – somewhat lost in contemplation… until Roakkad suggests taking a look at the bonfire, ”That, Brother, is a fine suggestion… I had seen the plume of smoke but have not ventured there yet. There must surely be something pleasing to eat there”, Kaelaah smiles at Tera and Zache.
…and what, I wonder, does Sister Tera make of our ‘friend’ Lord Foxglove?
…as the group make their way back towards the bonfire, Kaelaah attempts to blend into the crowd as much as possible – clearly not wishing to stand out, the presence of the Shoanti – tall and flame-haired – is rather striking… although, next to his ‘marked’ friends, he is not the only person of notable stature or characteristics…
"Well, We can look into the White Deer up here before heading south to the Rusty Dragon and the Hagfish...." Kaede will pause for a moment before continuing, "Say, Have you ever been in the Hagfish? I don't think I have: It's too close to the Dragon, so that inn tends to catch my attention." she heads up toward the White Deer, so she can quickly scans for the other 'marked'
Tera sticks with the others, growing very quiet as they head back to the square.
So much for getting something to eat...
Kaede makes an incredibly disgusted face. "That's the most foul thing I've heard of since coming to Sandpoint. I think I'm glad to have never witnessed this." She pauses the conversation for a moment as she ducks into the White Deer very briefly to check for the others, then returns to Sal, "Not here, to the Market square then."
In contrast to Roakkad and Kaelaah's enormous and imposing frames, Zache barely stands at their shoulder-height, much to his own consternation - used to the attention and energy of his own people, being stifled and looked-over in a crowd in the presence of larger people draws a scowl to his face. Sighing and running his hands through his thick hair, he instead turns to Tera, walking backwards as he speaks, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to check where he's going.
"It isn't that bad, is it?" he asks, rummaging in his belt pouch for a few grubby coins. "I mean, we've been through a lot the last couple of days... true, some of us have had it worse than others," he adds with a wince, rubbing at his neck, "But things are starting to settle. And this is a great new thing that's happened! Plus, it does smell goo-" His words are cut off as he trips over a wagon-shaft and tumbles over in a tangle of scarves and limbs.
He picks himself up, refusing any assistance, though he faces forward as the group continues, and his left leg dips in a limp.
"Let's just get there quickly, huh?" he mumbles, blushing.
Tera, seeing Zache's limp, wraps his left arm around her shoulders while she wraps her right around his.
"No, it's just," she begins quietly, growing even quieter as she continues, "I don't have any way to pay for anything at the moment."
Kaede and Sal's hearts skip a beat as they draw close to the market square- the sounds of hustle and bustle suddenly become more ominous as they catch a glimpse of a column of smoke and sparks rising above one of the smaller buildings. As they turn the corner, their fears vanish- the fire is intentional and contained, a huge stack of thick hewn branches. Several mill workers and one of the watch are supervising the fire while another crew finishes digging a large pit right in the middle of the square.
Across the square they spot Roakkad and Kaelaah, and a moment later Zache and Tera with them. The four marked who are already in the square are surprised to learn that with all the ruckus there is nothing for sale there.
The fire is a thing of beauty, the rising flames, the crackling and spitting of wet twigs caught in the gathering inferno, the heat radiating from the blaze... Kaelaah nods in appreciation towards the mill workers who have constructed it, and then catches himself...
...don't forget Kaelaah, you will never be one of them... to some, you will always be the cause of Sandpoint's great fire...
...his cheeks flushed, Kaelaah turns to his brothers and his sisters, "I had thought that maybe there would be food here... it seems that is not the case. Hmmmm, you know the town better than I could ever profess to... is there somewhere you would recommend?"
"Hagfish. Hmmm. I have heard of these before. Slimy things. Thick water, like soup. I have never eaten one before. They seem foul."
Roakkad considers a moment. He's never actually been inside the seedy tavern. That's a shame, really, for he enjoys a mixed crowd.
"This 'Hagfish' sounds like an interesting time. Let us go!"
__________
Tera follows along, tugging on Sal's sleeve to get her attention.
"Hey, Sal, do you remember how late the kitchens at the Cathedral stay open?"
"I personally prefer the Rusty Dragon,Kaede speaks up. "As I just mentioned to Salomae, it reminds me of home, both with the smells and the sounds. Though, there is dinner at the cathedral in a couple hours too." She looks slightly apprehensively at the Hagfish, not particularly wanting to see slime swallowing attempts.
Zache brushes off Tera's arm after a few moments, forcing a smile as he puts weight on his sore leg again. "I haven't been to the Hagfish in some time," he chuckles. "It'll be something different!" Nudging Tera, he mutters, "And surely we can help you out, between the five of us, mmm?"
None of what he has heard about the Hagfish, which isn't much given his solitary nature, gives Kaelaah much cause for excitement as he follows his fellow 'marked' towards the promised 'seafood' meal...
...and I'm not so sure everyone else is terribly excited about this either...
...in a strange way, it's not the thought of the fish or even the slime swallowing that is putting the Shoanti off - it's the unsettling feeling that many of the fish dragged from the depths have never lived beneath the sun's rays... and somehow, that feels alien to Kaelaah...
Roakkad leads them fearlessly through the doorway, pausing to take in the scene. What looks to be a crowd of thugs--cutthroats, scalawags, and ne'er-do-wells, fill the space. Many of them are transient fishermen, sailors, and even pirates en route between Riddleport, Korvosa, and even more exotic ports of call.
He smiles. This feels like home.
"Greetings!" he calls cheerfully, "Our friend here seeks a hot meal!"
Kaelaah ducks slightly as he makes his way through the door, a habit ingrained and reinforced by the less generously sized door in the cathedral, and looks around the place...
...is this a good idea? Maybe some fruit whilst watching thendescent of the sun would have been the better thing... ah well, I'm here now... with my 'friends'...
...if Roakkad feels like this is home, Kaelaah has never felt farther from it...
Tera follows behind the Shoanti, tiny in comparison to the two taller and broader men. She's not at all comfortable with what's going on, though not for the same reasons as Kaelaah. Even if she'd never been taught in the ways of Abadar, she was from a well-to-do merchant family, and accepting charity from others was seen as tantamount to murder in the eyes of some of her family. Either she'd have to figure out a way to weasel herself away and head to the cathedral, or she was going to have to find a way to politely refuse the charity of the other marked when it had been her idea to find something to eat.
It didn't help that the food smelled delicious.
One of Sandpoint's most popular taverns, especially among fishermen and gamblers, the Hagfish is also Sandpoint's best bet for a good old-fashioned seafood meal. Owned by a gregarious one-legged man named Jargie Iluinn, the Hagfish gets its name from the large glass aquarium that sits behind the bar, the home of a repellent Varisian hagfish that Jargie affectionately calls Norah. Hanging from a nail next to Norah's tank is a leather pouch bulging with coins: prize money for anyone who can drink down a single tankard of "water" scooped from Norah's tank. But there's certainly more to this tavern than Norah. Jargie's game tables are always well attended, with games ranging from cards to checkers to dice to darts.
As the marked file through the door they garner quite a bit of notice... A serving girl motions them towards a table by a window that looks out over the harbor. A couple of unfamiliar sailors study them as they walk. And one buxom redhead they recognize as a local stares at them, particularly at Zache, and smiles coyly when his eyes meet hers. As they sit the server says, "Today we got whole grilled grouper, fried catfish bits, mudcrabs boiled with corn, or chowder. For drinks we got any kinda rum you want, cheap white wine or expensive white wine, or I think we got a couple coconuts left if ya want th'milk. What'll be?"
Zache has to be practically dragged away from Norah's tank, which he stands near in mute fascination, watching the lazy movements of the tavern's namesake. Arranging himself in a chair, grinning at the readhead as he catches her eye, he goes through the usual motions of arranging his clothes and scarves comfortably, considering the menu as he drums his fingers on the table. "I'm game to try the catfish bits, and maybe the rum," he decides, mentally talking himself out of trying the tankard challenge.
Roakkad claps his hands gladly as Zache places his request. "Just coconut milk for myself," he says, findind the idea of cooked animal suddenly unappetizing. He searches for the reassurance of his coin purse, tied tightly to to his belt. "And for my friends?" He gestures toward the others with an expectant expression.
"Zache, have you ever tasted Hagfish water?"
"I think that's it for coconuts," the girl informs the marked after Roakkad and Sal order, "I can double check if anyone else wants 'em. An' we got about a dozen rums, butterfly, which kind you want?"
Kaelaah's heart sinks as the last two coconut milks are sold...
...rum it is then...
The Shoanti is almost comically too tall for the table, sits with one of his legs langurously positioned off to one side so so that he doesn't scrape scrape his knees. He waits to see what Zache orders by way of rum before signalling that he'll try the same...