| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
He paused tilting his head to the side. He was used to lighter armors but they were getting into heavier and heavier fights it seemed.He knew the magic in his leather armor was useful but was it that useful?
"That sounds fair.Do you see anything in here that suits your fancy Love?"
He asked the gorgeous barbarian woman he was with. He certainly understood all those weird paintings he had seen in different churches homes and manors now. Kelda sprawled out on a pile of furs, sword in hand and not much else... it was an appealing mental image. The young paladin started to blush.
The priestess looks over as you approach her again. "Yes? Was there something else?"
"Do you know of any theatre or playhouses here?" he simply asks.
The priestess thinks for a moment.
"Well, there's the Winter Wolf Theatre in the Fire Quarter. It usually has a few shows and sagas being performed each day."
----------------------
Kelda looks over the assembled weapons and picks up a battleaxe covered in sharp, angular runes. "This looks nice."
Tegrin nods in agreement. "That she is--got an enchantment on her that cuts through flesh and bone like they're made of parchment. For craftsmanship like that, it's 2,000 gold pieces--and worth every copper."
The barbarian looks over at you, looking rather uncertain.
"It indeed looks impressive, i've no doubt the quality."
He responded with a slight smile. He was doing mental math. Having the armor resized and getting Kelda that axe was feasible with what he had but it would cut into his emergency coin.
"Are you a buyer as well as a seller friend? If i get that armor resized for me, This leather im wearing is no longer needed. It too bears a pretty powerful enchantment on it. You resize the armor, she gets the axe, I give you this armor and 1500 in gold."
He offered the swarf.
Tegrin looks over Kavell's leathers and nods. "Aye, seems like a fair trade then."
Kelda gives you a grateful look.
"Thank you," Friday tells the priestss.
Zaiobe claps her hands and follows behind you as the two of you leave.
The Winter Wolf Theatre is easy enough to find after about ten minutes of walking in the winter breeze. The theatre itself looks like the hull of a massive wooden warship turned skyward, with carved figureheads of howling wolves on either side of it. Several patrons pass in and out of the carved oaken doors in the side of the ship-hall.
Inside, several patrons dressed in finer clothing and furs than the citizens outside are milling about, examining wooden sculptures of bare-chested, axe-wielding raiders in a few spots or clustering around the expensive-looking bar at the far western end of the entrance hall. Several doors are spaced widely along the northern wall behind a long desk.
Seated at the desk are a pair of blonde women in thick furs, writing something in their ledgers and occasionally serving a patron that comes to their desk.
Friday will approach the desk.
The two ladies look up at you and Zaiobe as you approach. "Welcome to the Winter Wolf Theatre. Which performance would you like to see today?" One asks, putting on her best customer service smile.
”What are the ones coming up?” Friday asks as he looks around for a schedule.
One of the receptionists hands you a sheaf of parchment.
On the parchment is a list of shows and the time they're scheduled to be performed...
The Harpy's Curse: A tale of tragic romance, of arrogance and regret, as a haughty mortal prince spurns the heart of the Harpy Queen Alishandra, given freely in love. Show Times: 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM. Ostog the Unslain: The saga of the warrior Ostog, who snatched his own life from the jaws of death countless times and did battle with the Chelaxian Navy. Show Times: 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. A Taste of The Lash: A saga of pain and freedom, chronicling the liberation of a thousand Rahadoumi slaves from the ships that ferried them to dark fates. Show Times: 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM.
”Thank you,” he says as he takes the leaflet. ”What would you like to see?”
Zaiobe looks over the schedule. <...Well, the Harpy's Curse sounds like something I'd like to see.>
Friday nods. ”Two for The Harpy’s Curse, please.” he tells the receptionists.
The receptionists hand over two tickets in exchange for 2 gold pieces.
Zaiobe gives you a shy smile. <I hope it's a good play...>
"Thank you," Friday tells the receptionist. "Me too, I've never seen one. It sounds sad though..." Friday tells Zaiobe, cautious yet curious about the upcoming performance.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
<It probably is. I'm just curious how they'll portray Alishandra...> Zaiobe nods in agreement.
----------------------
You and Zaiobe find good seats for the show, and the curtain rises...
The play is composed of three acts.
The fourth scene is where the Harpy Queen, Alishandra, is introduced. in it, Prince Cassarius wanders into a forest glade and sings a lament of his woes--how his bride-to-be's naïveté is insufferable, how he doesn't have the freedom to choose who he loves, and how miserable he is in general. Alishandra hears his song and alights on a nearby tree branch to join in, being smitten with his voice.
Unfortunately, Prince Cassarius panics when the song finishes and flees in terror from Alishandra, leaving the Harpy Queen perplexed. The fifth scene shows Alishandra following Prince Cassarius back to his castle to apologize for scaring him, but he draws a blade and wounds her before she can even get a word in. Hurt and enraged, Alishandra levels a curse on the prince, condemning him to eternal misery and humiliation at the hands of the princess he so resents. Act 1 ends with Princess Yanna entering his room and smiling sweetly at him before backhanding him to the floor while Alishandra watches.
The third and fourth scenes focus mainly on Alishandra. She confides in her handmaiden that she is beginning to harbor some regrets about cursing Prince Cassarius--not because it was unjustified, but because it turned an innocent young woman into such a despicable person. While she's conflicted about what she's done, she resolves to let Prince Cassarius seek her out--if he's genuinely repentant for attacking her, then she will lift the curse.
The fifth and final scene for Act 2 shows Prince Cassarius gearing up for his journey to seek out the Harpy Queen when Princess Yanna storms up to him to give him another hateful rant. He bluntly cuts her off and tells her that he's going to undo the curse placed on him and free them both. With that, he leaves the princess sputtering and fuming.
The first two scenes of Act 3 shows Prince Cassarius reaching Alishandra's domain in the mountains, braving all manner of dangers to see her. When he finally reaches the aerie where Alishandra makes her home, he's confronted by her handmaiden and brought before the queen.
The third scene begins with Alishandra castigating Cassarius, calling him out for attacking her when she was trying to apologize for frightening him. She rants about how if he hated living with Yanna so much, she would've been happy to give him the life and freedom he craved, but his lashing out at her cost him that chance. Cassarius, for his part, accepts her ranting without replying.
Then he apologizes. He tells her how much he regrets attacking her when she meant him no harm. He speaks of the suffering he has endured, how the innocent Yanna was changed from the good girl he knew to someone selfish and hateful. He pleads with her to lift the curse and return Yanna to her former self.
Alishandra is moved by his earnest plea, and begins the incantation to lift the curse--but she's interrupted by an arrow striking Cassarius in the back. Yanna steps out of the shadows, a bow in her hands and a fresh arrow nocked. The prince staggers forward, into the harpy queen's arms, trying to protect her, but he fails--Yanna fires a second arrow into Alishandra's chest.
They share one tragic kiss before dying in each other's arms. The curse breaks, and Yanna drops her bow in realization of what she has just done.
The curtain falls as Yanna weeps over the corpses of the prince and queen.
-----------------------
Zaiobe's face is a mix of emotions once the play is finished.
<...well.>
Friday tilts his head one way or the next as he watches, otherwise keeping silent in voice and mind so as not to disturb Zaiobe as he watched the actors.
"What did you think?" he asks as the curtain falls one last time. "Was this all made up or did Alishandra actually live? Or was she in a book as well?"
"I was too, it felt like a rather stupid story honestly. Cassarius had no interesting or redeeming qualities to him, and only tried to fix things when he couldn't bear the consequences anymore. I felt bad for both Yanna and Alishandra. It feels like whoever wrote this wrote just for the sake of writing rather than actually thinking about the characters or story." Friday tells Zaiobe.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Friday puts his hand on the back of the frustrated harpy's neck, gently rubbing as he does so. "If it makes someone think or act it is good, but if it just makes people sad for the sake of being sad then it's not a good story."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Zaiobe takes a breath and nods. <...yeah.>
<Come on, let's go.>
--------------------
The day passes without further disturbance. Life in Kalsgard goes on, with people hurrying about to and fro. The chill of the day gradually deepens as time goes on, with the sun sinking below the horizon bringing an icy wind to accompany the onset of night.
At night, as the stars twinkle above, something else appears in the sky. Ribbons of scintillating colours stretching as far as the eye can see illuminate the night, flowing from greens and golds to reds and blues.
--------------------
As night falls, you and Kelda return to claim your newly-refitted tatami-do. Kelda gives the night sky an appreciative glance as you try it on.
--------------------
As you complete your errands for the day, you find Ameiko standing outside, rugged up against the cold and admiring the twisting sky-colours.
--------------------
When night falls, Lia tugs on your sleeve with a twinkle of excitement in her eyes. "Isn't it beautiful? Come on, let's find a better view!"
--------------------
Zaiobe stares up at the night sky as the aurora begins. <...oh my...>
"It's very beautiful, is it magic?" Friday asks as he looks up into the sky.
"Me neither."
Friday smiles. "I'd like that."
He smiled as he noticed his love wistfully staring up at the sky. It was certainly beautiful. Had he been a painter he would have wanted to paint this that was for sure. He would have to ask Friday for tips.
"Kelda, love. The sky is so gorgeous tonight, you know the town, is there a place we could go to get a better view of it?"
He asked slightly bouncing on the balls of his feet getting a feel for the weight of the armor.
Kelda nods. "If you want view of the city, you go outside of town. If you just want to see the colours, we can just visit the docks."
The berserker leads you down to a deserted pier in the Ice Quarter, where the open water laps at the struts. With no other souls around on this pier, there's no one interfering with your enjoyment of the nighttime light show.
"You know of the legend behind these colours, yes?" She asks you with a smirk.
He chuckled softly and shook his head to the side.
"I do not unfortunately. I would love to hear it though."
He reached forward and lightly caressed a strand of hair from the side of her face.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Kelda chuckles. "Simple enough legend, really. When the world was first created, Shelyn and Desna were given the responsibility of creating a wondrous sky--and Sarenrae would have the task of lighting it."
"When they were done, Shelyn and Desna were so proud of their creation that they celebrated by f@&&ing like snow hares." The berserker grins and looks up at the night sky. "All those lights up there are said to have been born of the passion between the two goddesses."
He couldnt help it. He chuckled at the probable Blasphemy. At least he didnt recall any stories myths or legends about that.
"That is a lot of passion to create such a wonderous sight. If that is how the lights were made I am not surprised they dont speak more of it at least in the temples were i learned and trained."
He couldnt help but blush as he looked around the quiet dockside. He pulled the gorgeous warrior into a close embrace and nibbled at her neck.
"Kelda I feel a fool for asking but, can you see yourself by my side til the sun dies and time has no meaning?"
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Kelda goes quiet as you embrace her.
"...I..."
She nervously swallows. "...no one's ever asked me that question before."
He couldnt help but smile, though she might not see it.
"Well, I can and I just wanted you to know. We havent had any serious conversations about well us. Someday, gods above willing, I would love to raise children with you. I find myself thinking of you almost constantly I thought you should be aware."
He grinned and continued to idly caress her cheek as he held her close.
"F&*+ing like snow hares you say?"
Friday takes a moment to watch Zaiobe’s wings as she watches the Aurora before he steps up to join her. ”What do you think causes it?”
Zaiobe tilts her head. <It has to be some kind of magic. Maybe druidic?>
-------------------
Kelda blushes before giggling.
"...I believe that is what I said, yes."
"It's absolutely gorgeous!" Kasha says, gazing up into the sky. Smiling at the sparkle of excitement in Lia's eyes, she takes her hand, heading out for a secluded spot to watch the beauty of the aurora.
Lia leads you to a snow-covered hill outside of Kalsgard, giving you a view of the city below. The colours of the night sky entwine with each other and flit about in a brilliant display of natural beauty.
Your half-elven apprentice looks up at the lights with a happy smile.
"Y'know, it's on nights like these I'm reminded of a legend Mom told me." She looks over to you, her eyes starting to twinkle.
Finding a good spot for them to sit and throwing down a blanket and furs that she'd brought with them, Kasha sits, inviting Lia to join her. "Ooohh, I'd love to hear it!"
Marvelling at the light show above, Valeria almost didn't see Ameiko waiting outside.
"It's true what they say - reading a description of them in the books really doesn't do it justice. Hells; saw one guy try and recreate it with illusions once. Not full-scale, obviously, was a moving image about the size of a painting." As she spoke, she cuddled up to Ameiko to help warm her up against the night.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ameiko slides an arm around you. "How do you suppose they're created, anyway?"
-------------------
Lia takes a seat on the blanket next to you. "Well..."
"...back when the world was being created, Shelyn and Desna took up the task of creating the night sky. To that end, the two of them put every star in the sky into countless constellations and patterns."
"When they were done, Shelyn felt that while it was beautiful, the final result lacked that personal touch. She took Desna aside in the northern reaches of the world, where they first met, and proposed creating something that would honour their friendship. Desna agreed, and thus they wove the beautiful, twirling lights one can see in the northern night skies." Lia stares up at the aurora.
"I'm sure others could tell the story with more flair than I do..."
A soft breeze starts to pick up around the young woman.
Friday tilts his head as well. "Makes sense, it's pretty whatever it is, and hopefully not dangerous."
"I actually wondered about that myself for a while after finding out about them. Read about a few different theories - everything from it being a divine art project between Shelyn and Desna, to it being an interaction between natural energies produced by both the planet and the sun. Can't remember too much about any of the explanations, though; haven't read up on them since I was twelve. Did inspire a bit of an astronomy streak in me for a bit there, mind you. Although that, in turn, made me notice a bit of a paradox regarding immovable rods and the fact that Golarion itself isn't actually stationary and now I'm worried if I ever try and make one I'll make it universally immobile and the first activation'll level a building or three."
"It's a beautiful story, and one that's fitting.....as beautiful as it is, a celebration of beauty and night makes perfect sense." Kasha says in wonder. "Turning to look at Lia, she notices the soft breeze beginning to pick up around her, and watches with anticipation.
Zaiobe puts a wing around you and leans on your shoulder.
--------------------
Ameiko snickers. "Well, if you do make one, maybe you should save it for when something really nasty comes along."
"I kinda like the 'divine art project' explanation, myself. It sounds a lot more poetic and beautiful. 'Natural energies interacting' sounds a bit like some crazed druids getting up to no good."
--------------------
Lia absentmindedly nods in agreement. "Yeah..."
She stops. The aurora above her twists again... and it seems to reach down towards her. The half-elf stands up. "...Kasha, do you hear that?"
"Maybe, but one analogy I read was that it was kinda like when the wind is blowing strong enough that it starts making the surface of a lake ripple. We're normally just too far south to see it."
Valeria pushed up closer to Ameiko, her tail curling around the bardess' waist. "You know; some of these buildings are in the way and I think the inn has a pretty flat roof. Care for a clearer view?"
With a few arcane words, Valeria altered gravity's hold on them and drifted them up into the air towards the inn's roof.
Ameiko clings to you as the two of you levitate towards the Hunting Serpent Inn's roof.
When the two of you reach the roof, she finds a clear spot and lies down to watch the light show. "Much better."