"Let's talk in the outer sanctum then." Kala shrugs and follows her allies out.
While many of you hasten to leave, one can't help her curiosity by asking questions first.
"Those who do not respect the might of the Selesnya, will be crushed by her children!"
You all watch as the men and women begin to rush you, mana glowing from their eyes.
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Kick-lick notes the ropes tying everyone's clothes together. A gleam comes into his eye, one of fire and mischief and socks. Anyone on Zendikar would know to tread carefully, watch valuables, and possibly jump into the ocean.
However, this is not Zendikar, and these Selesnya's children have never met a proper goblin before.
Kick-lick leaps into action, and before it even seems he moved, people are feeling tugging at their belts. Kick-lick follows a spectacular line of reasoning for this; Humans like pants, and get all screamy when they have no pants. I will take their pants.
Kick-Lick's flare of brilliance dies out quickly as he unfortunately meets what sailors generally reference as the "double-knot."
A few more seconds of pulling before Kick-Lick realizes he's surrounded and starts screaming on his own as he dives past a few enemies legs and runs away, his followers hot on his heels.
Phaerlin will rely on the aura of the predator that his race gives him to make those chasing them hesitant to follow, allowing the group pull ahead.
Phaerlin bares his primal aura, hoping for his unique nature will give others pause for thought. However, it seems more and more men and women are powering out of the grove, pursuing you all.
Tes draws down on the power of her Divine Patrons and a flare of white mana explodes from her current position.
Tes will then wait for those pursuing her to converge and squat down to leap over them as if leaping for a rock to high to grab without some risk!
Acrobatics .
As Kala follows her allies towards the exit, she finds herself vexed by cultists. Who are these people to claim the land is theirs? Land is free, and I shape it!. A pulse of green mana extends from her towards some of their flankers, vines rising from the grass to grasp at them.
Entangle
The merfolk tries to place it just right to throw off the hivemind coordination their pursuers are exhibiting.
Acrobatics
Kala summons vines to grapple her pursuers, her mana flow freely. But she notices that some of the pursuers are able to shape the natural green magics as well, almost better. As if they had some sort of domain over this land.
Tes, faltering at first, puts out a significant boost of speed as if flying from a crevice wall back at her homelands in Zendikar. You hear gasps as Some truly marvel at the somewhat beautiful sight of physical prowess the Kor are known for.
Seeing the encroaching danger, Vitrius takes a calming breath and forms a landscape of the area in his mind and tried to determine their chase plan.
Vitrius calmly takes in the landscape around him, using his superior wisdom to create a plan of escape. A few short words to his companions, and everyone moves together to help aid their escape.
And then something happens.
In his haste to escape, Kick-Lick recalls that wondrous feeling from his dream. Before he realizes what's going on, a tingle in his back forms and thin scaled wings protrude from his back.
Kala En contemplates pushing even harder into her nature spell, but has to duck aside rather than butt horns again. A battle of wills against the collected will of so many...A waste of time. For now.
Instead, she slows her pace while her allies look for outs, and turns to face the horde, projecting a confidence she did not expect to feel. Maybe Phaerlin had the right idea. I may be otherworldly to these humans.
Her light blue skin saturates, turning more and more blue. Suddenly, the grass surrounding 20ft of her becomes blue as well, as if part of the ocean floor, and waves as if swept by an unseen current.
Faerie Fire
She looks at them, not with anger, but with the understanding of an older being. Bemusement fades from her face (a nervous smile at the trick she's about to try). If it does not stop them all, perhaps it will break the magic on some of them, humbling their will.
"Enough!" Her voice booms at first, to capture their attention. Then more softly.
"Enough. I am a spirit visiting from another sacred grove, the Spirit of the Cerulean Beast! And as you well know, spilling blood here is unforgivable!"
Vitrius takes note of Kick-lick's new ability and promises himself that he will question the goblin later on that. Right now they were still trying to escape. He focuses his thoughts on that and continues to give directions where he can.
Kick-lick laughs, and his wings start flapping as he jumps from tree to tree, using a mix of his newfound flight and his natural acrobatics to try and escape. "I AM DRAGON!" he yells out, laughing, "GRAHH!"
Tes attempts to see the battlefield through Vitrius' eyes, her enhanced Agility will not be useful if she does not think before she acts!
Insight
Phaerlin stands beside Kala and bellows "Enough! yield to the spirit you see before you or on my honor as a knight I shall see you laid low!"
Kala's pronouncement is strange and unnatural to your pursuers and they halt in unison, not out of respect, but caution. They won't step into the blue area lightly,
Vitrius realizes that the grove's trees have a pattern to them, and that they seem to be denser towards the center of the grove. Thus, he quickly points out the direction he believes the nearest exit would be so they would not be running deeper into the grove.
Kick-Lick jumps into the air and, while shaky on his new wings, is able to gain lift and scrambles through the air and lands onto a nearby tree.
Tes is about to dark in the wrong direction when she looks into Vitrius's eyes. IN a instant, though almost out of earshot with the horde of enemies pursuing them, she is able to fathom what he is currently thinking. She corrects her course of fleeing and finds herself with the other's soon.
Phaerlin does his best to add his natural intimidating aura to Kala's display. However, rather than convey fear the conclave notices that Phaerlin is not dyed in the blue glow and remains safe in Kala's area of influence. One member finally braves a step forward and, finding no negative effects, they all begin to advance as well.
They are almost upon you but with Vitrius's wisdom, you all manage to find the exit and stumble from the grassy grove into a busy street, all kinds of beings moving around and past you. Within moments, you all are swept along with the crowd and out of sight from your pursuers.
You find a side alley to take a breather in, though there does seem to be a human at the far end relieving his bladder against the wall.
"Hey! Stoopid piss-person! Where we!?" Kick-lick yells over at the man in the alley.
The man turns, not bothering to cover himself or turn off the waterworks. He sways a bit as he squints in your direction.
Clearly he is inebriated.
"What ya talkin about?" he asks in a slur as he braces himself against the wall.
"Who you callin stupid. Stupid imp."
He wraps up and walks out of the alley.
Vitrius smirked at the response his goblin friend got. "Kick-lick? Can you manifest those at will? Maybe you could fly up and see where we are. "
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"Ooh! Sure!" Kick-lick says, spreading his wings and flying to the top of the building. As he flies, he glares at the drunk who called him stupid.
You reach the top of the buildings that make up the alley. Its a pretty decent height, but as you still have your wings active you eventually get up there.
What you see is nothing but streets, buildings, and people as far as the eye can see. Doesn't seem to be an end to them.
The goblin stares in amazement. He is so surprised, that he stumbles back and falls off the roof, plummeting to the ground. Luckily, his wings flare out, and he lands fine.
"Big city!" he says breathlessly, "Very big, many building everywhere. Where to?"
"My Goddess where to indeed! Perhaps we should find a Temple or a Library. Then we can find out where we are and then how to get home!"
Vitrius nods to Tes. "That is a great idea. A library will give us a lot of information. " He steps out of the alley and into the crowd, stopping a passerby. "Your nearest library please."
As Vitrius stops the passerby, the man he is attempting to stop tries to move past him. Determined, Vitrius grabs onto his bare shoulder.
And then something happen...
Vitrius sees a scene he is not familiar with, but becomes as familiar as his own memory. A child rushing into your owns, screaming "Daddy's home." You're beautiful wife smiling, as she watches you scoop up your boy in your arms. A sense of tiredness being alleviated as you relieve your burdens from your workday and prepare yourself to be a father for your child. You love him, everything about this little one from his toothy grin to his dimpled cheeks. But what you love most of all is-
You're back in the present, the man shrugging your hand off his shoulder, as he hurries back down the road.
Vitrius stands back from the man, barely watching him anymore as he struggles to recollect his thoughts. His own thoughts.
"These people don't seem to be very open to strangers. We should tread carefully.", Vitrius finally manages.
"We should find a guide, as we have no idea on the social customs of this metropolis."
"That's a good idea Phaerlin. It's a big city, I'm sure someone will be willing to help us out."
Kala En marvels at the buildings that are built taller than some trees. Surely such feats of architecture would not be possible with the roil, unless a group of powerful mages worked to quell it. Is that what might be happening here? As she muses, she's looking up rather than ahead, and bumps into someone.
"Oof!"
She helps them pick up whatever they were carrying, shares a bawdy joke, and confesses to being new in town.
"Sorry to keep troubling you, but could you help us find our way to a library?"
The woman laughs nervously, clearly offput from the bawdy joke you tell, but seems helpful nonetheless.
"A library, yes? Well...the nearest one from here would probably be an Azorious controlled facility. It was built to be a place where the populace could come and learn the tenants of the law. Though, the building is usually empty other than its attendants as the books within it are very dry to read."
Tes steps out and smiles at the passerby, "Great! And uh which was is this uh Azorious facility? Do we need an invitation to get in?"
"No, no need for an invitation."
She does point you in the right direction. And tells you it'll be a twenty minute walk or so.
Phaerlin will give her his best knightly bow before the group heads off.
Vitrius can barely contain his excitement for going to visit a library. All the knowledge! What do they mean the law? Draconian structured society? Perhaps. Am I thinking out loud? Library!
"Well done Kala and Tes, at least now we can see what this place is about and what sort of trouble we have landed ourselves in." He pauses, thinking. "That and figure out what a Gruul is."
"I think my joke must've lost something in translation..." Kala shrugs, and gives the woman a wave as the group heads off.
It doesn't take you all long to reach the building the woman describes, and how could you miss it? The building is constructed out of a marble-like substance and blue banners hang at the entrance and inside as well.
As you enter, you find that is a pleasant enough environment. Though, she was not joking when there are barely any people around. As the doors close behind you the sound of the crowd lessens a great deal to nothing more than a light murmur. A few moments later, a young man approaches you. His skin is blue and he is hairless, an air of professionalism emanates from him.
"Welcome to the Azorious Library." he says dryly. "I am Derant. What knowledge do you seek?"
All the knowledge! Patience.. Vitrius reaches out to shake the man's hand and introduces himself. "Vitrius Girsen, scholar. These are my companions, Kick-lick, Tes, Kala and Phaerlin. We come seeking knowledge of this realm and its paradigm."
"Yes, we seek to know the local custom, so that we do not offend whatever lords or ladies rule here."
Derant looks concerned.
"Knowledge of this realm? Are you referring to this section of city?"
It occurs to you that perhaps "normal" people have no idea there exists worlds beyond their own. Nevertheless, the man continues.
"Ah, of course. You must be from the rehabilitation program. I sympathize with your circumstance, though you should count yourselves lucky. Not many would escape or be rescued after their minds have been tampered with by the Dimir. Please, follow me."
Derant leads you to a back room and hands you each a thin book. Inside lists the basics of each guild and what they represent as well as a decent map of surrounding area.
He bows to you all slightly, as he leaves you to your reading. Upon asking, you discover that while this building is also indeed a library, most of its books are law books, more accurately laws that the Azorious implement and enforce. Other guilds may not care.
Tes looks around the room after the Librarian leaves, "By the Goddess, this place is amazing.
So many factions. It is hard to know where to start. [b]"I guess the Izzet may be the ones who would best be able to aid us in getting home. Though perhaps we should wait until we glean more knowledge from this place..."
Tes trails off as she looks for Tomes that perhaps have knowledge of the Eldrazi.
But Tes is lost among the shelves...
"Miss?"
One of the librarians, laden in blue and white robes gives you a curt look. though its meant to be authoritative, the fact that he has to look up to you just takes out all the authority he was trying to convey.
"May I remind you to reshelve the books if you're done with them?".
Tes, you realize in your fascination, that you've just started piling books on top of each other in piles for you to read, ask questions about, and things that don't interest you. Each stack is almost as tall as you.
Tes smiles, "Don't worry, I am still reading them all... Lots to learn you know!?"
Having heard a specific name mentioned, Phaerlin will spend his time looking for books on the Dimir and the Rehabilitation Program.
Kala En just skims through the introductory book she was handed, learning the guild names and their basic premises. She did not like school in Zendikar, but at least as a merfolk she was spared the drudgery of books.
"The Izzet might blow us up. I'm not ready to accept those odds..."
Vitrius is astounded at all the knowledge surrounding him. He takes the introductory book and scours through it. Once he is done, he looks up all he can on the Gruul and why they are hated here.
Vitrius reads up as much as he can find on the Gruul. There isn't much in the way of direct information, and Vitrius has to use relative logic to deduce some information. Some, but not a lot is learned.
From what you glean, the Gruul are a bit of chaotic group, playing by their own rules whether it disturbs others or not. They represent the wild aspect of Ravnica, a very unnatural civilized place.You feel there is a bit more info that isn't being said here, and there's the fact that the Azorious wrote these guides.
Regardless, you feel lacking in information, a very unpleasant feeling.
These Azorius seemed rather secular to Vitrius. If they are the ones that wrote these laws and whatnot, then their information was biased. Something was missing and he could only find it out by seeking the information first hand. He made notes to himself and then proceeded to check on the others.
"Find anything of import?"
As time passes, some of you reading, others of you trying to read (the Azorious do make use of hefty vocabulary when they can), it occurs to you that between changing worlds, running for your lives, and doing the equivalent of reading inventory sheets for an hour, you call could use some rest. It is the evening, though not necessarily dark yet.
Kala En yawns.
"I feel like we've been in the library for hours, we should find somewhere to stay. It looks like there's no end to this city, every bit of land is owned by one person or another, so we'll have to find an inn rather than set up camp." She tries to gaze over the stacks Tes has barricaded herself within, but fails.
"I don't think these finless merfolk would be keen on us staying the night here."