| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
”Sure thing!” It’s a relief that somebody in their group has an idea of where to go to ground in this district. Celi spends most of her time in Villegre. She looks around at the streets and landmarks they pass, trying to add them to her mental map of Kintargo.
As it happens, they end up at one of the few Old Kintargo businesses she’s been to before. While Celi buys most of her books at her friend Ayrlin’s store, she’s been to Crissali’s Fine Tomes a time or two before. I think she might actually carry my books here! The gnome smiles and waves at Ms. Crissali as they enter, but she lets Rexus talk to the other wizard uninterrupted.
Besides, there’s a very interesting conversation to eavesdrop on accidentally overhear! Really, Ginetta ought to get a little farther away if she wants privacy. Celi tries her best to look like she’s more interested in the books than what Ginetta and Ghorza are saying.
The women browsing the shelves see a variety of titles of varying levels of interest. Standouts include Vellus Barrin's Extraplanar Explorations, Thelvia's Stylings: An Illustrated Guide to the Haberdashery of Westcrown in the 46th Century, Annotated Directory to the Nine Circles of Hell, and The Horror of Castle Xyr along with carefully secured scroll boxes labeled with various spells. It is all quite organized, of course, but the diversity of what's on sale is quite impressive.
"... and don't disturb any other customers, understand?" Cressali finishes, her voice pitched deliberately to reach the other four women.
"Of course." Rexus replies urbanely. With that, the young nobleman returns, and beckons them to follow him towards the back of the shop. They pass through a door and into a small workroom, large enough for all of them to sit together around a table, if not terribly comfortably.
"I used to come here to study during my time at the Alabaster Academy." Rexus says, a note of nostalgic wistfulness in his voice. Shaking his head, he looks to his four 'guests.' "Now, so long as we're quiet, I think we can spend some time here lying low.
"First, I think, thanks are in order. Once more, I must thank you sincerely for your rescue - I dread to think what might've happened had you not been passing by or, moreover, had decided to let them do away with me. My magic could only handle some of them." Rexus smiles.
"To be completely honest, our meeting was no coincidence. I followed you all from the protest earlier, but in the confusion I rather lost you." He shakes his head self-deprecatingly. "Which is, I admit, not the best start for my request of you. You four have proven yourselves women of exceptional talent, and I find myself in exceptional need.
"Before I continue, however, I must formally introduce myself - my gratitude overrode my manners, I fear. I am, as Adolina mentioned, Rexus Victocora, and until last week's Night of Ashes, I was a noble of this fair city - as she is." He nods appreciatively at her, but his expression is dark. Still, he waits for each of the women to introduce themselves more completely before continuing.
It takes a surprising amount of willpower to avoid simply blurting out, 'Where is Vivia?', but Ginetta manages restrain herself to a simple, "Ginetta Cicerdos of the Kintargo Moonlight Players. Glad we could help."
'Patience,' she repeats to herself as she waits for the others to move through their introductions.
|
"Adolina Jhaltera." Adolina says, offering a nod to the rest of the company. "Rexus and I went to school together for a little while."
She doesn't bother explaining the significance of her family name, everyone knows it in Kintargo. So she'd be wasting air and looking like a horrible braggard at the same time. Much easier to not say anything else at all.
”Ghorza…Thurisdottir.” She said, with some hesitation. It felt like sharing her surname was in some way getting her family, such as they were, involved. But there was no way around it, especially when she was in trusted company. ”Former owner of 'Mountain's Edge’ smithy.” She added.
Oh my gods, she's carrying one of my books! Celi bounces a little in delight, but manages to keep herself quiet. Even now, after she's had several books published and selling well enough to support her, it's a thrill to see them on bookstore shelves.
"To be completely honest, our meeting was no coincidence. I followed you all from the protest earlier, but in the confusion I rather lost you." He shakes his head self-deprecatingly. "Which is, I admit, not the best start for my request of you. You four have proven yourselves women of exceptional talent, and I find myself in exceptional need.
"Before I continue, however, I must formally introduce myself - my gratitude overrode my manners, I fear. I am, as Adolina mentioned, Rexus Victocora, and until last week's Night of Ashes, I was a noble of this fair city - as she is." He nods appreciatively at her, but his expression is dark. Still, he waits for each of the women to introduce themselves more completely before continuing.
"I'm Celi Wordsmith, novelist! Formerly of Brastlewark, but I've lived in Kintargo for ten years now. I went to Alabaster Academy too, afraid I don't remember you though. I was pretty new to living among humans and it was hard for me to tell you apart at first, your colors are all so similar. I'm glad to meet everyone properly!" Unlike the rest of the group, Celi's energy has not been decreased one bit by the cold and the violence.
"And yeah, I know our meeting was no coincidence, we were supposed to meet during the protest. I couldn't find you though." She scowls a bit. "Everyone was too tall. And not looking where they were going. So!" Celi leans forward, pinning Rexus with a surprisingly intense stare. "Where are my friends, Mystery Man? Professor Kirenna Palamindi, Ayrlin Manar, and Lukas Vidoc. Where are they?"
Ginetta is unable to conceal her surprise when Celi announces that she was searching out the man as well.
"And my friend, Vivia Izbasa!" she adds.
Rexus nods courteously at each of the women as they introduce themselves. "It is a pleasure to meet you all, whether for the first time or again." He smiles slightly at Adolina before growing serious again. Lifting a hand, he gently urges Celi and Ginetta to be patient.
"I'm not sure whether any of you have heard, but my parents' estate burnt to the ground that night, and I was only spared by virtue of being at the Academy at the time." Looking down at his hands, he considers his next words carefully. "Many gossips believe that the fires across the city were set by Barzillai Thrune - or at his behest - in order to cow the city's spirit before claiming power. I can believe it myself."
He lifts his eyes, fixing each woman with a pleading gaze. "Now more than ever, Kintargo needs its rebellious spirit, but Thrune's actions have driven many who would be able to stand up to him, such as Lord-Mayor Bainilus and my parents, into hiding. Similarly to your own friends, Miss Ciceredos, Miss Wordsmith."
He looks at the two women. "Now, we were, as you say, to meet at the protest, but fate intervened. I had heard of your respective talents and courage, and thought we could work together, and I'm more certain than ever that is the case." He takes a breath. "I'm afraid I don't know where your friends are, Miss Wordsmith. They were friends of my parents, and I heard from my mother about your talent for writing, so I thought to reach out to you to request your aid.
"Miss Cicerdos... I met Miss Izbasa several months ago, and we've discussed a great deal of our concerns for Cheliax, Ravounel, and Kintargo's future... but I haven't heard from her since the day after the Night of Ashes." The nobleman sounds distinctly pained. "I am sorry. She recommended you to me, as well, as she said you have some... talents. Talents that I believe Kintargo could use."
Rexus looks down at his hands. "My parents, Lord-Mayor Bainilus, and your friends are missing at best, and I fear they may be dead at worst. I cannot hope to bring freedom to Kintargo on my own, but with talented citizens such as yourselves, I have hope that we can. Will you help me? Will you save Kintargo from its diabolic 'masters?'"
The idea that Vivia may be dead isn't something that Ginetta has allowed into the realm of possibilities. To have it laid in front of her so matter-of-factly causes her to go silent.
Her breath comes in short gasps and the room swims.
"She ... she can't be dead," she whispers with a small shake of her head. "She can't be."
Rexus looks at Ginetta sympathetically. "I don't know for certain with any of this, and I hope that all are yet alive. Miss Izbasa is, to my knowledge, a resourceful young woman. She, unlike..." He takes a deep breath. "Unlike my parents and others whose abodes burned down, was certainly alive after the Night of Ashes. I haven't heard from her since, but do not give up hope yet."
|
|
Adolina shoots a sympathetic glance at Ginetta but doesn't say anything. It's not her place to get involved, they aren't friends. Yet? Are we? How do you know? Instead she turns her focus back to Rexus.
"I agree." She says simply. "Kintargo can't... we can't let things continue. I will help, if I can. I'm not much of a fighter though."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Allies! Thank the gods. Yes, of course I will help. If my friends are alive, I'll find them. If not..." Celi clenches a tiny fist. "I will avenge them."
Quick as a blink, the gnome's dark mood turns to curiosity. "I'm curious, though. Why approach me? Until very recently, I had little use for combat magic." She had made use of cantrips for everyday things, as so many gnomes do. Scrivener's chant to make copies of her original manuscripts, mage hand to grab things from high shelves, prestidigitation to clean up her messes or reheat a cup of tea gone cold. But Celi hadn't wanted to devote the time and effort necessary to learn more powerful magic. "Not until my friends vanished on the Night of Ashes, and I knew I would have to fight if I ever wanted to see them again."
Ghorza nodded along. In for a copper, in for a gold. She had already shed enough blood that there was no backing out. That, and it sounded like she wasn’t the only one who still required vengeance. Patting her pick, she said ”I’m in.”
Rexus looks as though he's about to comfort Ginetta further, but settles back into his seat when Adolina speaks. Still, before he answers them, he looks sincerely at the half-elf. "I do not want to be manipulative in this, but perhaps if you do join in our endeavor, we'll be able to find out her fate. If you do not wish to, then I promise you that I'll personally seek out information on her."
With that, he turns back to the other three women. "Thank you, Adolina. But I encourage you to take some time to consider - I know you have a level head, but these are trying times. At the moment, your brother could protect you from any legal difficulties you'd face for your actions at the Park. If you embark with us, that... won't be true." He strokes his beard. "Nevertheless, I welcome your help."
He looks to Celi. "As I said, your friends were associates of my mother, as I've only recently discovered - though I'll get to that in a moment. You... are also able to cast magic? I didn't see very much of the struggles you faced, so I apologize if it ought to be obvious." He flushes slightly. "Never mind. I had hoped you, with your skills in writing, might be able to, well, set up a... subtle way of countering Thrune disinformation, in the long term. In the short term, I had hoped your familiarity with texts might help with more scholarly pursuits - investigating the true history of Kintargo and the like."
He looks at Ghorza. "Miss Thursisdottir, I admire your firmness in your decision, but I encourage you to also consider the consequences. I don't want anyone in this endeavor other than people who are wholeheartedly dedicated to the cause. Dragging down someone who doesn't recognize the dangers would not only be wrong, but also extremely cruel and manipulative.
Rexus continues. "After the Night of Ashes, one of my mother's contacts, a woman called Laria Longroad, reached out to me. She told me that my mother was a high-ranking member of a society of Iroran scholars known as the Sacred Order of Archivists. They are dedicated to the protection of the true history of Golarion, and thus - as you might imagine - take serious issue with the Thrune policies of censorship and rewriting." He tents his fingers.
Ghorza laughed, but it wasn't one of mirth. It was cold, and sharp. "With all due respect." She said, with a humorless smile. "These bastards desecrated me shrine to Torag. They ransacked me shop and dragged me into prison. While I was there, they sent letters to me home telling me that I was due in court and then dragged me right back before a judge to tell me that for failing to respond to their summons, that I had broken the law...by being in prison! They leveled fine after fine on me and took me shop. They took me home. They took every last copper piece they could get their hands on. They fooking ruined me." Her anger rose with every word, and she could feel a cold fury creeping into her. "And they made me *thank* them for their mercy, upon pain of torture! Thank them for...for..." Her face flushed red with embarrassment and anger. "I. Will. Fooking. Get me revenge, with or without ye." Her eyes bored into Rexus', as if though she was challenging him to turn her away.
Realizing that she was gripping the handle of her pick, she forced herself to relax and let it go. Sitting back, she looked away. While she had a vengeful heart, she chastised herself for letting it get the better of her. It had been a challenging and emotionally charged day...
-----
Listening in when Laria Longroad was mentioned, Ghorza raised an eyebrow. She knew the halfing. The dwarf had visited Long Roads Coffeehouse many a time, not only for their coffee, but for the baked goods. It made an excellent breakfast and was a treat worth having when one needed a pick-me-up. It seemed to her that Rexus had recruited more than just this band.
|
|
"I work better behind the scenes." Adolina admits when Rexus cautions her. "I don't need to be me to help. We will need information, I can manage that." Canton would be on her side, her whole family would in fact, but that doesn't mean Adolina is going to expose them to danger if she can avoid it.
Everyone knows about Laria Longroad and her excellent baked good but the Sacred Order of Archivists makes Adolina frown for a moment as she digs through her capacious memory for information. It comes to her eventually and she nods slowly. From what little she knew of Rexus' parents the Order sounds like a good fit for them.
"Do you think the Order was attacked?" She asks. "Your parents are missing and we know a number of anti-Thrune locations were attacked on the Night of Ashes. No doubt the Sacred Order would have been a target too if it was known about."
The conversation moves on around her, but the idea that Vivia might be dead drowns it all in a swirl of emotions and confusion. She closes her eyes and concentrates on what really matters - breathing.
Air in. Air out. Air in. Air out. Steady. Slowly. Feel the filling of her lungs, the rise and fall of her diaphragm. The pounding of her heart fades into a reassuring rhythm. Just as when she would take the stage, everything else falls away except for the role in front of her.
"I'll fight!" she declares in a loud voice. All eyes turn to her and the conversation stops. Her spotlight, but this would be a different role. Not one she hadn't assumed before, but still ...
"I mean ... I can help and I know ... someone ..." She meets Ghorza's eyes. "... that can fight. Her name is Rose."
He looks to Celi. "As I said, your friends were associates of my mother, as I've only recently discovered - though I'll get to that in a moment. You... are also able to cast magic? I didn't see very much of the struggles you faced, so I apologize if it ought to be obvious." He flushes slightly. "Never mind. I had hoped you, with your skills in writing, might be able to, well, set up a... subtle way of countering Thrune disinformation, in the long term. In the short term, I had hoped your familiarity with texts might help with more scholarly pursuits - investigating the true history of Kintargo and the like."
Celi visibly perks up as Rexus describes why he recruited her. "Ah, I see! I would be delighted to help your public relations campaign, and I love both mysteries and history. Kintargo's history is both!" She smiles at him. "As for the spellcasting thing, don't worry about it, I didn't get a chance to cast any spells on those thugs. Couldn't get a clear shot with my color spray. Most people don't realize that I'm a wizard, even when I do things like grab a book off a high shelf with mage hand. They seem to think that you can't be both a writer and a spellcaster." To be fair, Celi hasn't ever corrected their assumptions, mainly because (until recently) she thought of herself as a writer first.
Ghorza laughed, but it wasn't one of mirth. It was cold, and sharp. "With all due respect." She said, with a humorless smile. "These bastards desecrated me shrine to Torag. They ransacked me shop and dragged me into prison. While I was there, they sent letters to me home telling me that I was due in court and then dragged me right back before a judge to tell me that for failing to respond to their summons, that I had broken the law...by being in prison! They leveled fine after fine on me and took me shop. They took me home. They took every last copper piece they could get their hands on. They fooking ruined me." Her anger rose with every word, and she could feel a cold fury creeping into her. "And they made me *thank* them for their mercy, upon pain of torture! Thank them for...for..." Her face flushed red with embarrassment and anger. "I. Will. Fooking. Get me revenge, with or without ye." Her eyes bored into Rexus', as if though she was challenging him to turn her away.
Oh, poor Ghorza! "That's terrible, Ghorza! All that just for worshiping your people's patron god." Celi scowls. "Yet another reason to get rid of Barzillai Thrune."
"I know Laria! Long Roads Coffeehouse has excellent pastries. Pretty good tea too, for a coffeehouse." Celi doesn't drink coffee. Not after what happened the first (and last) time she tried it. "As for the Sacred Order... well, we're all rebels here now, right?" She looks around for confirmation, then continues. "All three of my friends are members. That's why I blame Thrune for their disappearance. Three members of an illegal secret society, vanishing all at once? You don't have to be an engineer to do that math. I'm not an Iroran and not interested in converting, so I wasn't an actual member. More like an affiliate, someone with a shared interest in the true history of Kintargo and Cheliax." Celi sighs softly. "So I didn't know everyone in the Order, and I don't know where their secret archive is. But Kirenna introduced me to some of her Archivist friends. A couple of them, Ayrlin and Lukas, actually like me. Many humans find gnomes off-putting, so I've found it difficult to make friends in Kintargo."