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Vaeltrandia Renewed

Scene details

  • Start date: Jan. 22, 2022, noon
  • End date: Jan. 22, 2022, 6 p.m.
  • Location: Granse - Zerhem Kingdom
  • Participants: Reize Seatlan, Ivo Galvan, Fox

Setting: The roots of Vaeltrandia's druids run deeper than our heroes anticipated. The aid of an enigmatic and alluring acquaintance clues them in to the true nature of Nais, the bandit they bested in the Misty Forest.

Log

Dubious-looking mushrooms thrive in dank corners of the shadowy dungeon, just out of reach of the fingers of light that shine through squat and slatted windows high above. Here, in the cellars below Castle Zerhem, the party's footsteps reverberate audibly as they tread toward the rusting gate of an unpleasant cell.

"My apologies that the environs are so unworthy of your beauty."

Ivo's flattery is automatic, his tone slightly distracted as his eyes, inevitably, curiously rove the prison cells. They are for the most part conspicuously vacant. After their successful (?) mission tailing Princess Darcea and foiling (?) her date, our heroes are in even better standing with the notoriously reclusive royal family of Zerhem. Only thus have they been admitted not just to the castle's private library but now to its dungeons, for an interview with a prisoner whom they captured not long ago.

"But we think you may succeed where we have failed."

The bandit is a stubborn and insolent one, if Ivo recalls correctly from their battle in the Misty Forest. But his powers resemble none other than the ancient druids of Vaeltrandia. With Kernunnos at a loss, Fox is the only one who might understand the nature of Nais's lineage and, perhaps, how to appeal to him.

And if Ivo happens to learn something of Fox's mysterious background in the process of observing the interaction to come, why, he would hardly complain.

When initially captured, the bandit was very unwilling to talk to his captives. He resigned to his fate of being arrested after failing to eliminate his threats. There is nothing but dismay and overall embarassment in losing to kids, though the glorious battle against the rogue amongst them was slightly rewarding.

His tools were removed, bag taken, and is wearing just lightly fit clothing; a simple green shirt and brown pants. He was not even given shoes. Last time he was seen, he had a veil covering his face. Now that he is without his garb, he is a lanky man in his mid-twenties. He has short brown hair that's wild-like, thin face that has been shaven.

He is sitting at the wall of the cell.

An eyebrow is raised as he hears steps, "...Tsh. More people to mock me, I'm sure." He rolls his eyes, gritting his teeth while awaiting to see who passes.

  • Character: Fox
  • 1 year, 9 months ago

Despite herself, Fox cannot help but quirk the faintest of smiles at Ivo's gallantry(?) in action. It IS a dungeon, which means it's 1.) damp and 2.) underground and thus 3.) cold regardless of the time of year. Not the most ideal date spot, if that were the Cosmopolitan's intentions, but there is a... subtle something. The last few times the spellgunner and spellfencer had crossed paths, there was a breeziness to the demeanor, a... je ne sais quois that was charming but not particularly serious. A harmless and friendly flirt, though perhaps Ivo had everyone fooled about the seriousness of his intentions, even Fox.

"Well, after the lengths you went to in order to find me..."

[ We cut away, tight shot on the wooden wall of a pub where local bills are placed, to see a poster reading HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN with a vaguely cartoonish rendering of Fox, mostly unrecognizable, but thankfully including the distinctive hair coloring that made finding her possible at all. ]

"...I owe it to you to at least try."

She quirks a smile at the memory, but much like Ivo, there is a previously unseen subtle seriousness in her mien, too (i.e. she's sober), as she walks. Underground. Most of her memories of 'underground' are not particularly good, all things considered, and her few run-ins with Zerhem's local authorities largely amount to joking with them from the medieval version of a drunk tank, so she's never seen the inside of their dungeons, either, right up to the point that she and Ivo stop in front of the metal bars separating them from the bandit in question.

Ignoring his pithy remark about being mocked, Fox studies the man carefully, looking far more intently at his face than one might expect.

She takes in a slow breath, and is -- for just a moment -- Etienne Rosalinde Vaeltrandis again, for the first time in centuries.

"Well, I'll be damned."

Ivo feels a little uncomfortable seeing a man imprisoned, even one he narrowly bested in an impressive display of magitechniques. The battle may bring back some fond memories -- which, being fundamentally averse to combat, is not the sort of thought he'd ever expect to have -- but there's a part of him that flinches from the concept of imprisonment, even of those whom he knows to be threats to society. Surely everyone contains within themselves wondrous potential and deserves, if at all possible, to have the chance to thrive and actualize it.

Even Vivian, Ivo thinks, who herself now rots away in a Cosmopolitan cell, her long plot foiled by the party's resolve.

His expression has become a little grim, so to distract himself and ensure he is adequately charming as Fox so greatly deserves, he examines the empty cells more closely. Evidence, perhaps, of Zerhem's limited capacity to police and the robustness of its criminal element. The market runs well and there is little open proof of the underworld's operations, but that, Ivo now knows, is because it is so well governed by the man -- or rather capybara -- in charge.

"My longing for you couldn't be satisfied by any less."

PREVIOUSLY

"No, no, Reize. The hair is right, but the proportions are all wrong. Bigger, they're bigger, like *this*--"

NOW

Ivo smiles with satisfaction.

"I hope that my devotion has--"

He actually has the good sense to shut up as soon as he turns to see Fox's face. Her features are almost recognizable, but then, Ivo reflects, he had the sense he'd never properly seen her before in any case. *This* was what he had hoped for.

"We're not here to mock you, Nais," Ivo says quietly, though he keeps his eyes on Fox. "This lady may be able to help you." He doesn't know enough himself to say more, but he certainly sounds confident.

It is the sight of Ivo that is of immediate recognition. There is a rueful smile, "...Ahh, the worthy foe." He closes his eyes, looking more relaxed. "I suppose I can say that I don't mind -you- visiting me. After all, you were the most competent of them all." Nevermind the fact that the princess completely broken him.

He quirks an eyebrow, "However, as I already stated, I have nothing more to say to you or your friends." The recognition of him by Fox earns a raised eyebrow. The woman is regarded briefly, "What do you want?"

  • Character: Fox
  • 1 year, 9 months ago

It's a combination of things, really. In the way that people say they can see a parents' features in a newborn child's chubby face despite there being very little practical way that could actually happen. The curve of a jawline, the profile of a nose... little recognizable things that are less 'here is the thing I can point out to you' and more like parts of a gestalt that only catalyzes in the mind of someone with the right knowledge to be brought together in the first place.

Still, she's got to at least TRY to explain it, and thankfully, as Fox peers closer at Nais, she finds something that will absolutely make sense to Ivo, who is almost certainly and unavoidably going to ask for an explanation as to how or, more accurately, why she knows what she knows. So, better to lead with empirically observable facts and hope to all the gods it quells his curiosity (good luck with that).

"You said you fought, right? So, not a lot of opportunities to study something specific you didn't know you were looking for in the first place."

The Fox-haired alchemist turns back to the prisoner, watching him but clearly talking to Ivo. "Using aether and magic in certain ways can have subtle impacts on the body, as you assuredly know... probably more completely than I do. Those impacts can then be passed down to children, which is why sometimes a son or daughter will share a magical affinity with a parent."

It may occur, briefly, to Ivo, if he thinks about it, that this speaking cadence is utterly unlike any he's heard the woman use so far.

She points a hand at Nais, specifically at his head. "Flecks of gold. In his pupils. Difficult to see unless you're looking for them ahead of time, but they're there. Originally they were the impact of magic use by a certain sect, but eventually they bred true in the sect's children."

Fox gives Nais a faint grin. "That right there... is a Vaeltrandian druid."

Gone is Ivo's subdued tone and expression. He's even forgotten to keep his eyes on Fox, believe it or not. All ironic detachment or playfulness vanished, one characteristic of the Cosmopolitan rises above all the others.

"Fascinating!"

Wonder.

Practically white-knuckled as he grips the bars, peering at Nais wide-eyed, Ivo seems amazed. Now he speaks to Fox while looking at Nais, the situation reversed.

"You're absolutely right. Perhaps the influence of earth aether... but reminiscent of the classical alchemy of Ashald, its dualistic metaphysics, and their association of gold with the divine gifts of Khemia Waha... could there be a historical connection?... or a coincidental convergence of discoveries?..."

Finally, Ivo seems to compose himself, looking back to Fox. He's faintly flushed, his pulse racing at the delightful discovery, enjoying little more than seeing something new in what had seemed before unremarkable. Seeing Fox's composed, even elegant, features, contrasting sharply with his own excitement, Ivo's flush deepens just a little.

> Ivo's Affection Points toward Fox increase by 10.

"S-so he's descended from a specific Vaeltrandian bloodline, then? Are there any records by which we could narrow it down?" Obviously, he wants to know how Fox knows all this -- what ruins did she delve into, exactly? -- but that can wait. "Knowing someone with abilities descending directly from a Vaeltrandian legacy would surely aid us if we encounter a lock... why, they might even be especially compatible with Kernunnos..."

His mind is racing such that he forgets to even check on how Nais feels about all this. Persuading him may be its own challenge. But that depends on what the man most wants.

First, her question. Nais appears a bit guarded at first, uncertain as to what he wants to admit. He looks away from the woman and he takes a step away, pressing his back against the wall. Given her knowledge, he relents, "... No. Had learned about it recently."

He looks between Fox and Ivo, "..." He lifts a hand over to his face, then he turns around to try to see his own eyes. No water, no way of seeing his own reflection.

"'Vaeltrandian', huh?" His eyes narrow as he looks away, "Now that's a word that I haven't heard since I was a wee lad." He snorts, "At least, before the grandpa kicked the bucket." He narrows his eyes, "Left with nothing but old stories." He bemuses, "It all seemed like fantasy to me." He furrows his eyebrows at Ivo and Fox, "What is it that you two want out of me?" Folding his arms, Nais mutters in resignation. "Not much that I can do besides rot, I guess."

  • Character: Fox
  • 1 year, 9 months ago

"Honestly," Fox says carefully, as Nais demands to know what Ivo actually wants, "that's an excellent question." The spellgunner turns toward her companion on the other side of the bars, argent eyes searching the well-studied man's face. "What possible need could you have for a very specific type of magic from a kingdom that's been gone for hundreds of years?" A brief tightening of the lines around her eyes, at this.

The breezy demeanor and clothing suited for active adventuring distract from it, but this is still a woman in her mid-30s. Not old, by any means, but old enough to SEEM that way, particularly to people in their 20s, who assume they will probably just instantly become a lich at age 30. Fox's face, for a moment, shows a bit more of her actual age than she typically does.

Closing a hand around one of the cell bars, she turns back to Nais, and now it's clear she really is addressing him like a person instead of a conveniently-placed object, this time. "Either way, I doubt he's been trained and I doubt there's anyone left who could, except perhaps your other Vaeltrandian friend." Unlike Ivo, she's not going to mention Kerunnos out loud. "That's all Vaeltrandia is now, friend, anyway: stories and fantasy. In the past."

Her hand tightens, briefly, on the reassuringly solid, cold steel of the cell door.

For long moments, silence reigns in the dungeon.

"In Cosmopolis," Ivo finally says, "we bury our history. For over a century, we built atop ourselves to survive. Our lives are full and vibrant. But so were the lives before ours. We forget. We repeat. We fail to see. We move, but not forward."

His mind's eye flickers to the image of his hand, much smaller, reaching for the hilt of a too heavy sword, until a tall shadow falls over it. When he looks to Fox, his expression is serious too.

"If my travels in Granse have taught me anything," he continues, "it's that the legacy of Vaeltrandia is everywhere. In Zerhem's aqueduct. In a hidden shrine. In a popular festival. How will I benefit if that legacy is revived? What will happen? What will we accomplish?"

Finally, he grins, broadly, the aesthete's eyes pure.

"That's what *I* want to know."

He looks to Nais.

"Fox is right: if anyone can help you, it's Kernunnos. He might not know all that befall Vaeltrandia, cloistered in his shrine as he was, but if he can recall the rituals of his worshippers, he might be able to draw out your talents. You could become the last of the druids that once guided Zerhem... or the first of their successors. A legend... a savior, even, of a people undeservedly forgotten."

Ivo sounds moved by his own words, almost, before smiling.

"I'll figure out how to get you out of here. The royal family owes us." He sure sounds confident, at least. "And I'm sure I can persuade the old god to help. All I'll ask is that if we need to call upon your power, you'll aid us."

Hearing Fox mention about the 'Vaeltrandian friend' just has his expression wane.

This time, Nais becomes increasingly somber as he reflects. "There's nothing left for me here, you know." He muses, "All what I am is a simple bandit." He looks at Fox, a faint smile growing. "Or, I suppose that I was until I felt attuned with the magic in that forest."

He closes his eyes, reflecting back. "... I felt like I could hear the spirits in the forest. I felt close with all of the creatures. I felt more than just a bandit." He furrows his eyebrows, "...But, look at me. I just used it to ambush people to get money... But, that money was my chance of getting out of this city."

He listens to Ivo for those moments of regaling the tale of 'Cosmopolis'. That sounds like something beyond his understanding. However, the truth is still the same: Forget. Repeat. Fail to see.

He starts to reflect back, "...The story of Vaeltrandia was never written by my grandfather." He has a faint smile on his face, "But I still remember those stories."

He looks at Ivo, quirking an eyebrow. The name of 'Kernunnos' is vaguely familiar. "...Where have I heard that name...?" He closes his eyes, then he starts to stand-up to his feet. "You know what?" He cracks a grin, "Why not? I'm in. ...If you can get me out, you have my support." He considers, "I suppose that I can finally answer the calling... it was faint, but I'll try to listen to it more."

  • Character: Fox
  • 1 year, 9 months ago

Part of her really wants to grip Ivo by the arms and shake him. He speaks of his own home, their own unwillingness to learn from the past... but then he calls Vaeltrandia, a kingdom long gone, as 'undeservedly forgotten'. Fox thinks carefully about the events that led to the fall of that kingdom, however many years ago. About the ancestors of the man lying in that cell and all the things they did, about the eidola Kernunnos. About her own memory of a time when her hand, smaller than it is now, reached out for something before falling under a shadow.

The words 'It might not be so undeserved' die in Fox's throat. Somehow, she just can't bring herself to say them.

Then, of course, there's a thirst awakened in Nais to know more about his own lineage, now; a lineage that, before Fox offhandedly told him about it, was the idle ramblings of an old man in the bandit's youth. And it's true that Kerununnos can probably teach him at least some of the druid's art; after all, the sect and the eidola were closely linked. It's not as if Fox herself could do it. Her connection to that long-dead kingdom is of a slightly different nature.

Without thinking about it, her fingers run over the gold torc around her throat, and the sun and moon emblem -- a Vaeltrandian emblem representing the eternal cycle of nature and time both -- that hangs from it.

After a pause, Fox lets go of the bar she hadn't realized she was still gripping with her other hand, and dusts her hands off ostentatiously on her hips. "Well. Glad I could be of some assistance, pretty boy," she says at last, that particular public facade slipping easily back into place... or at least, looking easily so from the outside. "Give my regards to your better half. You know how to find me."

She turns to go; somehow, Fox doesn't want to be in this dungeon just now. Somehow she REALLY wants a bottle of wine.

But as she passes Ivo, she pauses. "Oh. About that poster..."

The spellgunner claps a hand on Ivo's shoulder. "Flattering, but keep dreaming, kid."

With that, she makes her exit.

Ivo, flushing slightly again, calls after Fox perhaps a little too enthusiastically as she departs.

"With your permission, I shall!"

After watching her go for as long as he's able, he turns his grinning face to his old rival Nais and offers him an uncharacteristically hearty thumbs-up. In their own way, the two young men seem to have each acquired a rare resolve.

...in, admittedly, very different respects.

Meanwhile, Reize is currently at the Vanguard Association, muttering at the pouch filled with very little coins.

SIGH! The crab incident...

"Achoooo!"

He sniffles his nose. "...Huh, odd. Why am I sneezing?"