Shadows 3.2

[measured_words]

Too tired for further commenary. Will revise for likely horrendous typos later. ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Shadows 3.2

Hadyn looked at the invitation again, though he'd memorized the message. He was to attend a meeting of the Shinbi-no-Tetsujin, Southern name of the Quiet Sages. It wasn't a perfect translation, but it served. Common was a language that lacked subtlety. The date was today's, day two of the three day Spirit Festival. The hour had past some while ago. He'd arrived with Li Fei, and the Sages were now deliberating over private business before summoning him to plead his case. Li had told him that it wouldn't be long, but it seemed an eternity already.

Volaris, with certain reservations, had vouched for Hadyn with Li. Li was a master illusionist, and knew the court wizard personally from his travels and research in the north. He'd been admitted to the Quiet Sages due to his work enchanting the Emperor's Palace of One Thousand Earthy Delights in Tsiankio. Li had told Hadyn that Sorathis, Volaris's master and predecessor, had been one of the few outsiders ever admitted to their ranks. He hadn't decided whether or not he would pass that on: Volaris knew well enough already that he was living in the shadow of a much greater man, and it seemed unnecessary to increase his burden.

The court wizard had been slightly miffed not to have known of Li's connections as it was, though the illusionist had explained the situation clearly enough when they'd met together the previous day. Volaris had asked his ally for aid, but his personal resources were not such that he could make any useful longterm contributions that would not have endangered his position with the Daimyo or at court. He had known that unless the Northerners had anything specific to offer in return, in terms of knowledge and information of interest to the other Sages, any appeals - even coming from Sorathis's apprentice - would fall on deaf ears. He had not known they'd possessed any valuable secrets to trade, considering their position, and had thus mentioned nothing.

Hadyn, he'd warned, had better not be wasting their time.

Now, of course, they were wasting his. He glanced up at the pair of household guards stationed outside of Li's private library, and once again resisted the urge to pace or fidget. Teah lay stretched before him, her swishing tail reflecting his impatience. He was excited and nervous as well as impatient. Very, very nervous. Without the breakthroughs he'd had working with Ishitaka, he doubted he would have had the resolve to keep The Fear at bay today. Back in Exia, secret research groups like this had been among his many great fears. Though his kind were known to some on Keth, there were practical difficulties on a metaphysical level which prevented them from making many appearances. While this fact provided Hadyn with some assurances that his enemies from home would have a harder time reaching him, it meant he was a fairly unique specimen for unscrupulous researchers. Lendrick may have accused him of irrationality in regard to the subject, but he had an overwhelming desire not to with up as someone else's lab rat.

But this was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. Li had confirmed many of Ishitaka's rumours and suspicions about the resources available to the Sages, and also reinforced that their goal was a noble one - to safeguard dangerous knowledge. Hadyn hoped this meant that their membership was also held to somewhat higher ethical standards, but he wasn't willing to gamble on it. No, despite his wealth of knowledge and experience of the Outer Planes, he had something else to offer. He was hopeful that their material on demonology would prove useful not only to the cause of Exian liberation, but to his own personal problem with the infernal as well.

They were currently debating whether or not the group thought his cause was important enough to merit access to such dangerous and forbidden lore. The odds looked good at the moment. He'd cast a Detect Thoughts spell minutes earlier to gain an impression of what was happening inside the library. Some of the minds assembled were closed to his probing, but of those he could sense many understood the danger represented by the invasions in the North. Some who did not held reservations, but were willing to listen to his explanation. He could sense curiosity about what he had to offer in return even among the few doubters. It was inevitable that they would at least decide to hear him out.

He adjusted the folds of his formal kimono - a deep russet colour that matched his hair, belted in bronze and copper. The silk was patterned with falling autumn leaves in a soft golden yellow. He'd had it commissioned some time ago, while shopping with Piove. It had been an odd day - a rare good mood where he hadn't minded her naive and flighty whims. She'd insisted that he buy 'something pretty.' Hadyn owned several pieces of Southern clothing, mostly adjusted to allow for his preference for hoods and cowls. They were similar to styles seen among his own people. Southerners themselves sometimes reminded him of the formal and order-seeking folk found at home. Or what had been home.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the doors were opened and he was invited into the assembly. There were twelve present. A significant percentage of the membership, notified by magic, had made special arrangements to attend the meeting. They were also formally dressed in various style of kimono, but all wore a midnight blue sash edged in swirling silver-grey - presumably a token of membership. Hadyn bowed low, trying to guess which of these was the resident demonology expert. They would be the final judge of whether or not this arrangement would be permissible.

He could hear a murmur pass tough the room, and did not unfold himself until it had passed. A wizened white-haired woman seated at the head of the low table fixed him with brilliant green eyes and addressedhim in Southern.

"Zanne Hadyn - You come before us as an envoy from Lynel Bourne, Prince-in-Exile of the State of Exia, seeking our aid. I am Abe Sakura, Loremaster in the ways of the oni and other demons. You may address me as Master-Teacher, as it is your desire to learn from me. We have heard claims that Exia itself is now in the thrall of denizens of the Infernal Planes, and that this is why you have come to seek our wisdom. Tell us what you know of this enemy."

He bowed again. "Yes Master-Teacher." And then followed the explanation he had prepared explaining his own experiences and observations during the Night of the Crimson Death, the intelligence retrieved after the fall by Gordon Fenning concerning the nature of the leaders of the church of Salistrom, the early attempts by that cult to infiltrate Trylith by using ritual murders to build a construct to house another demonic power, and Lendrick's most recent report that similar efforts may be ongoing even further north in White Raven Harbour. He concluded by sharing their most recent intelligence about the nature of the Crimson Masks - the insane killing machines used to spread chaos before an attack - retrieved during the fall of Trylith. The Masks were demons themselves, ritually bound into unwilling human hosts. It had proved possible to cause the possessing entity to manifest by attacking the spirit directly, but this was an uncommon technique. The unfettered demon was more powerful than the Mask itself, and even more chaotic, making it too difficult for even the cult to control. One of the Loyalist members had been possessed and then rescued in this manner, which had allowed them to retrieve this information. He didn't mention that the Loyalistin question was a member of the unclean caste of Southern society. The fighting in Trylith had also allowed the scholars present to recover the bodies of several other Crmson Masks and examine the binding tattoos used in the ritual.

The Sages listened attentively, sometimes whispering to one another or taking some quick notes. Abe never took her eyes off of him.

"Thank you, Zanne," she said after he'd concluded. "Your presentation certainly highlighted the need for further investigation into the weaknesses of your enemies. But we cannot simply give you the information you seek - you must earn it, through work or trade. Whathave you to offer in exchange?"

And here it was. He didn't think it would be a hard sell, but the twelve solemn faces pointed his way made him nervous regardless. He must keep calm, keep control. "Anyone who knows any history of this continent has heard of the great Elven civilization that reigned here before Titan's Fall - the star that crashed into the earth and formed both Titan's Ring and the mountains that eventually form the barrier between north and south." Heads nodded. "Many of you will know something of the magics they employed - runic magic, capable of... We have only tales now. Things beyond out wildest imaginings." Hadyn paused slightly, and produced from his robe a thin clear tube incised with dull white runes. Either end was capped with a plug made of some unknown metallic compound, and each plug was set with a number of strange sockets.

"I know where one of these things is. It is alive... and it wants to speak to you."

Comments

[rumor-esq.livejournal.com]

Can't read... or speak in... proper fashion... too... many typos... :P

[measured-words.livejournal.com]

Bah - is seems that when I copied and pasted to post it, the format got fucked up. It isn't all typos - the linebreaks are fucked.

I will fix it later, when I have reliable internet :p