Lore of Leyuna RPG (FRPG)

[The Kingpin]

"The racism. Remember that when I first met him we was very nearly killed by a city that loathed him, and us, for who we were," explained Andruil. It was so long ago, it was almost like another lifetime for him. In a way it was. It was a time when he did not know Arsenic or Vix, or the assassins. He was a Knight and the hero of a bloody revolt against a coup that had robbed him of nearly all his old friends. He had been a man untethered by anything but duty and family. A duty he no longer had a taste for, and a family that was already away in an attempt to reconcile with distant relatives.

It truly was another lifetime.



"Antar truly has sent you a talented host of administrators," stated the Scholar in admiration. Mere months ago, this place, like the rest of Draxon, was all but lawless, foundering under the pressures within and without. And now, it was a flourishing city with a growing reputation for its will to bring order, peace and justice to those who needed it.

[C S]

"Some of his best," Desrium responded. Again, a stray thought worked its way into his concentration. Five-hundred years...

Funny, considering who he was talking to.



The vaun's awareness wafted out to touch the far corners of the room, but it was soon apparent that it wasn't exactly her at the helm of the telepathic advance. Her physical self looked like it was in a trance, unmoving and glassy-eyed, but Viho felt her mind just as strongly as the others, and it seemed too close in some instances. More than just empathy. It was as if she were resonating with his magic.

"This isn't so different than what the Chiurem did."

[The Kingpin]

"It appears I will have to thank him for aiding you when I visit Thimeyra in a few days," mused the Hueilin in disguise as he righted himself in his seat and stretched.

[Hopeflower]

The innkeeper's expression cleared and she made a soft noise of comprehension. "I think he's trying not to think about that," she replied. "He was pretty upset about it all for a while." Something someone unused to reading Arsenic wouldn't have caught, she supposed.


Oh? Viho prompted, giving her something to latch onto and start building a shield. Memories could be tools, could be weapons. They just needed to be shaped. He made a note to ask about the nature of Gwenviere's magic when he wasn't at risk of cracking her mind open and hurting her.

[C S]

Desrium nodded slowly. For as much good as flying to greener pastures did, it did not replace Septimus' habit of traveling Aster as a whole. As with a few other things Desrium had on his mind, he was expecting this moment to come as some point or another. "The Qa'id does not want to be thanked. He wants to know how he could be of further service," Desrium responded.


The memory Gwenviere supplied was probably something Viho didn't expect to see today. Or ever in his life. A giant in the shade, though presented without obstacle to the sun: the bird atop the Boldrim's peak. The old elf was seeing the gargantuan bird as Gwenviere had seen it, and it was as sublime as the scale of the mountain itself. Surrounded by mist and flurries, the sight of the thunder bird, this Chiurem, was enough to send chills down Viho's back. All at once, the feather made a lot more sense.

[The Kingpin]

"He is an exceedingly generous man, with a kind and brave heart. Such men are born leaders, but leaders rarely get thanked for their actions. It is a life of constant criticism, in one way or another. He may not ask for it, but I believe he may well appreciate it," retorted Septimus matter-of-factly.

"I am not surprised. It doesn't help that his mood has been...less than sunny as of late. It is refreshing to see him enjoying himself for a change," stated Andruil.

[C S]

Desrium hummed, reasoning that this was one of the small things that separated him from the dealings of mortals. For as human as his soul was, there were just some things alien about his being that kept him on that boundary. "In that case, I ask that you give him my thanks as well," Desrium said.

[Hopeflower]

The psychomancer forced himself not to reel back at the sheer force of emotion that accompanied the image. That sense of awe, that power...they could use that.

Now hold that steady, he instructed. Hold it for as long as you can, until it's the only thing you notice. It would not be as easy as it sounded. The outside world, after all, did not stop for anyone's memories. Gwenviere would be fighting to drown out the thoughts of eight other people, not counting him and anyone else who might come up those stairs.


"He will get better," Vix said, and hoped she didn't sound like she was trying to convince herself. "It's...a process." A process that was often long, and felt like even the tiniest mistakes were unforgivable. Arsenic had helped her struggle through it. Now she needed to be there to do the same for him.

Rowan's shout of "Oh, you cheater!" cut into their conversation, and Vix looked around to make sure nobody was getting hurt. She was in time to see Arsenic, who was a few branches up a tree, stomp hard on a limb to shake loose its whole payload of snow.

The scarred assassin scrambled to get out of the way, but she wasn't quick enough to avoid it all. She yelped as some of the snow made its way into the collar of her shirt.

[C S]

Gwenviere cocked her head and looked at Viho sideways. If the Chiurem was all could notice, how was he going to be able to get through to her? Questioning the lesson seemed to go directly against it, so the vaun stayed the course and fixated on the sting in her muscles as she neared the greatest height of the mountain, the air too thin for her breaths to make use of it. She focused on the cold of the mountain's peak. And of course, there was its monarch at the throne, the living myth. Its presence in her mind was more than enough to drown out the din of extra thoughts. It helped to wear its feather on her back.

[Hopeflower]

Even with all of that, Viho's voice still came through loud and clear. He was, after all, already in her head. Good. We'll practice this every day until it's as easy as breathing. Most shields will keep out psychomancers below a certain level of expertise, but remember that some have been practicing as long as or longer than I have. Your best bet is always not to get caught facing one of us.

[The Kingpin]

"Of course," responded the Scholar. "I suppose it is a bit of a silly question to ask, as you probably would have tended to it on your recent visit, but I feel it best that I ask regardless. Is there anything else you wish for me to say or ask of him, or retrieve from Thimeyra for you?" inquired the Hueilin as he rose to his feet, beginning to pace the room, seemingly in thought.


"I fear it is something I am at a loss with. I wish there was more I could do, for him, and for all of you, really. I've helped shellshocked soldiers, but not those with such... far reaching troubles. I hate that I am not able to help," said the Knight lowly, as much to Vix as to himself.

"It is not your job to fix the problems of others, Elfson. To carry burdens not your own is to burn away your own life," grunted the gryphon under him, having been silent for quite some time.

"I suppose that is easy to say when there is no one you feel is deserving of that much concern," responded Andruil. The gryphon did not respond to that. Whether true or not was something Pyranex was not willing to divulge.

[C S]

Desrium's answer to that was a simple, "I have yet to lose his gift."


Gwenviere shifted and stretched herself out, reaching high over her head, her fur bristling underneath her clothes. "I told you about the feather," she chittered, "they may have big-thoughts, but I have fast legs."

[The Kingpin]

"Considering the efforts he made to prevent that, I do believe his gift will last longer than any other you've been given. Which reminds me; I will have to craft you a new amulet to replace the one that was destroyed in Tyrbenetus," responded Septimus amicably. Considering how long they had been here, he kicked himself for not crafting one sooner. But it couldn't be helped at this point. He would simply have to gift it to his Stalwart Companion next time he visited.

[C S]

Desrium made another humming sound. He could not refuse the offer from his dearest friend. Yet, he feared what would become of the gift, as not all of his possessions could be enchanted to become incorporeal in times of peril. Perhaps, in a very draconic way, he would need to find a place to store his treasures and keep them from harm.

[Hopeflower]

Vix was silent for a long, thoughtful moment, chewing her lip. "When I escaped," she started softly, "I was torn up inside and out. My mind was...not right." She gestured to where Rowan was now hurling snowballs at Arsenic, trying to make him lose his balance. "Arsenic and Isa had to help me relearn that the world wasn't all pain. That it was okay to love. To laugh. To cry." She paused, and added even more quietly, "That it's fine to need someone to lean on now and then. That's what Nick needs from us now."


"Keep that knowledge close," Viho advised. "You may never need it, but it's good to be prepared."

[The Kingpin]

A thoughtful "Hmm," was Andruil's response to that as he considered the Innkeeper's words carefully. "I just...have never been in a situation where I had to convince someone that the latter was okay. In the army, that isn't really something that is...nurtured, shall we say. Those who march into battle...come back scarred. All of them, without exception, carry something back with them. And they're expected to cope. The mentality that, 'We all have problems. We all have to deal with it. No special treatment'... It is so much a part of the soldier's life that few if any take what you said into consideration. It simply is not part of the lifestyle," he explained, his hesitation speaking volumes of how frustrated he felt. He did not like dealing with his shortcomings, and this was definitely one of them. "I mean, I can offer my advice, my jokes, my support, I do that for my brother frequently, in person as well as in my letters... but what does one do when such offers are turned down?"

[Hopeflower]

"You give them patience when they need it," Vix answered gently, with a wisdom that came from caring for many of the assassins that called her inn home. "Space to cool off. And when they're ready to accept it, you take care of them as best as you can." She reached out to set a reassuring hand on Andruil's shoulder. If it was possible, her tone gentled even further when she added, "It's okay to not know what to do, too. Everybody copes and reacts differently. If all else fails, being there for someone to talk to can help more than you'd think."

[The Kingpin]

Andruil nodded in response, raising a hand to grasp the Innkeeper's own, giving it a gentle, grateful squeeze. "I like to think that I give off an impression that welcomes others to speak to me when they're struggling, but I'm not that good a judge of my own character, I'm afraid. And I know I can sometimes be...off-putting," he stated.

"There's an understatement," grunted the gryphon flatly.

"...Even though I do not mean to be," Andruil added with a bit of emphasis.

[Hopeflower]

"I'd say you haven't done too badly," Vix said lightly, offering a crooked smile. "Trust me, if he didn't appreciate having you around, you'd know it."

[The Kingpin]

"I have no doubt I would. I already know he doesn't appreciate our late night activities. He had little trouble voicing that," joked the Knight amusedly.

"Nobody does," quipped Pyranex, earning a poke between the ears for it.

"But there is a difference between disliking one's company and not considering them a good person to speak to about your struggles," continued Andruil, unfazed.