Lore of Leyuna RPG (FRPG)

[The Kingpin]

"Oh," responded Andruil, pausing for a moment. His first guess was that a messenger had informed him, but then, he had left only a few moments after hearing the Stormweaver's bellow. There wasn't much of a chance a messenger could have reached the city hall that fast. "How?"


"Glory," the Stormweaver repeated, considering the guard captain for a moment. "Quite," stated Arashi, his rich sapphire gaze meeting the guard captain's. "Tell me, Melok... How fares this city? How fare its people?" he asked a moment later.

[C S]

"I know Arashi's voice well, as do I know his magical presence. He is making no attempt to reduce his imprint, so I believe he is requesting a meeting," said the Stalwart. "This keenness was how I found you attempting to climb into a window, not random chance."


"Ah, I was hoping your wisdom and power would enlighten me to that," Melok said before taking a knee before the Stormweaver. "If you would spare the time to bless me with your knowledge," he clarified. Humility was the primary virtue of the faithful.

[The Kingpin]

The Knight's head tilted ever so slightly as he gave the Stalwart a sidelong glance. "I see. Well, do you know what may be the cause? Suffice it to say I am somewhat concerned with what could bring one such as him to a place like this. Provincial capitals founded upon his own teachings are one thing, but Brodudika? With all due respect, the only connection he has to this place is the link between you and his son..."



Arashi's gaze narrowed on the kneeling guard captain. In that moment, the Stormweaver saw everything. The plots, the schemes, the treachery. It left a foul taste on his tongue to see what manner of snake he spoke to in that moment. It was with little remorse that he addressed Melok next. "Knowledge is power, and power must be earned. Only those worthy of wielding it may possess it, and it is the sign of a poor leader who cannot read those in his charge." Looking up from the guard captain towards the city hall looming in the distance, he tapped his staff against the ground, a momentary crackle sounding from its tip. "Stand, Melok. I have little time to spare with theatrics and tradition."

[C S]

"Not quite."

Septimus did well in choosing his friends, Desrium noted as he and Andruil steadily approached the transformed wyrm. He could infer what unsettled the knight as well. It was in the Scholar's way, however, that Desrium informed Andruil of what he did not know about Brodudika. About Arashi.

"The Stormweaver was driven to spread his teachings after fighting in a war he could not win, alone or with a legion. Before this, he was a Justicar in the land of Tyrbenetus. His home was the Justicar Keep, a fortress-city that once resided in mountains that defied the binds that anchor us two to the ground. It is this home that I have modeled Brodudika after, the final bastion of hope when all else seems lost. As a fellow Justicar, this will not elude Arashi."



Melok did as he was told, and to not annoy this being of great power further, he stepped away. If he claimed his shame with grace, it may show a spark of merit to this divine stranger, yet to be recognized for it was something he would have to wait for. A chance to redeem himself.

[The Kingpin]

"A fortress in the sky?" asked the Knight incredulously. It was the most preposterous thing he'd ever heard. But then, at one time, if someone had told him he would be a close ally to a living suit of armour he would have reacted in a similar manner. "...Do you not think he will be underwhelmed? This place may have a company of heroes for hire, but I don't think it can quite compare to a flying fortress filled with demon slayers."


Arashi watched as the guard captain departed. As well you should, he thought silently. Fixing his gaze on the building in the distance, he proceeded on his path to speak to the former Omen. Absently, he noted the aura of the Psychomancer he had sensed during his previous pass over the city. One he had felt reaching out somewhat shortly after he arrived. "Reclusive, I see. You need not fear any threat from me, young psychomancer. If I had intended harm, I would have seen to it the moment you reached out to sense me."

[C S]

"I await his judgement and summary of what I believe to be recent events. You fear that Morrelie has claimed Septimus' life? I did as well. I can assure you that has not been the case," the armored being said simply. Time and adversity would be the forge and embellisher of Brodudika, he knew. If the time was wrong, then his defective forge would result in a weak product. If its recruits saw no greater cause in the mission, they would remain mercenaries for the rest of their lives, however long or short they may be.

Factors outside of Desrium's metal hands. It was an effort that had to be made, regardless.



Kenneth peeked out from the side of an old storefront. The guard captain and general had lost sight of him. Had lost sight of a few key things, really. "Ah, Melok m'boy. Tough break, truly," the Green-Coat murmured to himself. "Shunted by your dragon-gods. I feel bad for being the opportunistic sort but," he pulled out a small pad of paper and a stick of charcoal from his pockets, "I've got some news to spread to all the relevant bar-folk. May your embarrassment be the hottest bit of gossip 'round the city!"

[Hopeflower]

Viho had little doubt that was true, but it didn't stop him from reflexively pulling his shields tighter. It was a futile effort to protect himself. The dragon was already in his head. Through sheer force of will, the burst of primal rage and fear at the intrusion cooled to a more manageable apprehension. It allowed Viho to speak evenly, if not entirely neutrally.

Forgive me if I'm not eager to come down and greet you even so. What do you want?

[The Kingpin]

"I am aware Septimus is alive and well. He spoke to Vix yesterday. But I was also told of some...unsettling news. This mage seeks to destroy you? How long has she been trying?" broached the Knight as he sensed the aura of the Stormweaver looming. It was an odd feeling, being caught in reach of two beings whose very presence screamed to his senses to flee, and yet who his reason knew to be allies to be trusted. Such indecision was not something he was accustomed to. Not on such a fundamental level as his own instincts.


"Desrium, while frank, has a tendency not to speak of matters he is not specifically asked about. The last one I spoke to of the affairs of the city chose not to divulge freely what those affairs were. I had to obtain them by more...indirect means," rumbled the Stormweaver's voice in the Psychomancer's mind. By now, he was just outside the school itself, halting to look up towards the seventh floor window, practically looking directly at Viho. Absently, he noted the title over the doorway to Septimus Place with a tingle of something. Pride, perhaps. "I have learned enough to know your kind in particular face persecution here even now. Even after the backwards regime that perpetuated it has crumbled. But I wish to know more, if you have anything to divulge on the matter. I am sure you have been a wary one, and thus perhaps more attentive than even those of whom you have to be wary. Perhaps I stand to help refine this 'ideal city' Desrium seeks to create, with the right information at my disposal." It was a request as polite as any the Stormweaver had ever made, but it was quite clear that he didn't need that permission if he sought to take the information directly. It served to emphasise that, while capable of it, he preferred not to tear into the minds of others to acquire what he sought.

[C S]

"She has wanted me gone from this world since my inception, Andruil. Morrelie stands as the last of her order, to do what the rest of her fellowship could not achieve. Our... war... it left Zuppoland when it sank into the sea, and continued on Aster. It was the time of the Blood Omen, as I am known still." Desrium realized that he had been wrong. It was was not worry for Septimus that brought the knight to him, but...

He found it touching, honestly.

It was not something he could allow. "Arashi is here to speak of what has become of Morrelie. It is something you needn't trouble yourself with."

[Hopeflower]

Viho's blunt fingernails bit into the skin of his own palm as he struggled for calm. The wariness the dragon commented on served to make his request read all the more like the thinly veiled threat it was. More sharply than was wise, Viho said, Nice of you to give me the illusion of choice, but it is unnecessary, dragon.

And he offered everything he'd observed, from the moment he'd arrived. The creeping dissent among the guards and on the streets, the whispers of late-night meetings, the attacks. The people who offered their watchful presence without being asked. The information he'd ripped from Natalie's mind. The nagging feeling that it was all too big, too much for one relatively disorganized group of people to be pulling off without being caught.

Hanging over it all, the knowledge that he had been asked to step forward and do something about it.

[The Kingpin]

"Well, this city being the investment that it is, and my role in it being what it is, I feel it would be best if I am present to learn what has become of her regardless," stated Andruil firmly. He could afford to miss one of Viho's lessons, he supposed. Not that he expected this little debriefing to take that long, but duty came first.


The dragon's calm aura never wavered as he retorted, "Wary, but not very astute, it seems. Understandable, as you do not know me. Those who do will tell you I have neither the time nor the patience for illusions of kindness among allies. I save that for my enemies. In this case, it was indeed a choice." Despite the harshness of his words, there was an underlying sense of acceptance in what had been said, the Stormweaver understanding why the elf would take his request to be something it wasn't. It clearly was not the first time it had happened, and for good reason. He was, after all, a very old and powerful Psychomancer. Manipulation and exploitation of the mind were as natural to him as breathing, so one couldn't be faulted for being suspicious of every word he uttered. Closer ones to him had done the same. It was why Tanwen insisted on investigating every claim he made, why he was here, while she was in Drakhunmiir fighting to uncover a truth few in the Clans were aware of. A truth so well hidden it just amounted to another of his lies.

"Misunderstandings aside, I thank you for the information. I believe what I have gathered thusfar, in tandem with what you have shown me will prove quite useful to righting some of the wrongs in this city," he concluded.

[C S]

Desrium nodded his helm to that. He could not fault the knight for doing things that he felt were unnecessary, for that was the basis of many a hero that roamed the corridors of wood, stone and metal, up and down the city's many steps. The Paladin could not stop him for that same reason. It would forever be a flaw of the flawed one to feel undeserving of other's concern and care. The legacy of he who barred the gate.



"It's a magic school."

The voice came from behind the Stormweaver, heavily accented. Her words had an aggressive edge, but were spoken with a fluent roll. Viking. One that found the newcomer's prolonged focus on the building... odd. Arashi's psychic impression of the caregiver was one thing. To experience her as she was created a sort of dissonance. Confidence bordering on recklessness wasn't what one would consider very motherly and yet...

"People are in there, learning magic, I'd wager. Fire-tossing and water-spraying. I should ask the hydromancers to help out with the snow."

Evisa looked the slender the figure up and down, searching for a word that could possibly describe what she was looking at. There were a few Vanguardian terms she could use, but none of them were especially flattering. Most would have been outright insulting, as Vikings tended to insult the things they did not understand and feared.

The Doomfang, for instance, had a whole slew of cusses to take its likeness in vain.

[Hopeflower]

The pleasantries are equally unnecessary, Viho replied coldly. The beast's arrogance was grating, though not a shock by any stretch of the imagination, given Viho's existing impressions of dragons. A child in comparison he might very well be, but Viho recognized threats and coercion where he saw them. There was no choice here, no difference in outcome had he denied the dragon what he sought. The difference had lain in whether or not Viho complied. He would not be told otherwise.

Not when just days before, he'd done the very same thing.

[The Kingpin]

There was a lingering silence in response to the Elf's retort, Arashi considering the hostility with a measure of disappointment. "Unnecessary, perhaps. But one would think they would be welcome. Do as you will," he stated, the link fading moments later.

"I gathered. My son's name is over the door," responded Arashi as he turned, settling his gaze on the...caregiver.

"I've made a wall of the snowdrifts, by the way. Where they were placed made the city vulnerable. You should, for now, have an extra line of defence until the wall reinforcement is complete," he continued as he considered the Lady of Light for a time. Mana Elemental, or some measure of such. She was not unlike her distant kin that had fought at his side in Tyrbenetus. The fact she spoke and dressed like a Viking had him curious.

[C S]

The silence between the Stalwart Paladin and the Maned Knight continued for a few more blocks until the armored being put forward, "How have you fared since you returned from Thimeyra?"



Evisa figured she brought this one on herself. Before she could inquire about the implications of speaking to the father of Septimus, he was already down her tangent. That was to say nothing of the fact that he looked like a...

Again, what could she call this thing that would not be rude. She was already making a shoddy first impression. "When all else fails..."

The viking held her hand out to the mysterious being, happenstance sire of Septimus. "Many thanks. I am Evisa Canton, Lady of Light, Novarah to those with a reason to fear me. What may I call you?"

More fundamental onlookers around them found the shaking of hands with a dragon-hearted obscene.

[Hopeflower]

Viho's gray eyes narrowed, the elf glaring out the window at nothing. After a moment, his expression smoothed out and he inspected his hands. His nails had left angry red crescents in his skin, but there was no damage done. One less thing to distract him while he took the time to collect himself. He'd come far, far too close to losing his temper - needed to reign his emotions back in before his students returned.

At the very least, this dragon had managed not to interrupt his class.

[The Kingpin]

"I have fared well, my friend. Thanks to you, the fears of my family have been abated. It has allowed me a greater degree of freedom to aid my friends with their own concerns." The Knight absently examined the his gloved hand, noting the nearly invisible bulge of the ring on his finger. He allowed himself a moment to ponder its significance to him. Such a small thing, but it was the safeguard of his family, of his freedom, and of the kingdom to which he pledged allegiance.


The Stormweaver considered the outstretched hand for a moment, eyeing the elemental curiously before taking it. "Most in Aster know me by my mantle: The Stormweaver," he began, glancing at his staff as arcs of electricity crackled from its tip, reaching out at the surrounding air before curling back in and disappearing. " But as for my name...To those who know me personally, I am Arashi of Clan Khulruud."

[C S]

"Is there anything else with which I may be of further assistance?" inquired Desrium.


"Arashi. Achtdvaghun. 'The Extinguisher'. It is what my people know you as for legendary deeds." The Extinguisher was a good name for this... other form of the dragon. Lightning-kindler was also something to work with. Evisa ended the handshake and looked to Septimus Place herself. Father of Septimus. Go figure. "Thanks again for the help, Arashi. I've got a stop to make here, though." She gestured to the doors of the school.

[The Kingpin]

"I suppose if you happen to have a mug of tea I could have, that would be wonderful," jabbed Andruil only half-jokingly. "But truthfully, all I could wish for right now is to learn what it is that has brought the Stormweaver to us. You yourself have done more than enough to aid me. I am grateful for it." On any other circumstance, he would have patted the Paladin on the shoulder, but with the cold being what it is and Desrium's icy aura in particular, he decided against it. Perhaps next time they were in a desert.


"And I have a Benefactor to speak to. Until we meet again, Lady of Light," concluded the Stormweaver with what could pass as an amicable tone. He had wasted enough time with the commonfolk of this city. Turning to face the city hall, he pressed on, his long strides each as long as three of a grown man's. Despite his otherwise friendly attitude, the energy that surrounded the Experimentalist was such that it caused hair to stand on end, and goosebumps to bristle across the forms of everyone within reach.

[C S]

Evisa went on her way through the doors to Septimus Place, offering a passing greeting to the receptionist before hiking up the stairs. Taking them in multiples at a time without exertion, she was up on the seventh floor in minutes, if that. She rapped the back of her scaled gloves against the door. "I'm here to interrupt your peace and quiet, the sooner you let me in the sooner I'm gone, bagh, scary viking lady."


Meanwhile, with Arashi not delayed by interruptions and taking such large strides, Desrium and Andruil saw the wyrm's humanoid form soon after after turning one last street corner. Desrium did not know what he was expecting. An elf, like Septimus? A condensed Stormweaver, serpentine body and all? His aura lent itself to that image. As it was, Arashi looked more in line with a spiritual guardian of a kind, the likes of Cleotaire.

Fitting.