Lore of Leyuna RPG (FRPG)

[C S]

Gwenviere clicked and squeaked something that was a mystery to all, then produced what was very clearly a cluster of peppermint leaves. If not for the shape, it was the smell that gave them away the most. She offered those to Viho next with what could be described as a smile at the corners of her snout.

[Hopeflower]

The smell had an unexpected effect on Viho. His features softened into something sad and wistful for just a moment. His son was not the only one with a fondness for the tea these leaves could be made into. The aroma brought back memories of a better time, when he'd been able to sit and enjoy a peaceful afternoon of reading with Zaltana. Before he'd made a royal mess of everything. When he'd thought he could try and do better for her and Arsenic.

The sudden ache in his chest wasn't as easily treated as magical exhaustion. He doubted it would ever fully leave him.

Viho's expression had smoothed out again by the time he swallowed and reached to accept the better-tasting leaves.

[C S]

The vaun gave Viho a kind and understanding look, though she couldn't possibly have known what it was that afflicted his spirits so. It could have been that baser empathy again, like how a pet would console its owner in times of sadness. It could have been another form of perception, befitting one who carried such a giant feather on her back. Whichever the case may be, Gwenviere patted Viho on the head, chattered some form of encouragement, then hopped off of the desk. It might have been a surreal experience, had it happened in any other company.

[The Kingpin]

The Apprentice and the Mage found themselves at the school before long. Ceridwen was waiting, curled up at the entrance of an ally by the building, a veritable ball of fluff and feathers save for her head and neck, which craned out and watched the passers-by curiously.


The Scholar, meanwhile, had gone by the most direct indirect path to the school, sticking to alleys and patches of trees and rocks within the city, where building had not been a prudent choice. It served both to keep him out of the public eye and to monitor the less-patrolled areas of the city for possible dangers. Of course, to do so, he had to suppress his own magical aura. It wouldn't do to let anyone know he was coming...

Ultimately, he found himself staring at a curled up dragoness, her fluffy frame blocking the exit of the alley. He decided not to bother her, however. Instead, he decided to make use of his telekinesis, setting a foot on the wall and simply walking around the obstruction she posed, hopping off once he was at the edge of the alley, earning a surprised chirp from the Thunderkin. "You scared me!"

"You seemed so comfortable, I didn't want to disturb you," responded Septimus innocently.

"Well at least say something next time," she grumbled, earning a chuckle from the Scholar.

"As you like," he said, turning towards the two Mages of their company, one giggling in amusement as she entered the school.

[C S]

Two days later...

The skies over Brodudika were clear, not a cloud to see for miles. The sun was high overhead, though its rays did little to undo the bed of cold resting over the region. It was nearing the time when many of Aster's factions were gearing up to celebrate, be it the solstice and the cycle of renewal, the joys of winter, or a simple show of thanks for another year of living. Brodudika, only a few months old, was not to be left out during this span of good cheer.

The product of some of the busyness that congested the streets came out rapidly, almost literally overnight. While the wanders and adventurers were bringing law and order around former Draxon and reaches even farther than that, the residents were hard at work making decorations to drape everywhere. Whereas wreaths and banners were the staple of holds elsewhere, ribbons of all kinds of colors were placed wherever they could be without being a bother for the people of the city. That meant trees, statues, benches, streetlights and all manner else were tied up with small bows or wrapped with bright sheets.

Intertwined in this showing of color were the more conventional decorations pertaining to more specific holidays from near and afar. They were right at home in the showing to the winter's tide. But work was work, and even though the city was bright and cheery, there wasn't any time to waste. Things, like always, had to be done, from the smallest shop all the way to city hall itself.

Desrium met with Septimus in the small side office where numerous conferences had happened previously.

The seventh floor class was well underway by then. Solaurn traced her fingers along her runic slab while Gwenviere chattered away to Viho. Dahnae sat with her legs crossed. On her desk. She was not meditating, so much as ignoring everything around her. An effort to not be distracted so she could control the impulses of her wilder side, according to Viho. Whatever the hell that meant.

[Hopeflower]

Viho was looking much better than he had a few days ago, thanks to Gwenviere's herbs and no small amount of rest. He was more or less back to his usual self, and he'd wasted no time in jumping back into practical work. Right now, that meant getting the vaun to a point where she was comfortable with her understanding of psychomancy, while at the same time keeping one eye on the progress Dahnae and Solaurn were making.

Not far from the rest, Firel was doing something similar to Dahnae - but as opposed to her concentrating on control, he was doing his best to figure out shielding himself.

And not far from the gates of Brodudika, Arsenic stretched until his back gave several satisfying cracks. He would be glad to get off the road for a while. At least until Vix was ready to get moving again.

As though she'd read his mind, Rowan murmured, "Soon." She promptly put the taller assassin in a headlock and declared some wrestling would wake him up properly. It quickly devolved into her running from him from there, teasing him about being slow.

Her reward for her trouble was being tackled into a snow drift.

Vix chuckled and said a little disbelievingly, "They miss out on Akando kicking them awake for a while and all of a sudden they don't know what to do with their energy. Wish I'd known sooner. I would have asked them to go on supply runs."

[C S]

"-- and that's when I went exploring while Solaurn was reading a book, and how I found the herbology stores! Somehow I fell through the ceiling. It hurt. I took some herbs to help deal with it, but I didn't think I'd be using them to help you," was what Gwenviere finished off her long tale with. She was able to speak continuously in her common tongue, and each thought came and went so quickly that it was easy to get lost. And there was supposed to be a whole society filled with these quick-talking people!

She sat back on Viho's desk and scratched her chin. Gwenviere knew this all started with a discussion about psychomancy, but she couldn't place where, exactly, the conversation had been derailed.

[The Kingpin]

The Scholar was sat, or rather, draped, over a chair as he took in the details of this room. It was a sobering thought that a mere few months ago, Barthog, the former ruler of this city, was sitting in this very chair with his family. He had been doing so, having a meal when Septimus, a mysterious elvish mercenary walked in, a sack of frozen, severed heads in hand. Now here he was, a guest of the technical ruler of the city-state of Brodudika, welcome, rather than tolerated. How things changed.

"Do you remember the first time I gave you honey?" asked Septimus, reflecting fondly on the event. Many things had changed over the past couple of years, but some things stayed the same.


"You do realise that if you did that they would be 'struggling to get out of bed' all over again, yes?" responded Andruil amusedly. It had been a few days of travelling to get here, much of it through several feet of snow, but finally, they had come close enough to the city that the roads were no longer obstructed. He had no way of knowing that a certain dragon was in the city, spending a few minutes every day forcing everything that was not stone and dirt out of the road leading to the city for a couple of miles.

[C S]

"I have not dealt with mana wells since our last meeting," Desrium responded from his place near the door, trying not to break anything as per the norm.

[The Kingpin]

"It was more a rhetorical question than anything," stated the Scholar amusedly. The old Desrium he knew then was still here, in some ways. "Asking you to recall that experience," he added. "What was your fondest thought of that time?"

[Hopeflower]

If one looked closely enough, they'd spot a faint but indulgent smile on Viho's lips. "That's quite a story," he commented. His smile might have widened a little at the confusion he could sense around the room. "How did you know they would help?" For indeed, as that lesson had stretched on, his energy had come back little by little and the pain had faded steadily.


"Oh, yes. If it weren't for the guild, they'd be as bad as kids sometimes." The innkeeper shook her head while Arsenic danced out of the way of a grab and bolted, making full use of his longer legs and agility to stay one step ahead of Rowan. Much as Vix joked, it was always good to see him loosen up.

[C S]

"At the time, it was a novel experience for me. We both know that isn't so, now, although I cherish it all the same," was Desrium's answer, without hesitation. "My fondest thought, in all honesty, would be that I came across it again in your company, Septimus."


"I used to be a plant-maiden back home," Gwen explained with another bout of chittering and gestures with her hands. "I was taught all kinds of uses for herbs. In the past, the wall-people would lose things in the woods, and us vaun would come across them. Sometimes, they had plants from places far, far away, and we learned how to grow and use those, too."

[The Kingpin]

"I suppose this is another pleasant memory you can add to your collection, then," said the Scholar as he reached a hand for the satchel resting by his chair, the flap opening up and a barrel rising from within, landing with a heavy clunk in one corner of the room, closer to Desrium. "A little gift from Syria and I," he added.



"Children, without the hassle of raising them," agreed the Knight half-jokingly. "I am glad he isn't letting the potential of what he may find there bother him," he added quietly, taking extra care to muffle that particular thought.

[C S]

That did give the Stalwart a pause. It was a little smaller than a barrel where one would find bar drinks in, and the reason why was straightforward. Engraved into the girth of the barrel itself was a stylized bee, and a company name, Gully Traders. "One would be able to feed many Maldevians with this," Desrium stated. A vague memory of a black and yellow force of nature came to him, of no particular relevance past its appearance and mannerisms. "You two have my thanks. I will keep it my abode upstairs."

[The Kingpin]

"It's the least we could do," responded the Scholar with a smile. "After all, your hospitality over the past month and some could not have been easy on the treasury, what with the expenses of feeding two dragons. And in winter, no less."

[Hopeflower]

"Interesting." Viho shifted his weight, folding his legs underneath him. "That's a very useful skill to have. Have you considered taking herbology when you've learned telepathy?"


Vix gave Andruil a puzzled look. "'What he might find'?" she echoed with some concern. Fortunately for the knight, Arsenic was effectively distracted with keeping Rowan at arm's length to avoid getting snow shoved down the back of his jacket.

[C S]

"The matters of treasury are left to the Thimeyrans. To them, and Brodudika by large, you are diplomats, yourself, a hero. The council has my gratitude for the things they were able to do at my request," Desrium said. His only nagging concern was that the city was no place for a dragon, much less a Hueilin. Too far inland to be near any major sources of water, too small, and as a byproduct of the cold, food was too scarce. He'd seen Septimus and Ceridwen making their rounds for more bountiful stretches, and was relieved that their surroundings were not putting the dragons through undue stress.


"I have not," Gwenviere responded. She tapped a tiny foot on the desktop while pondering the implications. "It was my intention to speak freely, and to all. But perhaps, I will be the first vaun to be notorious throughout Aster!" Gwen scratched her head. "I don't know if magic will be how I become famous, though." Compared to a thunder bird, she didn't think her magical ability would be anything to write home about, even if there were couriers who knew where the vaun lived.

[Hopeflower]

"Perhaps," Viho agreed. "It depends on what you do with your gifts." He cleared his throat and straightened his back. "Now, from the top." Relax and let me open your mind to your surroundings, he instructed.

[C S]

Gwenviere rested her arms on her knees and did as she was told, all but going limp as she relinquished her worries. It was strange. In this state of mind, things seemed as they did when she felt the pull that drove her to climb.

[Hopeflower]

First, sense. Then try to block it all out like I showed you. Much like the way Arsenic had begun teaching Andruil, Viho was beginning with understanding rather than doing. One needed to know how overwhelming a room full of people could be to listen to before they understood why shielding was necessary to learn before telepathy.

With Viho's considerably extended senses, everything was more intense to the vaun. Sights, scents, the very air around her sharpened with looming sensory overload. The minds of her fellow students were brilliant points of activity, even in attempted inactivity. They were constantly noticing and dismissing little things in their efforts to concentrate.

In the center of it all was Viho, a well-guarded point that felt less like activity and more like energy. Alert and focused on Gwenviere, he was more than ready to pull back if she started to get overwhelmed.