Lore of Leyuna RPG (FRPG)

[Hopeflower]

"No," Viho agreed, not quite meeting the shapeshifter's eyes. Why, he couldn't say. Later, he would look back and wonder if maybe it was because the simple truth left him a little too raw for his own liking. Perhaps on some level, he feared what else she might pick up on and denied her one way of trying to read him. Whatever the reason, it didn't stop him from allowing the touch.

[C S]

"No sense trying to be," Dahnae continued, her paw leaving Viho's hand to bat at the papers he was writing on.

[Hopeflower]

"No," Viho repeated, pulling the papers farther toward himself, "but we can always strive to be better."

[C S]

"Better Viho," Dahnae replied, reaching her paw out for the elf's face now that she was deprived of his papers.

[Hopeflower]

The psychomancer hummed his agreement, angling his head so that if Dahnae forgot to mind her claws, he wouldn't end up with one in his eye. "I try to be."

[C S]

Dahnae batted at Viho's cheek a few times. Her paw had turned back into a hand in the process of doing so at some vague point. "I appreciate it," she said, and then tugged on his face.

[Hopeflower]

A small smile tugged at Viho's lips. "I'm glad someone does." Gently but firmly, Viho caught Dahnae's hand and set it on the desk after a moment of prodding. He didn't know when the motion had become a familiar one. He certainly hadn't had much practice at keeping curious hands away from his face.

[C S]

By the end of the school day, there weren't anymore major interruptions for Viho. The class came back to see the familiar sight of some manner of cat -- girl or ocelot -- lounging on his desk, and there were offbeat mentions of a "teacher's pet". When everyone settled back into their lesson: mind over matter, with some helpful analogies from a viking warrior's training days, the hours went by relatively smoothly. Relatively, as Dahnae would raise her hand to interject Viho's lecture, not with a question, but to say "I know this part".


From the seventh floor to the one hidden underground, and things were busy all over again. The researchers at the alchemical station had a set of sunstones on hand, the exotic gems all a mixture of blue, green and gold in all kinds of strange patterns. The stones were on small stands, which were held over stacks of progressively smaller focusing lenses held centimeters apart at most. A light shone from the base of the station into each gem, enriching them with mana. Sunstones, as Viho learned, were an especially potent magical capacitor.

As for the apparatus they would be bonded to, that was being worked on at a distinctly un-magical workstation. One clearly improvised, given the other equipment laid out on the floor next to the table. The complex glass fixtures and super-core synthesizers were not needed, replaced with an old fashioned crafting setup. A small vice to keep things in place. A place to bind leather and stamp the straps with fastening rivets. A mannequin on which the arm would be mounted as a reference. All in all, the assortment of black steel, including a small anvil, was very rustic compared to the rest of the lab.

It was not an empty promise when Viho was told there would only be a few days until the project was complete. From the measurements they took on Solstice day alone, the researchers came up with the primary device that would give Viho his arm back. Granted, it was just a more professionally assembled sling for the time being. A leather gauntlet backed with steel, with the leather binders put together in a cage-like fashion to fit securely on the entirety of the psychomancer's arm and caress his shoulders with soft padding.

[Hopeflower]

"It's certainly impressive," Viho remarked, studying how the gauntlet would sit on his arm. By his assessment, this was certainly much better than the rope Evisa had speculated about. It wouldn't offer much in the way of the kind of protection a gauntlet usually did - at least, not as far as he could tell - but in terms of supporting the range of motion he'd once had in the arm, it looked like it stood to do the job well. He'd need to do some practicing with the bindings, though, to get fast at putting the thing on and taking it back off again.

[The Kingpin]

The door of the boarding house rattled on its hinges as it was pushed open, the Knight crossing the threshold, bringing with him the smell of fresh bread. He had chosen to take a quick detour on his way home to grab something nice for himself and his companion, and he had found a baker not far from the house churning out the last buns and loaves of the day before he closed his shop. Wrapped in some coarse brown paper, it had barely had time to cool by the time he reached home, steam still wafting off of it when he closed the door. The thud of his boots announced his presence ahead of him, and by the time he reached the top of the stairs he too knew where his friends were, their muffled chatter behind a closed door saving him the guesswork. Gripping the handle, he turned, and pushed.

[C S]

"That was the easy part," one of the coated mages replied. Everyone not involved with the gauntlet's creation was huddled over their meticulous jobs, so the voice seemed to come from some random direction amidst the shoulder-bumping researchers over the whining din of gems being empowered with magic and the general exchange of directions.

Solaurn, not in an outfit of white and black -- yet, she was assured -- was the more personal face of the operation. In her hand was a piece of quartz she had been given. It was from the larger supply of the substance that the sunstones were derived, and Solaurn saw merit in the material. With a humble chisel, she worked the pale pink crystal down into a hexagonal prism that tapered to points at the top and bottom. The flat sides of the jewel had a glassy, polished finish, in which the runes were cut in. Angular and distinct, the script of dwarves speaking the language from another land.

The quartz, almost proud, pulsated dimly as it gathered its strength.

"It was as if I was taken by some... fey mood..." Solaurn explained to Viho, rolling the crystal back and forth in her palms. "I was just handed this piece of rock and after a few hours, this was what I made. All that's left to do is combine this, the sunstones and the gauntlet together and we'll be finished."

She caught herself. "Ah. Finished with the first version of it, I mean. We'll have to see how we can improve it after you try it out for a few days."

[Hopeflower]

The chatter paused as three heads turned toward Andruil, and picked up again just as quickly when the room's occupants realized it was him. Rowan and Arsenic seemed to have gotten themselves into an argument that was gradually growing more heated. Vix, on the other hand, was sitting back with her arms folded loosely and looking rather entertained by the whole thing.

"I'm telling you I'd remember it better than you would."

'And I'm telling you you're remembering it wrong.'

"Damn it, Nick - "

'I've never broken a bone falling out of a tree.'

Rowan growled, frustrated. It seemed the argument had already gone around in circles several times. "How did you break your ankle, then?" she asked, reaching out to poke Arsenic's chest.

'I told you then and I'm telling you again - by tripping.' Arsenic's stubborn expression cracked into a smile when Rowan threw her hands up.

"Nobody breaks their ankle that badly by tripping," she said, exasperated.

'I did.'


"I'll put it through its paces as thoroughly as I can," Viho said. He deliberately avoided mentioning not breaking it. He fully intended to push the thing as hard as he could, which meant he'd need to find a sword and somewhere to practice. That, at least, would be simple enough in a place like Brodudika.

[The Kingpin]

"Ladies, ladies, there's no need to bicker," said the Knight as he drew one of the large, soft buns from his bag, handing it to Rowan, repeating the motion for Arsenic and Vix. "Some food for thought," he offered as he dropped into a chair, grabbing a bun and taking a bite out of it himself.

[C S]

"They'll be starting you off on a potion that you will take once in the morning with your breakfast and one before bed. It will help you with any lingering pain until your arm gets used to the gauntlet... brace. If all goes well, the adjustment will mean that even when the brace is off of you, your shoulder won't bother you much, if at all." Solaurn squeezed the quartz. She really hoped that she hadn't given Viho false hope. That was the goal, nonetheless. Nothing worth remembering was ever done on tentative tiptoes.

That wasn't entirely fair, as that was how Gwenviere walked all the time, technically. The small feather bearer appeared quietly behind the dwarf, eliciting a little surprised gasp. "I'll be up soon, don't worry," Solaurn said to the vaun. She received a series of chitters and a wave of a hand. Gwen pulled out the small roll of paper that she had tucked under her other arm and held it open for her and Viho.

It was a crude drawing of the classroom, Viho standing in front of caricatures of his students. Not that he was any less of a caricature in the drawing.

"I'm going to put this on the door," she chattered. Solaurn cocked her head, enthused, but also very much lost.

[Hopeflower]

Arsenic rolled his eyes, but the set of his jaw eased as the scent of fresh bread brought a little bit of home into the room. 'Bribery to let you pick my brain for a change?' he asked dryly nonetheless, pulling his bun apart.


Viho cocked his head, translated briefly to Solaurn, "Decoration," and added with a touch of warmth and a quick connecting of minds, "Feel free." His lighthearted tone did wonders to disguise the nervous tightening in his chest. He'd almost forgotten what it was like to live without pain, hadn't realized how used to the constant ache he'd become. Much like Solaurn, he didn't want to let himself hope that everything would work perfectly on the first try.

Things so very rarely went that well.

[C S]

"How thoughtful," Solaurn added, glad for the conversation to steer away from austere things. If anything, they will get there, eventually, no matter how many revisions, retrofits and outright rebuilds were needed. "Is this the classroom decoration that Dahnae keeps talking about?"

To which Gwenviere snapped a few choice chatters as she turned and made her way to the stairs.

[The Kingpin]

"Bribery? Never!" exclaimed the Knight as he swallowed the mouthful of bread. "My code forbids me from ever resorting to such underhanded tactics!" he added dejectedly. "How dare you insinuate such a thing! It tarnishes my honour, sir!" he protested, shaking the bun at the Mute accusingly.

[Hopeflower]

Arsenic hummed, low and seemingly properly impressed with the knight's short speech. Until he spoke again. 'And...where's the loophole in the definition of bribery that makes trying to use my letters to try and learn someone else's secrets an exception? Enlighten me,' the mute elf invited, arching a brow at Andruil.

Rowan tipped her head back and barked a laugh, and Vix settled further into her chair, content to watch everything play out.


"Ah, no," Viho replied, clearing his throat. "She's been referring to me, apparently." He still wasn't entirely sure what to make of Dahnae's idea of decoration.

[C S]

Neither did Solaurn. The dwarven girl looked down at the quartz jewel in her hands then back up at Viho, half-formed thoughts crashing over one another. "She is a strange person," was what Solaurn decided upon.

[The Kingpin]

"Lies and slander, good sir. Lies and slander," retorted Andruil firmly, before taking a bite out of his bun. "That was merely a benign negotiation to our mutual benefit. Honest trade, nothing more," he concluded with a smile.


An angry snarl escaped the White Flame as she paced in her den, tail lashing back and forth irritably. Cyndeyrn and Buruq stood opposite her, near the entrance, the Ambassador in particular barring the way out or in. His figure had taken on a smaller form to fit in here, one that was bipedal and not unlike the creatures beyond Drakhunmiir. It seemed out of place here, in the Realm of Dragons, to see a creature such as that which the Ambassador emulated, and it was no less strange now than it had been the first time he assumed that form.

"Patience, Tanwen. Anger will not solve our problem," stated the Ambassador, his voice silky and calm.

"I know, Buruq. I know. But it doesn't change the fact I hate being so...powerless." The Dragoness settled her golden gaze on the Ambassador of Syravoras, who had begun to float, his legs crossing as he set his palms on his laps, as if beginning to meditate.

"Understandable. But direct that frustration into thought. The realm of the physical cannot answer problems of the mind. Let us begin again. Cyndeyrn, would you care to talk us through our progress so far? It may help us see something we have overlooked."

Cyndeyrn looked to Buruq as he reluctantly acknowledged the request. "Well... We studied the mask and found that the magic is too complex and specialised. The hexes and enchantments put upon it are not ordinary spells. The intricacy is beyond our means. To be able to crack them and end this curse, we will need an Onokruun Sage."

"And our problem there is that Onokruun are greedy selfish snakes," hissed Tanwen.

"Peeeaace, nakhriin," the Ambassador reminded, the word drawn out with his breath, before breathing in deeply, resuming his meditative practices. "Continue, Cyndeyrn."

"Well, Tanwen's statement is not wrong. The Onokruun we have sought out, already very limited because of the risk of suspicion, have refused unless we were to offer them something in return. 'A favour for a favour' is a phrase many of them have stated to that effect." Cyndeyrn's own tail lashed back and forth much as his daughter's did, the Lord of Maelgwyn getting restless.

Buruq nodded slowly, his eyes closed as he spoke. "So we are at an impasse. We cannot proceed without an Onokruun dragon, and they will not help us without us offering something equally significant; something we cannot give." With that, he looked at the two, humming. "Tanwen, you have no friends with connections among the Onokruun, correct?"

"I already tried that. None of them are on such close terms with Onokruun drakes. That clan in particular keeps to itself more than the others. It is why they look so different. They rarely even mate with the other clans."

"Then we need to ask someone else for his input on the matter," concluded Buruq simply, his legs unfolding as they made contact with solid ground.

"No. I'm not involving Arashi in this. He will muddy the waters even more than they are already," insisted Cyndeyrn.

"Right now he is our only option to solve this. Thurduunax has no leads himself. He has not been around long enough, and Runecrafter though he may be, he is not an Onokruun."

"But neither is Arashi!" snarled Cyndeyrn, bristling.

"No. But Arashi was Lord of Khulruud far longer than Thurduunax was. He may have foes within Drakhunmiir, but I am certain he also has friends. Like-minded individuals who would have sided with him long ago if they could get away with it. Perhaps his friends are the key to our problem," rationalised the Ancestral Hueilin.

"Or the key to destroying my mate's mind outright," retorted Cyndeyrn sharply.

"Hulunuur, he is right."

Silence fell over the chamber as Cyndeyrn looked to his daughter in confusion. "But Tanwen, this is Arashi we're speaking of! Don't tell me you've forgotten already!"

"Arashi has done more to try and set this matter with Huluniir right than you have, Cyndeyrn," rebuked the White Flame pointedly. "I'm hesitant to let Arashi intervene...But he's proven himself trustworthy so far. Can you find a way to summon him?" she asked.

"I will try. But I will need to go somewhere high...Or beyond the Veil. My reach is farther than most, but not without its limits. I will return when I have word of him," concluded Buruq as he turned towards the entrance, departing the den.