[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/uwRI6MP.png[/img][/center] [center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/998095140386242570/999069015097999410/unknown.png[/img][/center] [hr] Interaction: Dyric, Merit Scene: Tall Trees & Long Shadows Location: Loriindton - Merit's Home + The Mette'stiroi [hr] Eliis had accustomed herself to her vacation rather quickly. Between the fireside chat with the spider and her accomplices, and the vastly different climate of this strange town, she’d gotten sucked in a vortex. She thought that Eudes would have quite liked this place, aside from the fact that there were seldom Quentists to be found, but those thoughts quickly left her brain and made space for a new friend, Jyluun. Whether the younger girl wanted her around or not, Eliis had taken quite a liking to her and spent much of the trip walking and talking with her. It somewhat felt like the sibling bonding time she never quite got to experience growing up. Still, even if she wasn’t conscious about her work, she still found herself completing her routines and habits of new areas. Finding escapes, tunnels, plants and good vantage points to use. All the while, spending time with a new friend. [hr] [color=teal]“It’s you, right? Eliis?”[/color] The hooded figure who had just brushed her was male, young, and a couple of inches shorter. He had a forceful voice, though. He didn’t even wait for her confirmation. [color=teal]“Per our correspondence, Lady Merit has been waiting for you.”[/color] A jolt of surprise filled her as the brush and voice assaulted her senses in unison. She was no stranger to sudden contact, especially in her line of work, but perhaps she had gotten too comfortable in Loriindton. Regardless, she swallowed. She had an idea of who this might be, and the mention of Merit brought her back to the harsh reality of her daily work. It had been nice to forget about it, just for a moment. She stretched and turned towards the cloaked man, and nodded in approval. [color=D70040]“And I have been looking forward to speaking to her. Let us not waste time”[/color] she said with a friendly smile. Her truths and falsehoods were difficult to discern but there was genuine enthusiasm in her voice as she readied herself for a surely interesting meeting. He smiled from under his hood. [color=teal]“Well, then I’m the guy you’ll want to follow.”[/color] An almost mischievous quality nestled among his words, but there was something else underlying it as well: something harder to place. [color=teal]“Dyric, by the way: Dyric’antiil’osmax.”[/color] They wound their way through the platforms and bridges of Loriindton and the town was a-bustle as far as even keen yasoi senses could discern: sounds of work and laughter, swirling lights and colours, rushin bodies, smells sweet and sour alike. Tonight was to be a mete’stiroi in honour of both Lady Merit’s birthday and that of her three-times-great grandchildren: the twins Dyric and Talit. They were not all that far past a scaffolding in the town square when Dyric turned abruptly and leapt up onto the end of a steep hanging staircase. Hanging onto a rope railing with one hand, he twisted back and lowered his voice. [color=teal]“When we’re in there, don’t be too formal - she’s not that sort - but remember to speak loudly and clearly. Her hearing isn’t what it used to be.”[/color] He paused for a moment before swinging back, starting to ascend. [color=teal]“A lot of things aren’t.”[/color] Eliis was never a good judge of character, but she found that this one liked to talk. And most notably, didn’t carry the same presence as his twin sister, nor did he move as well among the trees which surprised her. Even still, she listened and saw the sights of the trail before speaking up once more. [color=D70040]“What do you mean by that, Dyric?”[/color] she uttered, in the same low tone, perhaps without even realizing it. She had always been one to follow the tone of a conversation. He paused. [color=teal]“Her age has caught up to her. She’s soon to become one with Exiran, and she knows it,”[/color] he related glumly, [color=teal]“as do I. Her body and mind alike have begun their final decline.”[/color] She paused for a moment. Perhaps she had expected a different sort of answer, or that he was subtly hinting at the state of affairs in Loriindton as of present, but she found it both heartbreaking and endearing that he cared so much about his elder. She almost wanted to reach out and pat his shoulder and tell him something reassuring, but Eliis held no such privilege, nor did she think the gesture would be appreciated. Regardless, she solemnly spoke once more. [color=D70040]“To fall victim to aging is a great shame. Alas, I hear she has lived a long, proud and fulfilling life. That even she should fall victim to the effects of time is proof that we will all meet Him some day.”[/color] [color=teal]“Truly spoken, suunei,”[/color] he agreed, [color=teal]“would only more of my people here in Loriindton still remembered that.”[/color] They were nearly at the top now. The stair-ladder rose through a hole in the landing and there was a pleasant-looking residence above. [color=teal]“In truth, it is not only her who has changed. Grasping Parrench hands are everywhere here, trying to draw our people in and smother them. You will find Lady Merit no friend to the Parrench.”[/color] [color=D70040]“I do find the Parrench’s eagerness to send our people to fight for them particularly detestable. Still, I pray she finds no friend amongst the huusoi. The best of them are dead or dying, and the worst seek to tear our people out of our homes, root and stem”[/color] Eliis spoke, her voice filled with contempt as she craned her head slightly towards Dyric, giving a nod of approval at his thoughts and moving on. She found it odd how different these siblings seemed to be, and it made her only more excited to meet the legendary Merit. [color=teal]“It is a truth I well recognize,”[/color] he admitted, as they paused before the door. [color=teal]“But I pray you go easy on the old lady. She is of another generation and much enamoured with rose-tinted memories at this stage. In her time, she took us somewhat closer to the truth, at least.”[/color] With that, he pushed the door open and stepped through. It was a surprisingly simple space: wooden walls and floors, a handful of platforms and tables displaying some of Merit’s treasures from life, dating all the way back to the days of the Avincians, and a small but well-appointed kitchen that was more than a simple hearth. In a comfortable-looking chair in the middle of a large sitting area was Merit’entasp’osmax herself, in repose. Ancient and wrinkled, the points on her ears gnarled and drooping, eyes half-hidden behind folds of skin, she started as the two of them entered. [color=lime]“Tali?”[/color] she inquired hopefully, twisting round. It took a moment for her to peer over and appraise the new arrivals and a ripe pause took hold of the room for a moment. [color=lime]“Ah, no, Dyric, dear.”[/color] She looked to Eliis. [color=lime]“And you must be Eliis!”[/color] Her eyes lit up. [color=lime]“It is so very good that you answered my call.”[/color] The elder began shifting, then. It seemed that her aim was to rise to her feet and come greet her visitors. How good it was to see her and her place of residence. So many years of experience, of knowledge, of service to her people. She looked at her trove not with envy but with admiration, before her eyes darted across the room to the woman she’d been so looking forward to meeting. In the same way that falling leaves in autumn are picturesque, she found herself for a moment feeling the same experience looking at the Meled. Every wrinkle on her face, a story or experience, 173 years of living. It was only when she was addressed that she snapped back to reality, realizing that Merit had meant to stand up to greet her. She strode across the room once she realized and began to help her to her feet. [color=D70040]“I would never refuse a request from someone who has given so much to our people.”[/color] she cheerfully extended her arm to help Merit up. [color=lime]“Oh, what a good girl you are.”[/color] Merit patted her arm and rose, though Eliis could feel a little bump of Force magic at work as well. [color=lime]“Too good, perhaps,”[/color] she joked. Then, the former baroness turned to face her. [color=lime]“Now, my dear girl, as you may have gathered, I had Dyric bring you here regarding a rather serious matter.”[/color] Her hands still held some strength as she reached out and gripped those of the much younger woman. [color=lime]“I can feel, as a tree does in the cold after harvest, that my leaves have been falling fast and the last are about to leave me.”[/color] She sighed. [color=lime]“I am not truly content. One should [i]never[/i] be, but Vyshta has smiled upon me more than most and I’d be quite an old bitch to complain.”[/color] She chuckled raspily. [color=lime]“I want my final act to be brilliant, though: memorable, and that’s where you come in, my dear.”[/color] She wore the same mischievous expression as Talit the other night. A century and a half of age and a limb apart, they were startlingly alike in their mannerisms. Eliis knew what the woman meant, and it made her want to cry, though she buried that feeling as quickly as it came. She would not have them see her tears, lest they think her incapable of the job she would be doing, nor would she dwell on her sadness. Tar’ithan d””id not weep, nor did they remain bitter when faced with a difficult job. Eliis forced herself to smile, and after a second, it became natural. She squeezed Merit’s hands softly, before looking into her eyes once more. [color=D70040]“You amaze me, meled. Even in your final hours, you still wish to give to the world. I will see to it that you have the finale you seek, whatever it is that you wish it to be.”[/color] she spoke, quivering slightly at the beginning, though it quickly faded. For how could she not be grateful to be able to help such a woman. Merit nodded. [color=lime]“Dyric was right in contacting you.”[/color] She smiled briefly, craning her aged neck to look Eliis in the eyes. The old woman’s quickly flicked over to her kin’s however and a look passed between them. She went still for a moment, and turned back. A shadow of confusion passed over her face, before it resolved into certainty. [color=lime]“Now, my dear girl, as you may have gathered, I had Dyric bring you here regarding a rather serious matter.”[/color] They were the exact same words she had used a minute earlier. She squeezed Eliis’ hands. [color=lime]“I can feel, as a tree does in the cold after harvest, that my leaves have-”[/color] [color=teal]“‘Old Nan,”[/color] interjected Dyric softly, and she stopped. [color=lime]“I’ve been repeating myself?”[/color] [color=teal]“Yes, Old Nan.”[/color] [color=lime]“Hah!”[/color] she barked. [color=lime]“See? This old brain’s gone! Mush!”[/color] She laughed somewhere between mirthfully and bitterly. [color=lime]“Further proof that I need to get out of the life business.”[/color] She smirked, or at least it appeared so, for her movements were quite feeble. [color=lime]“Now, you know of the ven’silmuu, correct?”[/color] [color=D70040]“I do.”[/color] she solemnly uttered. The mixed feelings she had were beginning to fade, but she couldn’t help being surprised that she wanted poison to be used. She bent down slightly to be at a better level with the elder. [color=lime]“I imagined you might.”[/color] Merit reached up and inspected a tuft of Eliis’ long red hair. [color=lime]“Such pretty hair,”[/color] she murmured. [color=lime]“So well-dyed. Anyhow, you’re probably wondering why.”[/color] Merit nodded sagely. [color=lime]“I want to make it look like I was murdered.”[/color] Her elderly face hardened. [color=lime]“Let my last breath be poison to those Parrench [i]creatures[/i] who seek to encircle our people here and make us like them.”[/color] She shook her head, or something like it, stopping to cough softly, but it did not fade, instead going on for a good twenty seconds while Eliis had to steady her. Dyric watched from nearby, concerned but coming no closer. Merit blinked. [color=lime]“Blast it! What that I was young again, like you.”[/color] She scowled and furrowed her brow, lost. [color=lime]“Dyric, what was I saying?”[/color] [color=teal]“Poison to the Parrench,”[/color] he reminded her, like a coach of some sort, and she collected her thoughts. [color=lime]“Yes,”[/color] Merit continued, [color=lime]“Those [i]creatures[/i] are ever seeking to encircle our people here and make us like them!”[/color] Her elderly face hardened and she said it with just as much vigour as she had a minute earlier. [color=lime]“But I am no lover of the Eskandr either. At least they do not make a mockery of our gods, but they are savages,”[/color] she spat. [color=lime]“So I will drink the essence and then, at an opportune moment, when some well-known Parrench ally of poor, misguided Talit’s is near me, you will change that essence, hm?”[/color] She grinned toothily and perhaps a bit of the fire that had made her such a force for over a century was in it. [color=lime]“A poisoned chalice,”[/color] she crowed, [color=lime]“not just for me, but for the girl’s fool ideas and the probes of those huusoi.”[/color] And just as the fire returned to Merit, Eliis’ eyes lit up and she gave the elder a hug, just tight enough to not choke the previously coughing woman. She couldn’t help it. How noble her heart was. The conviction her words held ran true, and she found herself agreeing with every word she was saying. Even if Merit repeated herself, she found herself listening intently, all words the elder speaking ringing true to her heart. How glad she was that Merit understood, and now, so did she the nobility of the cause. [color=D70040]“Thank you, Lady Merit. I will endeavour that this not only saves this beautiful city, but also your great(is there a better term?) granddaughter from the lies they whisper in her ear.”[/color] joyfully she uttered as she pulled away and bowed her head in respect. [color=lime]“Good!”[/color] Merit exclaimed, [color=lime]“good.”[/color] She released Eliis, then, standing somewhat unsteadily before calling a cane into one of her hands with the Gift of Force. [color=lime]“Now, I shall drink when they are busy with their playful mocking, and you shall know the moment. Dyric will give you a signal.”[/color] Eliis felt a sudden pinch behind her ear. [color=teal]“Like this,”[/color] he said. [color=lime]“Just so,”[/color] the elder agreed. [color=lime]“I shall die on the day I was born,”[/color] she remarked. [color=lime]“Poetic, I think, and how it shall set the world alight.”[/color] She took a couple of steps. [color=lime]“I thank you for being the one to do it.”[/color] Just then, below, they could hear the music starting up. [color=lime]“Ah! That’s our cue!”[/color] chirped Merit, suddenly a good bit lighter in her bearing. [color=lime]“Walk ever in Vyshta’s fortune,”[/color] she wished the woman who would kill her. The elder smiled faintly and gestured toward her door, hobbling a few steps in its direction to show Eliis out. [color=D70040]“And I am thankful that you chose me to do the job. I hope I will make you proud.”[/color] she spoke contentedly as she moved to the entrance once more. Once they were outside, Dyric took the lead. [color=teal]“You’ll be able to go through with it, then? Sorry if my ‘signal’ nipped a bit, by the way. I figure you’ve faced much worse…”[/color] [color=D70040]“Absolutely. It pains me to kill a fellow yasoi, but she wills it and it is for a noble cause. And your signal was fine, have no such worries, though I appreciate the sentiment,”[/color] she nodded at Dyric and patted him on the shoulder as she wanted to do before. It felt appropriate. She spoke once more. [color=D70040]“It cannot be easy to lose such a person, even after such a grand life. If your mind grows heavy after the deed is done, you are welcome to share your thoughts with me. I will listen, for I believe I understand.”[/color] Dyric smiled tightly and appreciatively, as if it was already weighing on him and he wished to be along. [color=teal]“Thank you for your concern. “I know I am doing the right thing. Perhaps we shall speak before long.”[/color] At the bottom of the ladder, they parted ways. And not long after, they both found themselves at the mette’stiroi, though at far different stations. While Dyric was beside his elder, Eliis was enamoured with the snail derby, and for good reason. She’d assassinated many people before, and the best way to remain guiltless was to focus on something else. Every so often, she’d steal glances at the birthday trio, until she was to feel that pinching behind her ear. It was so easy. Even if she wasn’t a master of essence, all it took was a slight change and it turned the ven’silmuu into a deadly agent. Seconds later, Merit was dead, and Eliis shed a tear as Dyric placed the blame on a girl she’d met the night before. By all accounts, she held no ill will against the woman, but so strong was Merit’s will that Eliis could not bring herself to interfere now, as the deed was done. She looked up at the sky for just a second and thought to herself: [color=D70040][i]“I hope I made you proud, Meled.” [/i][/color] [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/34ad0XX.png[/img][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/9qPe59M.png[/img][/center] [hr] Interaction: Snorri Scene: Served Cold Location: The Kongesalan [hr] Truth be told, Dietrich did not expect much from the young boy at chess. He was clearly intelligent for his age and possessed an all too familiar sense of cunning, but he was but a child. Alas, he was being entertained in the match regardless, Many young people give in to anger, pride, impatience, caution, but the prince did not have these faults. Perhaps his biggest ‘flaw’ was his abundant curiosity, but that did not lend itself to a weakness at this particular game. Snorri was measured in his approach, and every move had intent. Should he become king, Dietrich thought, he would make a fine ruler. Perhaps finer still if he shared some of his experience with the lad. Alas, he found himself thrown off by a barrage of questions while thinking about his next move, and found himself drifting in his memories for just a moment. The Grontempel and the waters he drank, and the experience he felt. Even when the effects of the water had dulled, he had felt the god's message so strongly in his brain. He had received many messages, maybe from them, maybe from his subconscious, maybe from the sheer adrenaline of the experience, and many of them he was not so willing to share. Still, the one thing that lingered in his mind was this: he would have a crucial role to play soon. Whether it was this, or in the near future, he was not so certain, but he was sure in his belief that it was coming. He centred his thoughts once more to find that Snorri had made his move, and a good one at that. So he'd buy some time by answering the boys questions. [color=gold]"It was something I've never felt before. We have temples to the gods in Kressia, and Sturmfeld too, though we also have many Quentics clouding their guidance. Here, it is clear as day. And when I drank the water, it became clearer still. You can feel their presence. I do not know if the experience will be the same for you, having grown up here, but it was eye opening."[/color] he sighed and pinched his nose slightly as he hovered a hand over a pawn, and waited for a moment. [color=gold]"I'm not sure if it was necessary, but it brought me closer to the truth, to understanding the world you and your kin inhabit. We share gods, but our practices differ and so does our language, customs, traditions. It helped me. And no wise man refuses help when it is put in front of him. You would do well to remember that. It's a philosophy that has served me well so far."[/color] he smiled, and moved a knight. He could see Snorri's impatience flaring slightly when he took his time to move, and he would use this to capitalize on the next move. The two exchanged blows on the board a couple more times, before he would speak once more. [color=gold]"I used to believe in the false gods when I was your age, you know. I had a teacher who taught me how to use my Gift in the ways of old Avince. To my young brain, it seemed logical, as a man I respected followed them so should I. You have the benefit of a loving mother who has guided you well in the ways of old, but not all men are so lucky. Many of the desperate flock to the Pentad because it's easy."[/color] he paused for a moment after his brief lecture, just to measure the boys thoughts, before continuing after moving another piece. It wouldn't be long now before the game would be over, but he wanted to impart some knowledge on the boy before the busy day ahead. [color=gold]"But, Snorri, the easy way is usually not the right way. I'm sure you see how weak the Greenlanders are, how their armies melt like butter before yours. If you fight no battles yourself, you will grow soft and content, and fall like the Avinceans did, and like the Parrench will soon."[/color] he gestured to the board as he spoke, and knocked down a rook, before smiling genuinely at the young lad, and it was hard not to, as he saw much of himself in the lad. He wondered, if their positions were switched, would they live the same lives they had so far? Who knows. He thought he might be boring the boy, so he finished up the remainder of the match before dusting himself off, and preparing himself for the evening ahead. Still, he had enjoyed the game, and the conversation. The rest of the day was not as eventful. He was beginning to get a feel for Eskandr politic, and court etiquette, and he wasn't as far from home as he previously thought. Still, there was something oddly curious. A meeting between the queen and a certain Jarl Bjorn, and a servant girl from Lindermetz. They seemed particularly interesting, and there was something he found interesting as he observed. Whilst they did not hesitate to stomp on the idols of the Pentad, the way they spoke was.. curious? He knew many languages, and he knew many important people who spoke many languages, and as he observed the switch from Eskandr, to Avincian, to Parrench, he couldn't help but notice a slight accent there. Not one that seemed particularly familiar, or Drudgunzean for that matter. He thought he may be reading too much into it, but he would find out soon enough when he spoke to the girl. He did also find it odd that this Jarl did not know any of the other tongues being spoken. To not speak at least some Avincean raised concern for him. Was this normal? He had much to reflect on.