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<blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 4522292" data-attributes="member: 11"><p><strong>Session #27 – “Loose Ends, New Threads” (part 1 of 3) </strong> [sup]1[/sup]</p><p></p><p>Markos awkwardly waited in the dining room of the Golden Arch Bridge & Inn. This part of the inn was on the bridge level and had a big open patio with windowed doors that led out to the main thoroughfare. It was decorated with dark stained wood and cushioned benches. The tables had ornate centerpieces of fresh flowers, and a skinny girl in a pink dress played with quiet beauty as about a dozen people in groups of various sizes ate a quiet dinner. He had ordered some food “to go,” which had really confused the matron. She offered him room service, but he demurred, merely wanting something in a covered bowl he could transport, and a spare set of utensils. Though obviously trying not to appear put-out, the woman never-the-less sighed as she combined the various carefully prepared foods in a large bowl, covered it with a plate and cut a hunk of bread and put it on top, and handed it over.</p><p></p><p>“How much do I owe you?” Markos asked.</p><p></p><p>“It will be billed to your room,” she replied.</p><p></p><p>“Thank you…” Markos carried the bowl down to the moors where Peter waited. “I got you something to eat,” he said.</p><p></p><p>“Thank you! Thank you, sir!” Peter was surprised, and taking the bowl lay in the bottom of the boat. “Where shall you be going this evening, sir?”</p><p></p><p>“No, no… Eat! I am in no rush…” Markos said.</p><p></p><p>“Uh… I… uh, was planning on saving that for later,” Peter replied. “I already ate dinner, and honestly the night is not a time to spend much time about in Lilly City, what with the trolls… If you are plan on going somewhere tonight you should go sooner rather than later…”</p><p></p><p>“Trolls?” Markos was intrigued.</p><p></p><p>“Robbers that drag their victims under bridges and slit their throats and taking anything of value, sometimes even their clothing,” Peter explained.</p><p></p><p>Markos had Peter bring him to the Theatre of the Fire Gods. They passed the occasional gondola, but the canals were already much more empty than they had been earlier in the evening. The area in front of the brightly lit theatre was an exception, as it was crammed with fancy watercraft and impatient servants chatting among each other, some of them playing cards in one of the boats. Several members of the Lilly City watch guarded the area immediately around the theatre.</p><p></p><p>It took Peter a while to get the gondola into a position to moor it. The other gondoliers stared at them with disdain. All the boats present were privately owned craft, save for Peter’s gondola, which suddenly seemed shabby in the present company. Markos paused at the bottom of the wide steps that led up to the arched entrances, and spied a couple leaving early. He looked from them in the fancy clothes to his own travel-stained cloak, and his plain woolen pants and tan shirt. He ran a calloused had through his wavy blond hair and took a deep breath and began to make his way up the stairs.</p><p></p><p>At the entrance a young woman intercepted him. She wore a long black coat over a simple white dress. There was a red band on her arm that identified her as part of the theatre staff.</p><p></p><p>“Deliveries are in the back,” she said at first.</p><p></p><p>“Uh… No… I am here to… Yes! Uh…” Markos struggled to remember the few lessons in etiquette he had managed to get in with Euleria in the last few weeks, [sup]2[/sup] but his delivery was stilted and his cadence haphazard as he stopped to think of the most flowery and polite words possible. “A pleasure to meet you. I am Markos Ackers of <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/House+Raymer" target="_blank">House Raymer</a> and was hoping that I might speak to the director of tonight’s production…”</p><p></p><p>The young woman was shocked and embarrassed, but obviously still not sure what to make of Markos.</p><p></p><p>“Do… Do you have an appointment?” the woman asked.</p><p></p><p>“Uh, no… But it shouldn’t take too long…”</p><p></p><p>“He is watching the performance…”</p><p></p><p>“Perhaps if I wait for him? Could you bring him a message?” Markos asked.</p><p></p><p>“You may wait in hopes of catching him, sir… But I…uh… he is a very busy man with a notorious obsession with protocol and his efficient use of time… Perhaps you can return in the day time when there is not a show going on and make a date with his secretary…” The woman was trying very hard not to insult Markos, but was clearly worried about the director’s reaction if she were responsible for letting Markos get to him. </p><p></p><p>“May I purchase a ticket to see the rest of the show and see if I may be lucky enough to run into him after?” Markos asked.</p><p></p><p>“There are no more seats available, but <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/House+Raymer" target="_blank">House Raymer</a> does have a reserved box…” She began.</p><p></p><p>“No!” Markos snapped. “Uh… I mean, no, thank you. I would prefer to not run into any members of my family… I could I just stand in the back and watch?”</p><p></p><p>The woman agreed to show him in, but once again Markos became self-conscious about the way he was dressed.</p><p></p><p>“Am I going to look like a fool in there?” He asked the usher. Her eyes grew wide with anxiety. “Why, sir…” She said nervously. “You could never look like a fool… Anyway, you will be standing in the back… No one will see you…” </p><p></p><p>Back at the Golden Arch Bridge & Inn, the rest of the Signers of the Charter of Schiereiland took their time eating a rich meal of three courses, and lots of wine and mead. Timotheus enjoyed the food, but complained about the staid atmosphere of the place.</p><p></p><p>“There are other places in Lilly City that may be more to your liking,” Bleys said. “However, this city is not Slutetelot…”</p><p></p><p>“How do you know so much about Lilly City? I thought you were from outside of <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Weirspierogen" target="_blank">Weirspierogen</a>,” Timotheus asked.</p><p></p><p>Bleys nodded, “But I spent my apprenticeship at the <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Golden+Tower+of+the+West" target="_blank">Golden Tower of the West</a>, home of <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/House+Schemerhorn" target="_blank">House Schemerhorn</a>, less than a mile up the shore of <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Captured+Sea" target="_blank">the Captured Sea</a>.”</p><p></p><p>“Telémahkos,” Victoria got her companion’s attention. “Tell me, do you have any plans for the duel?”</p><p></p><p>“Plans?” Telémahkos asked.</p><p></p><p>“Well, do you have an assessment of this man you are dueling?” She asked in return.</p><p></p><p>“I know nothing about him except that he claims to be a student of the man who once owned <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Magical+Item+-+The+Steel+Whip" target="_blank"><em>the Steel Whip</em></a>,” Telémahkos replied.</p><p></p><p>“If you do not mind a little advice, I guess that he will be over-confident and seek to end it quickly,” Victoria said. “Take it slowly. Try to be the one to set the pace… Be patient and wait for your opportunity… Worst comes to worst…”</p><p></p><p>Telémahkos interrupted. “Worst comes to worst I’ll have his steel in me.”</p><p></p><p>“No, we will protect you, and even if you are to fall we will see you healed. I meant, that if worst comes to worst he will reclaim the Steel Whip, but we shall keep you alive…”</p><p></p><p>There was still over three hours of the opera left to be performed when Markos began to watch, and while at first he was entertained scanning over the crowd of well-dressed nobles, merchants and wizards, soon enough the action and music on stage was too much to resist, and he was drawn into its beauty. The opera told the story of a young tortured king of the Sunra Kingdom who traded his soul to a fiend in order to save the life of the woman he loved, but that he could never have. When the houselights came up it was like awakening from a dream and once again Markos felt out of place and under-dressed and he quickly ducked out of the theatre and found Peter still waiting before anyone could spot him.</p><p></p><p>“There you are, sir! Fall asleep at the opera?” Peter asked.</p><p></p><p>“No, it was quite beautiful actually,” Markos replied.</p><p></p><p>“Oh course it was, sir…” Peter said. “I have never seen the opera, I don’t know why I spoke out of turn that way… Forgive me…”</p><p></p><p>“No, no… it’s fine to state your opinion,” Markos replied. “And actually, I would prefer if you spoke to me like anyone else. I’m a boatman, too… A sailor…”</p><p></p><p>On their way back to the inn, Markos and Peter talked about ships and winds and water, about where Peter grew up (Lilly City), and about his wife and young child. Peter thanked Markos again for the food he had brought, as he had grown hungry while waiting for Markos at the theatre.</p><p></p><p>“See you bright and early, sir!” Peter called as he pushed off from the mooring as Markos ducked into the stairway that led up to the inn. The young mage stopped back in the common room before rejoining his companions to get a bite himself, and found it being closed down and cleaned up. The servants were put out by his request of food, feeling they had to especially prepare him something worthy of nobility, and all they had left was some stew they had made for themselves. Markos allayed their fears and said some of the stew would be fine, and they grudgingly gave him a large bowl of it to carry back to his suite. He knocked softly on the door and found Bleys in the common room studying his spellbook. They fell to talking about trading spells, a topic that Markos often brought up during downtime, and that Bleys rarely replied to.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, Timotheus went walking out on the bridges in this part of the city and sought out the Temp’s Rise Inn, a six-story building covered in ivy. There he drank, flirting with whores and played some cards, losing a handful of silver before heading back to the party’s fancy lodgings to sleep.</p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 18px">Tholem, the 11th of Syet - 566 H.E. (637 M.Y.)</span></p><p></p><p>Early the next morning Laarus Raymer of Ra went over to Flicker’s Gondolas and hired a second boat for the group from the well-known halfling purveyor of transportation in the city that the business was named for. This allowed for him and Victoria of Anhur to go to the dawn services at the High Temple of Ra, while the rest of the group could be brought around town by Peter.</p><p></p><p>Even the normally taciturn Victoria could not keep from gasping at the beauty and marvel of the High Temple of Ra. The fort-like outer walls of the temple were topped with a golden glass pyramid surrounded by seven tall hieroglyphic-covered pillars. The ceremony was held up there, the morning sunlight glittering amid all the gold on all the stone and people. After the long morning service, she and Laarus met up with <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Dracius+of+Ra" target="_blank">Dracius</a> who invited them to break their fast with him.</p><p></p><p>In the great eating hall beneath the outer temple, the two young noble priests were called up to the table of High Priest Coranatus Barhyte. He was an incredibly tall man with sharp handsome features, and whitening eyebrows, for as all priests of Ra of rank, he followed a <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Priest+of+Ra+Characters#glabrous" target="_blank">vow of glabrousness</a>.</p><p></p><p>“We are honored…” Victoria said as she knelt to kiss the powerful man’s large gold ring of office, as Laarus had done a moment before. The high priest was curious about their adventures in the Disputed Territories and their retrieval of the Amulet of Fallon. Victoria and Laarus told him much of what they had done, but left out all mention of <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/The+Broken+Circle" target="_blank">the Broken Circle</a> or <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/The+Nine" target="_blank">the Nine</a>.</p><p></p><p>Timotheus and Telémahkos left the inn nearly a full two hours after the two priests, leaving Markos, Tymon and Bleys behind at the inn while they took a look at the dueling grounds by light of day, and hoped to get a view of one of the early matches to see how they were handled.</p><p></p><p>The crowd was kind of thin for the duel going on when they arrived, most of the people around were peddlers lazily setting up their stalls for the coming day. A Medicus of Fallon was watching the proceedings and young woman with a melodious voice narrated some of the action with the help of an <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Spell+-+Announce" target="_blank"><em>announce</em></a> spell. A local swordsman dressed in green and called Cambray the Viper fought against a masked duelist named Mezklan Sanchez, each other them with short swords and long jagged knives.</p><p></p><p>“Go Viper! Kick that foreign fncker’s ass!” Timotheus raucous voice easily carried over the small crowd and everyone turned to look at him. Telémahkos gave his cousin a jab in the ribs. “Ow! What’d you do that for?”</p><p></p><p>“If he hears you talking shإt and wins he may challenge you next!” Telémahkos hissed. Leaving Timotheus to watch the duel, Telémahkos made his way to the temple of Fallon and found Felix of Fallon going over the schedule of duels.</p><p></p><p>“Master Briareus! What a surprise! Your duel is not until this afternoon,” Felix said.</p><p></p><p>“I was hoping you might help me find a fencing master in the city that I might talk to before I fight…” Telémahkos replied.</p><p></p><p>“Nervous?” Felix smiled. “Local swordsmen tend to be secretive about their tricks and forms, so I would recommend someone from outside of the city. There is a famed swordsman from the <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Herman+Land" target="_blank">Kingdom of Herman Land</a> staying at the Temp’s Rise Inn… Perhaps he might be willing to help you…”</p><p></p><p>Telémahkos thanked the priest and left a small donation in the urn as he left, using his usual trick of bouncing the coins just right to sound like several were falling in. Leaving Timotheus to watch the duels and wander the market, Telémahkos had the gondolier bring him to the Temp’s Rise Inn, and then sent him back to the Golden Arch Bridge & Inn to pick up Markos and Bleys and bring them to the Duelist’s Market Square.</p><p></p><p>There was no comparison between the place the Signers were staying and the Temp’s Rise Inn. It was shabbier than even Death & Taxes back in Sluetelot after its wildest night. There were older men there, nursing drinks and resting their heads on their arms as if they had been there all night and had no intention of leaving any time soon. There were discarded cards scattered on the carpet, and two partially nude women were asleep on a couch in one corner. The bartender was wiping glasses, and a host in a stained dinner jacket greeted Telémahkos effusively.</p><p></p><p>“I am Telémahkos Briareus,” Telémahkos introduced himself.</p><p></p><p>“Oh yes! I know your name and of your exploits!” The host replied. Telémahkos’ eyes narrowed. “Your noble cousin was here last night and he sang your praises and your growing skill with the blade… I understand you have a duel today…?”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, and it is because of it that I am here,” Telémahkos said. “I am looking for a fellow swordsman… A Herman-lander… I was sent here by Felix of Fallon…”</p><p></p><p>“Oh! You must mean Mercado…” The man frowned. “Yes, he is staying here… He is probably still sleeping, though…”</p><p></p><p>“I will pay good coin to have a message brought up to him, and if it matters, I am willing to pay him for his time…” Telémahkos explained.</p><p></p><p>The host leaned in and lowered his voice. “Between you and me, sir, I am sure he would be willing to take whatever coin you are willing to part with, and maybe more than that… If you get my meaning…”</p><p></p><p>Telémahkos nodded. “I can handle myself…” He plopped a couple of silver coins into the host’s hands, and then took a seat at the bar to wait. He ordered a jigger of <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Wines+and+Spirits+of+Aquerra#dwarvenspirits" target="_blank">dwarven spirits</a> and sipped it. The wait seemed interminable. </p><p></p><p>Suddenly there was a ruckus upstairs, and a partially dressed woman came running down, clutching a sheet to her chest. She dashed towards the kitchen. A moment later a man in half-buckled pants, loose boots, and a torn hastily-donned sailcloth shirt came tumbling deftly down the stairs. He rolled and leapt to his feet, and spun. Suddenly, he had a rapier in his left hand and it hummed as it cut the air up and down.</p><p></p><p>“Who has summoned <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Mercado+the+Magnificent" target="_blank">Mercado the Magnificient</a>?!” The man had black wavy hair and brown eyes and the olive complexion of one from the <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Ermainian+Islands" target="_blank">Ermainian Isles</a>. He looked around wildly, but then his gaze fell on Telémahkos and he winked. “Is this about a challenge?”</p><p></p><p>“In a way…” Telémahkos replied. “I am fighting a duel this afternoon and came seeking your advice and aid…”</p><p></p><p>“Then you have come to the right person, for I, Mercado the Magnificent, have defeated more men in my lifetime than you have even seen in yours!” He made dramatic flourish with his blade and then put it away, walking up to the bar. Telémahkos could smell alcohol coming through Mercado’s pores along with greasy sweat, and fought to show no reaction to the swordsman’s sourness. He bought Mercado a drink and soon they were discussing swordsmanship and dueling. Mercado had Telémahkos show him his dueling stance and immediately gave him a laundry list of critiques. </p><p></p><p>“Trust me! You are getting advice from the greatest swordsman east of the <a href="http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Wizard%27s+Sea" target="_blank">Wizard’s Sea</a>, and once I am done here in Thricia, west of it as well!” Mercado winked, and ordered another drink, pushing a couple of coins from the pile Telémahkos had left of the bar towards the barkeeper.</p><p></p><p>“Is that what brought you to Lilly City?” Telémahkos asked.</p><p></p><p>“Mercado the Magnificent plans to remain in Lilly City as long as there is war in the east!” Mercado gave Telémahkos another wink. [sup]3[/sup]</p><p></p><p>Mercado’s jaundiced complexion brightened with each drink, and Telémahkos left him with a handful of extra silver for his troubles. “Return whenever you want to become a true swordsman,” Mercado said as Telémahkos left. “And remember, be aggressive!”</p><p></p><p><em>…to be continued…</em></p><p></p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><strong>Notes:</strong></p><p></p><p>(1) Session #27 was played on Sunday, March 16th, 2008 in Brooklyn, NY.</p><p></p><p>(2) Markos was working towards putting a point in Knowledge (etiquette).</p><p></p><p>(3) Currently, there is mandatory conscription of all men between the ages of 15 and 55 in the Kingdom of Herman Land for use in the effort to quell the rebellion of the Black Islands Barony.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="el-remmen, post: 4522292, member: 11"] [b]Session #27 – “Loose Ends, New Threads” (part 1 of 3) [/b] [sup]1[/sup] Markos awkwardly waited in the dining room of the Golden Arch Bridge & Inn. This part of the inn was on the bridge level and had a big open patio with windowed doors that led out to the main thoroughfare. It was decorated with dark stained wood and cushioned benches. The tables had ornate centerpieces of fresh flowers, and a skinny girl in a pink dress played with quiet beauty as about a dozen people in groups of various sizes ate a quiet dinner. He had ordered some food “to go,” which had really confused the matron. She offered him room service, but he demurred, merely wanting something in a covered bowl he could transport, and a spare set of utensils. Though obviously trying not to appear put-out, the woman never-the-less sighed as she combined the various carefully prepared foods in a large bowl, covered it with a plate and cut a hunk of bread and put it on top, and handed it over. “How much do I owe you?” Markos asked. “It will be billed to your room,” she replied. “Thank you…” Markos carried the bowl down to the moors where Peter waited. “I got you something to eat,” he said. “Thank you! Thank you, sir!” Peter was surprised, and taking the bowl lay in the bottom of the boat. “Where shall you be going this evening, sir?” “No, no… Eat! I am in no rush…” Markos said. “Uh… I… uh, was planning on saving that for later,” Peter replied. “I already ate dinner, and honestly the night is not a time to spend much time about in Lilly City, what with the trolls… If you are plan on going somewhere tonight you should go sooner rather than later…” “Trolls?” Markos was intrigued. “Robbers that drag their victims under bridges and slit their throats and taking anything of value, sometimes even their clothing,” Peter explained. Markos had Peter bring him to the Theatre of the Fire Gods. They passed the occasional gondola, but the canals were already much more empty than they had been earlier in the evening. The area in front of the brightly lit theatre was an exception, as it was crammed with fancy watercraft and impatient servants chatting among each other, some of them playing cards in one of the boats. Several members of the Lilly City watch guarded the area immediately around the theatre. It took Peter a while to get the gondola into a position to moor it. The other gondoliers stared at them with disdain. All the boats present were privately owned craft, save for Peter’s gondola, which suddenly seemed shabby in the present company. Markos paused at the bottom of the wide steps that led up to the arched entrances, and spied a couple leaving early. He looked from them in the fancy clothes to his own travel-stained cloak, and his plain woolen pants and tan shirt. He ran a calloused had through his wavy blond hair and took a deep breath and began to make his way up the stairs. At the entrance a young woman intercepted him. She wore a long black coat over a simple white dress. There was a red band on her arm that identified her as part of the theatre staff. “Deliveries are in the back,” she said at first. “Uh… No… I am here to… Yes! Uh…” Markos struggled to remember the few lessons in etiquette he had managed to get in with Euleria in the last few weeks, [sup]2[/sup] but his delivery was stilted and his cadence haphazard as he stopped to think of the most flowery and polite words possible. “A pleasure to meet you. I am Markos Ackers of [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/House+Raymer]House Raymer[/url] and was hoping that I might speak to the director of tonight’s production…” The young woman was shocked and embarrassed, but obviously still not sure what to make of Markos. “Do… Do you have an appointment?” the woman asked. “Uh, no… But it shouldn’t take too long…” “He is watching the performance…” “Perhaps if I wait for him? Could you bring him a message?” Markos asked. “You may wait in hopes of catching him, sir… But I…uh… he is a very busy man with a notorious obsession with protocol and his efficient use of time… Perhaps you can return in the day time when there is not a show going on and make a date with his secretary…” The woman was trying very hard not to insult Markos, but was clearly worried about the director’s reaction if she were responsible for letting Markos get to him. “May I purchase a ticket to see the rest of the show and see if I may be lucky enough to run into him after?” Markos asked. “There are no more seats available, but [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/House+Raymer]House Raymer[/url] does have a reserved box…” She began. “No!” Markos snapped. “Uh… I mean, no, thank you. I would prefer to not run into any members of my family… I could I just stand in the back and watch?” The woman agreed to show him in, but once again Markos became self-conscious about the way he was dressed. “Am I going to look like a fool in there?” He asked the usher. Her eyes grew wide with anxiety. “Why, sir…” She said nervously. “You could never look like a fool… Anyway, you will be standing in the back… No one will see you…” Back at the Golden Arch Bridge & Inn, the rest of the Signers of the Charter of Schiereiland took their time eating a rich meal of three courses, and lots of wine and mead. Timotheus enjoyed the food, but complained about the staid atmosphere of the place. “There are other places in Lilly City that may be more to your liking,” Bleys said. “However, this city is not Slutetelot…” “How do you know so much about Lilly City? I thought you were from outside of [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Weirspierogen]Weirspierogen[/url],” Timotheus asked. Bleys nodded, “But I spent my apprenticeship at the [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Golden+Tower+of+the+West]Golden Tower of the West[/url], home of [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/House+Schemerhorn]House Schemerhorn[/url], less than a mile up the shore of [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Captured+Sea]the Captured Sea[/url].” “Telémahkos,” Victoria got her companion’s attention. “Tell me, do you have any plans for the duel?” “Plans?” Telémahkos asked. “Well, do you have an assessment of this man you are dueling?” She asked in return. “I know nothing about him except that he claims to be a student of the man who once owned [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Magical+Item+-+The+Steel+Whip][I]the Steel Whip[/I][/url],” Telémahkos replied. “If you do not mind a little advice, I guess that he will be over-confident and seek to end it quickly,” Victoria said. “Take it slowly. Try to be the one to set the pace… Be patient and wait for your opportunity… Worst comes to worst…” Telémahkos interrupted. “Worst comes to worst I’ll have his steel in me.” “No, we will protect you, and even if you are to fall we will see you healed. I meant, that if worst comes to worst he will reclaim the Steel Whip, but we shall keep you alive…” There was still over three hours of the opera left to be performed when Markos began to watch, and while at first he was entertained scanning over the crowd of well-dressed nobles, merchants and wizards, soon enough the action and music on stage was too much to resist, and he was drawn into its beauty. The opera told the story of a young tortured king of the Sunra Kingdom who traded his soul to a fiend in order to save the life of the woman he loved, but that he could never have. When the houselights came up it was like awakening from a dream and once again Markos felt out of place and under-dressed and he quickly ducked out of the theatre and found Peter still waiting before anyone could spot him. “There you are, sir! Fall asleep at the opera?” Peter asked. “No, it was quite beautiful actually,” Markos replied. “Oh course it was, sir…” Peter said. “I have never seen the opera, I don’t know why I spoke out of turn that way… Forgive me…” “No, no… it’s fine to state your opinion,” Markos replied. “And actually, I would prefer if you spoke to me like anyone else. I’m a boatman, too… A sailor…” On their way back to the inn, Markos and Peter talked about ships and winds and water, about where Peter grew up (Lilly City), and about his wife and young child. Peter thanked Markos again for the food he had brought, as he had grown hungry while waiting for Markos at the theatre. “See you bright and early, sir!” Peter called as he pushed off from the mooring as Markos ducked into the stairway that led up to the inn. The young mage stopped back in the common room before rejoining his companions to get a bite himself, and found it being closed down and cleaned up. The servants were put out by his request of food, feeling they had to especially prepare him something worthy of nobility, and all they had left was some stew they had made for themselves. Markos allayed their fears and said some of the stew would be fine, and they grudgingly gave him a large bowl of it to carry back to his suite. He knocked softly on the door and found Bleys in the common room studying his spellbook. They fell to talking about trading spells, a topic that Markos often brought up during downtime, and that Bleys rarely replied to. Meanwhile, Timotheus went walking out on the bridges in this part of the city and sought out the Temp’s Rise Inn, a six-story building covered in ivy. There he drank, flirting with whores and played some cards, losing a handful of silver before heading back to the party’s fancy lodgings to sleep. [size=5]Tholem, the 11th of Syet - 566 H.E. (637 M.Y.)[/size] Early the next morning Laarus Raymer of Ra went over to Flicker’s Gondolas and hired a second boat for the group from the well-known halfling purveyor of transportation in the city that the business was named for. This allowed for him and Victoria of Anhur to go to the dawn services at the High Temple of Ra, while the rest of the group could be brought around town by Peter. Even the normally taciturn Victoria could not keep from gasping at the beauty and marvel of the High Temple of Ra. The fort-like outer walls of the temple were topped with a golden glass pyramid surrounded by seven tall hieroglyphic-covered pillars. The ceremony was held up there, the morning sunlight glittering amid all the gold on all the stone and people. After the long morning service, she and Laarus met up with [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Dracius+of+Ra]Dracius[/url] who invited them to break their fast with him. In the great eating hall beneath the outer temple, the two young noble priests were called up to the table of High Priest Coranatus Barhyte. He was an incredibly tall man with sharp handsome features, and whitening eyebrows, for as all priests of Ra of rank, he followed a [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Priest+of+Ra+Characters#glabrous]vow of glabrousness[/url]. “We are honored…” Victoria said as she knelt to kiss the powerful man’s large gold ring of office, as Laarus had done a moment before. The high priest was curious about their adventures in the Disputed Territories and their retrieval of the Amulet of Fallon. Victoria and Laarus told him much of what they had done, but left out all mention of [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/The+Broken+Circle]the Broken Circle[/url] or [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/The+Nine]the Nine[/url]. Timotheus and Telémahkos left the inn nearly a full two hours after the two priests, leaving Markos, Tymon and Bleys behind at the inn while they took a look at the dueling grounds by light of day, and hoped to get a view of one of the early matches to see how they were handled. The crowd was kind of thin for the duel going on when they arrived, most of the people around were peddlers lazily setting up their stalls for the coming day. A Medicus of Fallon was watching the proceedings and young woman with a melodious voice narrated some of the action with the help of an [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Spell+-+Announce][I]announce[/I][/url] spell. A local swordsman dressed in green and called Cambray the Viper fought against a masked duelist named Mezklan Sanchez, each other them with short swords and long jagged knives. “Go Viper! Kick that foreign fncker’s ass!” Timotheus raucous voice easily carried over the small crowd and everyone turned to look at him. Telémahkos gave his cousin a jab in the ribs. “Ow! What’d you do that for?” “If he hears you talking shإt and wins he may challenge you next!” Telémahkos hissed. Leaving Timotheus to watch the duel, Telémahkos made his way to the temple of Fallon and found Felix of Fallon going over the schedule of duels. “Master Briareus! What a surprise! Your duel is not until this afternoon,” Felix said. “I was hoping you might help me find a fencing master in the city that I might talk to before I fight…” Telémahkos replied. “Nervous?” Felix smiled. “Local swordsmen tend to be secretive about their tricks and forms, so I would recommend someone from outside of the city. There is a famed swordsman from the [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Herman+Land]Kingdom of Herman Land[/url] staying at the Temp’s Rise Inn… Perhaps he might be willing to help you…” Telémahkos thanked the priest and left a small donation in the urn as he left, using his usual trick of bouncing the coins just right to sound like several were falling in. Leaving Timotheus to watch the duels and wander the market, Telémahkos had the gondolier bring him to the Temp’s Rise Inn, and then sent him back to the Golden Arch Bridge & Inn to pick up Markos and Bleys and bring them to the Duelist’s Market Square. There was no comparison between the place the Signers were staying and the Temp’s Rise Inn. It was shabbier than even Death & Taxes back in Sluetelot after its wildest night. There were older men there, nursing drinks and resting their heads on their arms as if they had been there all night and had no intention of leaving any time soon. There were discarded cards scattered on the carpet, and two partially nude women were asleep on a couch in one corner. The bartender was wiping glasses, and a host in a stained dinner jacket greeted Telémahkos effusively. “I am Telémahkos Briareus,” Telémahkos introduced himself. “Oh yes! I know your name and of your exploits!” The host replied. Telémahkos’ eyes narrowed. “Your noble cousin was here last night and he sang your praises and your growing skill with the blade… I understand you have a duel today…?” “Yes, and it is because of it that I am here,” Telémahkos said. “I am looking for a fellow swordsman… A Herman-lander… I was sent here by Felix of Fallon…” “Oh! You must mean Mercado…” The man frowned. “Yes, he is staying here… He is probably still sleeping, though…” “I will pay good coin to have a message brought up to him, and if it matters, I am willing to pay him for his time…” Telémahkos explained. The host leaned in and lowered his voice. “Between you and me, sir, I am sure he would be willing to take whatever coin you are willing to part with, and maybe more than that… If you get my meaning…” Telémahkos nodded. “I can handle myself…” He plopped a couple of silver coins into the host’s hands, and then took a seat at the bar to wait. He ordered a jigger of [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Wines+and+Spirits+of+Aquerra#dwarvenspirits]dwarven spirits[/url] and sipped it. The wait seemed interminable. Suddenly there was a ruckus upstairs, and a partially dressed woman came running down, clutching a sheet to her chest. She dashed towards the kitchen. A moment later a man in half-buckled pants, loose boots, and a torn hastily-donned sailcloth shirt came tumbling deftly down the stairs. He rolled and leapt to his feet, and spun. Suddenly, he had a rapier in his left hand and it hummed as it cut the air up and down. “Who has summoned [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Mercado+the+Magnificent]Mercado the Magnificient[/url]?!” The man had black wavy hair and brown eyes and the olive complexion of one from the [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Ermainian+Islands]Ermainian Isles[/url]. He looked around wildly, but then his gaze fell on Telémahkos and he winked. “Is this about a challenge?” “In a way…” Telémahkos replied. “I am fighting a duel this afternoon and came seeking your advice and aid…” “Then you have come to the right person, for I, Mercado the Magnificent, have defeated more men in my lifetime than you have even seen in yours!” He made dramatic flourish with his blade and then put it away, walking up to the bar. Telémahkos could smell alcohol coming through Mercado’s pores along with greasy sweat, and fought to show no reaction to the swordsman’s sourness. He bought Mercado a drink and soon they were discussing swordsmanship and dueling. Mercado had Telémahkos show him his dueling stance and immediately gave him a laundry list of critiques. “Trust me! You are getting advice from the greatest swordsman east of the [url= http://aquerra.wikispaces.com/Wizard%27s+Sea]Wizard’s Sea[/url], and once I am done here in Thricia, west of it as well!” Mercado winked, and ordered another drink, pushing a couple of coins from the pile Telémahkos had left of the bar towards the barkeeper. “Is that what brought you to Lilly City?” Telémahkos asked. “Mercado the Magnificent plans to remain in Lilly City as long as there is war in the east!” Mercado gave Telémahkos another wink. [sup]3[/sup] Mercado’s jaundiced complexion brightened with each drink, and Telémahkos left him with a handful of extra silver for his troubles. “Return whenever you want to become a true swordsman,” Mercado said as Telémahkos left. “And remember, be aggressive!” [I]…to be continued…[/I] ----------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Notes:[/b] (1) Session #27 was played on Sunday, March 16th, 2008 in Brooklyn, NY. (2) Markos was working towards putting a point in Knowledge (etiquette). (3) Currently, there is mandatory conscription of all men between the ages of 15 and 55 in the Kingdom of Herman Land for use in the effort to quell the rebellion of the Black Islands Barony. [/QUOTE]
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