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Post by Storyteller on Dec 13, 2020 11:13:47 GMT
On the next morning, or rather the next horrifying moment when the dawn should come, and the sun does not rise, I bathe myself as best I can, dress--being extremely grateful to Master Manfri for the gift of the ever-clean gown--put my hair in order, and go in search of Prince Shak-amen. I have a gift to give him in gratitude for taking us aboard.
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Post by Diocles on Dec 13, 2020 11:16:20 GMT
You find the prince in his quarters, which are below the captain's, and he is at breakfast. Shak-amen rises to greet you with a smile. "Mairwyn of Ravenwood, do mages eat?" He winks playfully at you. He wordlessly invites you to sit and join him.
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Post by Storyteller on Dec 13, 2020 11:19:25 GMT
"We do," I answer, curtseying prettily. "Thought that was not at all what I had come here for." I take a seat and look around for the most useful item. Is there anything helpful? Even a pebble would do, but something prettier would be nice. I want to give him a continual light gift.
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Post by Diocles on Dec 13, 2020 11:20:56 GMT
Incidentally, he has a bowl full of colorful marbles as decoration in the middle of his breakfast table. "And what did you come here for?"
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Post by Storyteller on Dec 13, 2020 11:24:00 GMT
"To show you my gratitude for your taking me--and my cousins and their gladiator--aboard." I reach for one of the marbles, a rose-colored one, and I lift it to my lips, as I twine one hand through my hair. (It is my usual means of hiding the somatic component of my spells, playing with my hair.) I cast continual light on the stone.
Then I set it down before him. "This is my gift to you. Light. It will not go out..."
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Post by Diocles on Dec 13, 2020 11:25:45 GMT
Shak-amen gasps and squints at the sudden appearance of such a bright light source. "Ohhhh, praise Galadrin." He reaches out to touch it but doesn't. "And my thanks to you. Is it hot?"
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Post by Storyteller on Dec 13, 2020 11:26:57 GMT
"No, it is not," I say. "You can touch it without fear. It can be hidden in a bag, or taken out at need." I reach out for a second marble and do the same. "A pair for you. One for each of your dark eyes."
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Post by Diocles on Dec 13, 2020 11:31:10 GMT
The prince whistles low and takes the marbles. "This is a kingly gift now. You, Mairwyn, are a treasure. I now see how valuable mages will be in this darkness. But what about heat? Light and heat are both needed for plan growth."
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Post by Storyteller on Dec 13, 2020 11:38:11 GMT
"Priests are generally more able to aid in the growth of plants, particularly those of the path of Abrexa and Alaxton, or else Abrexa, Path of Harvests. My cousin Cian is a priest of Abrexa, Goddess of Storms, and there is, no doubt, something he could do to help, too. In the coming 'days', it will require mages and priests to work together to protect the lives of those in Kailos." I shake my head sadly. "I am but an Enchantress, with little in the way of fire magic."
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Post by Diocles on Dec 13, 2020 11:41:16 GMT
Shak-amen shakes his head. "I must confess I am bewildered. All this is beyond me. Nirrion has fallen? The sun doesn't rise?"
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Post by Storyteller on Dec 13, 2020 11:44:38 GMT
"I cannot speak definitively to Nirrion's state," I say. "But I cannot think that it will survive. That was an orchestrated assault. And the sun does not rise. Why, I do not know. Perhaps at the Academy they might." (Who was the Divination Master?) "In thanks for what you have done in saving us, I would be happy to do what little I can for Arinport, too."
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Post by Diocles on Dec 13, 2020 11:45:41 GMT
"We sail for Arinport," the prince says. "That is, if we make it to open sea before the river freezes."
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Post by Storyteller on Dec 13, 2020 11:53:43 GMT
"With the lights, the sailors should be able to make better time," I say, "so that should help. I will try to research what I can, talking with my cousin Cian, to see what we can do to help. We must try to save whomever we can."
My immediate thought is dread. What if the ocean were to freeze?
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Post by Diocles on Dec 13, 2020 11:55:05 GMT
The prince wags his finger. "Better time, maybe. But what if the lights make us a better target? Best to let the current take us and navigate only when the moon is up. If we get to open sea, then we use the lights."
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Post by Storyteller on Dec 13, 2020 11:58:51 GMT
"I trust to your judgement, Your Highness. The Zenji are the masters of the open sea." It is true, but I do not share with him my concern about the freezing ocean. If it is, it is, and there is nothing we can do. "There are many in Nirrion City who were prepared. They were ready, and they will strike at the Skylark if they can."
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