Bauxe Week Two
“So who do we tell first?” The Captain stops rummaging through the Guild cargo and walks over to where I’m standing.
“Are we done here, then?”
He nods. “I think we should head back and out of this place. I’m pretty sure the Wizards should know about this place. And since we were only charged with finding the cargo - we’re done here.”
“I think you’re right. That large rat,” I say pointing to the tunnel, “he, it has been tainted by magic. If only by the left over energy in this place…I don’t know enough to tell for sure.”
“I propose we go somewhere to clean up first. I can send one of my men with a message to the Lieutenant about what we found. Then one of us,” he smiles at me and shrugs, “or both of us, can go talk to someone at Mendel’s College. Do you have a place nearby?”
I’m surprised at his question and it must show on my face because he lets out a chuckle.
“No, I was just wondering if you could go home to clean up,” he says.
“Oh. Well…not really.”
I’ve spent so much time in the city, and yet I’m always surprised when people assume I live within the walls. I guess the tales of the wild places outside the walls give them enough reason to assume safely that most people wouldn’t take their chances outside the city. Nomads have always proved the exception to that I think.
He gives me a puzzled look, but collects hisself soon enough. “Well, I have a place not far from here. If you don’t mind cleaning up there?”
I shake my head, “I’m sure that’ll be fine”.
“I think I may even have some cleaner clothes you could put on,” he says giving me a glance from head to toe.
That makes me imagine several different Captain Tesselecks, married, widower, playboy - some of which make me question my decision. I don’t say anything and try to give him an approving nod because I know that after hours in the sewer my clothes could use the wash; as could I.
It takes us about an hour to find our way back out of the sewer system. We’d gone through more tunnels and rooms than either of us remembered properly, and we had to back track twice. There’s a few small rats that we pass in the nest room as we pass through. The large rat isn’t there, and aside from some of them scrabbling past us as we walk through the room, the don’t give us any trouble.
When we get back to the room we entered from the alley it’s very dark outside, and we both make quite a bit of racket getting back through the doorway I busted open. We kick aside the smaller stonework but from inside the mess is more difficult to step over to get into the alley. The Captain makes it out into the alley first and offers his hand to help me through the wall, which I accept.
“Oi! there, what are you two doing?” A booming voice sounds down at us from the entrance to the alley.
The Captain quickly steps out in front of me and starts towards the street, one hand raised in greeting. “Hello! Captain Tesseleck here, Mercantile Guild? We’re investivating a crime.”
I follow down the alley after him, slower and trying to avoid confrontation with what I assume to be a man of the city watch. Bauxe runs on guild laws, and the watch men of the city itself have little to do most days. Most of them are volunteers or men who would be volunteered by those that have more power than they do. I think most of the time they’re annoyed that Guild men, like the Captain can get by, and are treated better for it.
“Yeah, and who’s your friend then?” The guard cranes his head to get a better look at me through the dark alley.
I’m thankful for the darkness that can obscure my figure and I try to hang back even more in the shadows, giving the Captain time to speak for me.
Tesseleck gestures at me down the alley, “Member of the guild, helping the investigation along,” he says.
A small part of me thanks the Captain for not mentioning that I’m a woman, or a Nomad. The guard seems to accept this explanation well enough as Tesseleck reaches the street and greets the guard with a handshake. Tesseleck says something quietly that to the guard as they shake hands that I can’t make out from down in the alley. I continue on, making my way towards the street as the guard steps back from the Captain.
“Go on then,” he says giving the Captain a quick pat on the shoulder and heading off down the street.
By the time I reach the entrance to the alley, the guard is several buildings down and the Captain is waiting somewhat impatiently for me.
“What did you say to him?” I ask once I can see the Captain up close in the street torch light.
“Nothing, just explained it was Mercantile business.” He gives me a wicked smile and continues, “I might’ve made a small mention of a kickback for those that can keep their mouths shut about this alley for now. Official Guild business sort of
thing.”“Familiar with keeping the Watch quiet about guild business are you?” I give him a small smile and he takes a few steps down the road and gestures for me to follow.
“I am at that. There’s a lot of things we’d rather they just not get involved in. And we do occassionally settle with their supervisors on small kickbacks, but it’s never anything big. Although, that was a little white lie this time the Lieutenant made this seem pretty hush hush.”
“He did. Any reason why?”
“No. I was just called in when I was about to go off duty and told to walk with him down to the temple, he didn’t really tell me anything other than what you heard when we met you there.”
“Huh. That’s interesting.”
“Why? Did he tell you something?” He gives me a sidelong glance as we turn down another street and into a nice neighborhood.
“Not really, but I knew I was meeting you there early this morning. He sent a messenger to me, a young man, and then made him wait to hear my response.”
“Maybe he wanted to make sure you would go before deciding which Captain to send along.” He shrugs.
“No, the message had your name on it. He knew he was sending you.”
“Oh. That is odd.”
The Captain looks troubled by our conversation but doesn’t seem to want to expand on his confusion. We walk together in silence and he leads us through one neighborhood and into another even nicer than the one before. He stops in front of a large house that looks like it houses several generations of families. A guild officer stands at attention near the front door, and the Captain walks over to him and tells him to join us inside. The officer nods and gives a quick glance in my direction which the Captain doesn’t seem to notice.
Tesseleck opens the front door and leads us inside. It’s a grand house on the inside as well and I can’t help but take a quick turn to look at everything. Noting my surprise the Captain grins.
“I’ll give you a tour later, if you wish. If you’ll excuse me know I’m going to send this young man with a message to the Lieutenant.” He nods the guildsman and walks into a door off the main hall, the young man following close behind him. “The second door on the right up the stairs is a spare room. There should be some clothes in the armoire you can use after you wash up.” He waits for the officer to step into the room ahead of him, gives me a small wave, and enters the room closing the door behind him.
Not given time to respond, I do as he suggested and make my way up the stairs. The house is nicely decorated but I try not to dawdle to long looking at his furniture. The room I enter seems to have not been used in a long time. A thin layer of dust covers the armoire and the bedding. There is a water closet just near the entrance to the room and it seems also unused. Wondering what I’ll need to do for water, I take a moment to browse through the armoire hoping that I can go down and ask him when I’m finished.
Myriad styles of clothes fill the armoire, of all sizes and colors. I browse through them for several minutes and am startled when there’s a knock at the door behind me. Before I can cross the room to answer it, an older woman opens the door and enters.
“Miss? You need to wash up? I brought water…” she looks at me across the room, and her eyes get wide as she watches me.
I cross the room and reach to take one of the the water pails from her. “I can take those, thank you.”
“Oh, no…Miss,” she stammers. “I’ll do it…” She gives me a concerned look and scurries into the wash area to fill the bath.
“Have you not seen a Nomad before?” I ask stepping up behind her.
She jumps slightly and gives me another wide eyed look. “I…uh…” she looks down at her hands and then pours the other pail of water in, “no Miss, I haven’t”. She pauses and I hear her mumble, “but you’re not so different”.
“No.” I chuckle. “We’re not really so different. Darker skin, little taller, little more angled, but not so much different from you lot of humans.” I try to give her a soft smile, but by the look on her face I’m not sure I succeed.
“There you are Miss. Fresh hot water.” She avoids my gaze as she stand up and walks hurridly out of the room.
Once she’s out of the room and I hear her retreating footsteps down the hall, I disrobe and settle into the warm bath. It’s a rare luxury for me to have a full bath, normally it’s water out of whatever source we can find it in the wild outside the city. Lake, river, pond - anything with water, and it’s very rarely warm water at that. No other settlements have been found in decades my people have been wandering the wild lands. They return to Bauxe to collect supplies, to leave the elders behind who are no longer fit for such long travels. On occassion, a small group will take a ship from Bauxe across the ocean to the Old Kingdoms and other Nomads will return, however that’s a rarity. The only time I get a bath like this is when I pay for one on our return trips to the city. I’m not sure I’d mention it to him, but I’m thankful for my meeting the Captain, if only for a small luxury like this.
I soak for the near part of an hour, at least until I can no longer smell sewage in my hair or on my skin. I wait until the skin on my fingertips wrinkles and the last of the warm water turns cold before exiting the tub. The dress I’d picked out of the Captain’s collection is spread out on the bed, and the clothes I’d left in the room have been taken I assume by the servant woman I met earlier. The dress has a shift in matching colors and pattern that I put on while I wait for my hair to dry out a little. A small brush and two tiny hair pins have been laid out on the table near the front of the room next to a small hand mirror. I take time to brush out my hair, ridding it of tangles, and I use the small pins to pull it back.
I picked the dress I did because of it’s styling, something very loose but with a beautiful swirling pattern in muted reds and yellows. It reminds me greatly of clothing made by the Nomadic tailors that I grew up with. I picked up a small bit of my trade from them before I decided to become a weaver instead. The dress flows nicely and swings around my legs as I walk, made for travel. It makes me very curious where the Captain could’ve picked up something like this.
Once I’m dry and fully dressed, I make my way back down the steps to the front room of the house. The older serving woman finds me at the bottom of the stairs and directs me into a great dining room. There’s a large table in the center with enough chairs for many guests. The table is set for a meal, and the woman directs me to take a seat near the head of the table. She fills my glass and scurries out of the room into what I think is the Kitchen. Before she can return, the Captain strides into the room no longer dressed in uniform, but in more relaxed attire and covered in a rich robe that looks extremely soft. He smiles at me softly and takes a seat at the head of the table.
“You look lovely, Morgana. That dress was a pefect choice, it matches your hair so nicely.”
“Thank you Captain. I was surprised to find something like this in your collection, it looks like something my people would make.”
He gives me a sly smile. “Oh?”
I don’t press further for any information, whatever his reason for being coy might be. We’re not given much time any how before a meal is brought before us.
“Captain do you always eat so late in the night?”
“Sometimes. My job can be very demanding in the night hours. My staff is here when I need them.”
“How fortunate for you.”
He nods, smiles and digs into his food eating hungrily. It’s a meal of variety and lavishness, something I’m not quite as used to as he seems to be. We eat in silence for several mintues and when he’s finished the staff clears his plate, and refills his drink. He watches me finish the rest of my meal in amiable silence. The older woman is at my side and ready to take my plate the second I seem completely finished. She disappears into the kitchen and the Captain and I are left alone.
“There’s dessert if you’re interested,” he gestures towards the kitchen.
“No, thank you. I couldn’t possibly finish another bite. Your cook does fine work.” I lean back in my chair and take a look around his delicately appointed dining room. “You must do very well for yourself Captain. Your house is beautiful.”
He smiles and lets out a soft chuckle. “Little secret of mine,” he whispers and leans in closer to me, “it’s all family money. My parents are long gone now, and they left me with this lovely house.”
“And you still work, you like working for the Guild, being a Captain?”
“I do. Steady income, the occassional free merchandise, and the beating of the bad guys - what’s not to like?”
“Have you ever been outside of the city Captain?”
“And go where? The Old Kingdoms? No, thank you. Travel the vast expansive nothingness of the wild outside Bauxe? That’s not for me.” He gives me a strange look, like he just remembered who it is he’s talking to, and he blushes just slightly and looks down at the table. “That’s not to say I don’t appreciate the idea,” he clears his throat and looks back at me, “I just don’t find the appeal”.
“And what if you knew it wasn’t all just wilderness? That there must be something on this land besides Bauxe, some place that might be able to hold people?”
He shakes his head, “But there aren’t any places like that. We all know the stories miss Morgana, anything with a touch of wild, even a bit, disappears. There’s no place out there that can sustain life like Bauxe can. I don’t see the point in wandering around looking for something we know doesn’t exist.”
I nod. “Of course you don’t.” Humans rarely do, I think to myself.
“So,” he says a little loudly signifying a change in topic. “Shall we visit the college tonight? Inform the wizards of the rats living in a sewer contaminated by old magic?”
“If you’d like. Although it occurs to me that they may already know. Did you send a message to your Lieutenant?”
“I did. He knows that you’re still with me if he needs either of us to follow-up on what we found.”
“Will he send a message back? Tell you how to procede further?”
He shakes his head. “No, I mentioned in my message that we would talk to someone at the college. I also sent a rough map of the passages we followed and told him where to find the missing cargo. I believe he’ll send a group of men down to retrieve what we’ve found. They’ll be plenty armed for any encounters with the rats, but I image he’ll wait until morning before he does anything. By then the wizards could have gone down and checked things out themselves.” He pushes his chair back from the table and stands, “that is of course, if we go now to talk to them”.
He moves around behind my chair and moves it for me as I stand, acting the part of a proper gentleman. He peeks into the kitchen and quietly gives some direction before returning to me.
“Your clothes are being washed now. They should be ready by the time we return. Shall we?”
We leave his warm well lit home and step out into the dark chilly night we came in from not more than almost three hours previous. It’s near the middle of the night now, and the streets are empty in this part of town. I notice that the Captain wears the Guild badge around his neck outside his tunic so that it will be easily spotted by anyone we come across. Be we left the house he took a moment to strap on his sword once more, and he admits to me that it’s another perk of his employment that he enjoys.
Mendel’s College isn’t a far walk from the Captain’s neighborhood, both being on different sides of what Bauxe inhabitants called Guild Alley because of the many guild headquarters that occupy the sides of the road. At one end sits a series of nice homes and at the other sits Mendel’s College alongside a very richly appointed Library sponsored by the college. Next door to the College is the Temple of the Three Gods where the Captain and I met early this evening. The Alley is silent, and mostly empty of traffic. Occassionally as we stroll down on side of the street I catch a glimpse of a shadowed figure passing from one building to the next, or slipping inbetween buildings. There’s also the occassional guard from the watch or the Guild that passes through, and most wave at us politely after they see the Captain’s badge.
Even at this late hour, the college is still bustling with activity as we approach. There are several torches that light the outside of the building and the surrounding courtyard. Students of the school hustle through the courtyard to various small buildings that surround it. Many of the buildings are small homes and dormitories housing several students. Others are smaller libraries or offices and labratories. No one gives us a second glance as we approach the front door and walk inside.
I haven’t been inside in many years, yet things don’t appear to have changed as we step inside. There is a beautiful front room richly appointed with rugs and curtains in deep reds and purples signifying the importance of the school and the people within. I always imagined it was a bit pretentious until the day I actually met the headmaster, and wisest of the teachers and wizards at the school, Nathaniel Reighn.
The Captain gives me a stern look as we enter the school, “Let me handle this.” He taps the badge hanging around his neck and continues, “I’ll ask to speak to someone”.
I give him a soft smile and internally I’m grateful for his wanting to be the leader here. Nathaniel Reighn is a hard and complicated man, a man who never thinks he’s been properly appreciated. During most of my schooling here I never had need to see him, or take his classes. On the few occassions I did have to be near him, it was difficult to hold my tongue. He’s very smart and from what I have both heard and seen some of, he’s also a very talented wizard, although no one really knows to how extensive those talents might be. I don’t look forward to any conversation that might include him and I hope that we might find one of his teachers or official personnel to speak with instead.
The Captain strolls up to a desk manned by a student, probably a third year student by his looks. He’s young, but by the coursework laid out around him on the desk, he looks to be deeply entrenched in advanced studies. The student gives a small nod to the Captain as he approaches the desk, upon seeing his badge the boy closes his book and sits up a bit straighter.
“Can I help you sir?”
The Captain steps up next to the desk and leans over a bit, his badge clinking on the edge. “Yes, we need to speak with someone about a recent investigation.”
The student gives a nod in my direction, “Are you together sir?” he asks quietly.
The Captain nods, “We are”.
“Stay here sir, I’ll find someone.” He stands and steps out from behind the desk.
Tesseleck steps away from the desk and comes back to where I’m standing. As we stand there waiting for the boy to return with someone that we can talk to, I watch the different students pass through the area. Most of them are concentrating deeply on some study or book as they pass through. A few come through together in packs, discussing some new study or coursework. It brings back some of my own memories of studying here. Of the time when I thought I could settle into the city and do proper coursework and stop travelling. Before I knew what I was missing, of course.
It doesn’t take long before the young student comes back, a distinguished looking gentleman following closely behind. The student moves quickly to reclaim his position behind the desk, and the the gentleman steps up to the Captain and I. The man isn’t familiar to me, although I’m not sure why I really expected him to be. His dressed in proper Wizard robes of a dark blue, that most of the professors here wear. His hair is a dark gray and swept back from his face. He gives us both a nice generic good-to-see-you look, but the dark look in his blue eyes tell me we’ve interrupted his important studies.
“Captain,” he extends his hand to shake with the Captain, “it’s quite late for an investigation, is it not?”
“I’m sorry sir…”
“Professor Fleish, if you please.”
“Professor, I know that it is late in the night. But we didn’t think this could wait,” Tesseleck gestures to me to make sure the Professor knows that I’m part of this investigation, or at least the conversation.
“Alright,” the Professor says, lowering his voice a bit. “Follow me then, I have a place we can talk more privately.” Behind him, the student at the front desk has seeming gone back to his studies, but his eyes flick our way when we start moving away from him.
We follow the Professor for a good while, up to the second floor and down a corridor of classrooms and offices. Most students that attend Mendel’s College come with the intent to futher whatever “gift” they may already have. Most of them, like myself are born with the gift, but only have the most cursory knowledge of what they might do with it. The college houses professors of each magic type, and many students study with the idea of learning more than one type of magic. When most of my own teachers learned I wasn’t intersted in expanding beyond my knowledge of elemental magic, they figured me for a lost cause. Eventually, I suppose they were right.
We’re led into a small office with books strewn about, and many scrolls and papers stacked on a desk that fills most of the room. The Professor seats himself behind the desk and gestures for us to be seated in the small chairs on the other side of the room. I sit, but the Captain remains standing and gives the room, and the Professor an inquisitive look.
“Well, Professor…”the Captain begins somewhat hesitantly, “we’re not exactly sure who here we should talk to about this particular investigation. So, maybe I can fill you in a bit, and you could tell us who might be better suited for this conversation.”
The Professor gives a small nod and his eyes give me a quick glance. I lean back in my seat and give him a soft smile.
“Maybe Professor,” I say exchanging a quick look with the Captain, “you could tell us what your course of study is? What you teach? That might help us narrow it down before we even begin.” Tesseleck gives me an approving look and we both turn to the Professor for an answer.
He shuffles nervously in his chair for a moment, then clears his throat and gives me a harsh look. “I am the Professor of the Fantastic here at Mendel’s. I came from the Old Kingdom to teach here, and I am a member of the advisory board that our headmaster leads. I can assure you,” he emphasizes ‘you’ with a look at the Captain, “that I am fit to be informed of your investigation. And I will decide whether it’s necessary to involve our other advisors or professors.”
“Of course Professor,” the Captain gives him a placating look.
“However, Professor who will really be interested in information about this investigation is someone involved in Bauxe’s history. Can you think of anyone here like that?”
“Perhaps you’d better just tell me what this is about,” again he looks at the Captain.
Tesseleck gives him a nod and takes the other open seat. “I work for the Mercantile Guild Professor, as you may have noticed,” he says tapping the badge around his neck, “and Morgana and I were tasked this evening with finding some missing cargo. The interesting thing we found, Professor, is that the cargo was being held in an abadoned part of the city’s old sewer structure. Even more interesting, however, is that it was being protected by rats, one of them of quite unusual size and all of them, tainted by some old magic. The entire system structure seemed to be steeped in old magic.”
The Professor looks about to interrupt at this point. I speak up before he can begin.
“As a matter of fact,” I continue for the Captain, “we came across a room that looked like someone used to live there, the room had three Wizard Torches on the walls, and a secret passage to the room where the cargo was finally found.”
Unhappily, the Professor looks over at me. He takes a minute to study me, head to toe, even though I’m sitting down. He leans back in his seat and away from his desk as he looks at he meets my gaze with his own hard look. The Captain shuffles nervously in his chair as the Professor continues to stare.
“Nomad?” He asks directly, not shifting his gaze.
“Yes, I am.”
“You studied here?”
“Briefly.”
He harrumphs loudly and breaks eye contact with me. “Well that all sounds facinating. The Guild is not of the habit of involving the college in it’s investigative findings, why is this different?” He directs his question at the Captain, acting as if our own exchange is completely forgotton.
“The Guild will be sending men down in the morning to retrieve the cargo, that’s not the issue here, Professor.” The Captain leans forward in his chair slightly and the Professor gives him a careful look. “We did however, think it might be of interest to parties here at the college that there looks to be previous wizard quarters in the sewer system. Not only that, but that who ever did live there left enough magic behind to taint the current inhabitants over time.”
“It may be of interest to the advisors to mister Reighn to find out who used that space as living quarters. What the city does not need is a group of magic tainted rats roaming the city. We still don’t know who took the cargo, and if it was this group of rats, then you’ll have a far larger mystery on your hands. The Guild’s job is done here, we just thought that someone here,” I gesture around to signify I meant the college, “might want to know about such things”.
The Captain nods in agreement with my assessment, and we both wait while the Professor seems to be processing the information. After a few moments of awkward silence, the Professor gives a loud sigh and leans forward resting his arms on the desk between us.
“I will make sure that we further this investigation. If anything turns up, the Guild,” he doesn’t look at me or the Captain, but he emphasizes the word ‘guild’ as if flaunting his authority, “will be notified. Is this acceptable?”
The Captain stands, “I suppose it’s the best we could hope for. Thank you for your time Professor Fleish.” He shakes the Professors hand and moves towards the door before the Professor can stand.
We make it out of the Professor’s office and the college in record time. Neither of us feels it necessary to chat about our encounter as we’re walking out of the school, and we make haste back into the brisk night air. We exchange a pleased and amused look as we enter out into the night, and start down the street once more to the Captain’s home.
“That went better than I expected,” I say after we’ve passed through the school’s courtyard.
The Captain chuckles and gives me an intrigued look. “How bad of a time were you expecting?”
“Ah, so you’ve never met the Headmaster then.” I laugh and turn to look at him.
We stop walking and lean against a nearby building for a moment as we enter onto Guild Alley. He gives me a bright smile and laughs. The night air is still crisp, and the sky is clear to make for a chilly evening. Our breath is barely visible in the night, despite the very warm days we’ve had. It’s becoming late in the year and the night is a good indication of colder weather on the way.
“No, I can’t say as I’ve ever had the pleasure.”
“Well, you’re not missing much. But I understand why you wouldn’t have expected that to go as badly as I was.”
“He’s a hard man to get along with I hear.”
“You hear correctly. I never dealt with him too directly, or too often, but what I do know…well let me say that I’m still not sure that the Guild won’t be in for a bigger issue later on, especially after the school representatives have been there.”
“I’ll make sure to inform the Lieutenant. Although I’m positive he’s dealt with the college before, wizards at least. He should know what to expect.”
“I hope so.”
We both stand there silently for several minutes enjoying the night air. With my clothes being cleaned, I didn’t have any heavier tunics to wear, however I’m pleasantly comfortable in the small breeze and it reminds me a little of being outside the city travelling. Our most recent return to the city make keep us here several weeks, and while I look forward to the money I can make during that time to be supplied for our next trip. With this weather, it might be nice to stay near the city for a while, enjoy the life around it while I can.
“You look lost in thought Morgana,” he says softly interrupting the silence.
“Not so much, just thinking how long it will be until we set off again.”
“How long then?”
“Few weeks, maybe more. I’m never really sure, I don’t think any of us are. One day we’ll decide that we’re ready and supplied enough and we’ll set out. There’s not really a schedule we follow. It’s where the wind takes us, and when.”
Not too far off down the street, there’s a small scuffle. We watch quietly as members of the city watch try desperately to stop someone from entering a number of buildings along the Alley. They aren’t successful, and after a few minutes the figure they’re chasing doesn’t reappear. The watch trundles off down the street away from us, and I chuckle.
“Never know what city life I’ll see when I’m here,” I say hoping to change the subject.
The Captain just grunts and pushes off of the wall and starts towards the street again. I step up and follow him, giving him a small smile.
“So how is it the Guild can call on you, and you answer without so much as a question?”
It’s certainly a change in conversation and he doesn’t so much as glance at me as he asks. The problem is that I’m not really sure how to answer it rightly. I do come when the guild calls, and I’m not always happy about it. I can see him struggling not to look at me as he waits for my response. I can think of the possible answers he may hear from other people: they owe the Guild or the guild has something on them they’d rather not have shared with city officials.
“It’s complicated,” I decide to start with.
“Everything with the Guild is,” he counters.
I shrug in agreement. “I suppose, but I don’t think you have many Nomads working for you, do you?”
I can see him think about it for a minute before he answers that they don’t, or not that he can remember.
“Exactly. We have a mutual understanding. When I decided to drop studies at Mendel’s, I hired myself out to the guild for muscle. It took a little convincing, but they accepted me into the ranks at the time. It didn’t last long.”
“You left town?”
“Something like that. I’ve learned they don’t really like it when people working for them disappear. Especially when they didn’t make it happen.” He laughs.
We reach the end of Guild Alley, and cross through into the surrounding neighborhood where he resides. The streets are even more quiet here where everyone, or most everyone, is asleep. Within a few short hours the neighborhood will wake as people prepare for their day. I suppose in a nice neighborhood like the Captain’s though, even as the morning is prepared for it’s residents, the street would still be mostly silent.
“So, when I came back we had a talk. It went as good as can be expected of such things, since I got to keep…living.” I shrug.
He doesn’t say anything as we draw near his house and are greeted by a different guilder than before.
“They restock quickly,” I say gesturing to the young man at the front door.
“That’s good for them, and helpful for me.” He gives me a sly smile and greets the young man before opening the front door to the house.
The guilder hands him a message before we enter and are greeted by the same elderly woman. He takes off his badge and scabbard and hands them to her. She takes them and scurries down the hall, and he follows behind her towards the office I saw him use earlier. The woman goes off into another room, and the Captain motions for me to follow him into the office. It’s a small simply adorned room with a desk and comfortable looking chair. The desk is mostly clear of paperwork, and a small map of a good portion of the city hangs on the wall next to the desk. He takes a seat behind the desk and motions for me to sit in the small, but also comfortable looking chair positioned in the corner facing him.
“It’s from the Lieutenant,” he says as he breaks the guild seal on the outside and opens the message.
He’s quiet for a few moments while he looks over the letter, and his face looks grave as he looks up from the message at me.
“Bad news?” I ask, bracing for the worst.
“Curious news. As I predicted they will be sending men down in the morning to retrieve the cargo. However,” he pauses to give the letter another glance, “we’re not finished yet”.
“What do you mean, not finished?” I stand and cross the room to look at the note from over his shoulder. He hands the message to me.
Captain. Nomad.
A retrieval group will be sent to recover what you found, in the morning. I request that the Captain meet me soon after to discuss the night’s findings. It would be of interest for the Nomad to accompany him, for this is a matter of some interest to the Nomads and to Bauxe.
I hand the letter back to him after reading over it a second time. A matter of interest for the Nomads? I wonder. I can see the question on the Captain’s face as well as he studies me. I give a small shrug and move back to the chair across the room, if for nothing more than to give myself a moment where the Captain cannot see my face. In my mind I sort through all the possibilities that could’ve kept the Lieutenant so close-lipped in the letter. Most written missives from the Guild are not always so vague, nor do they go through the trouble so often of concealing the names of the intended recipients. The matter must be serious indeed to protect against even the messengers reading the letter.
“Morgana? What do you think he means by it being a ‘matter of importance’ to the Nomads?” He asks before I’m even completely seated.
“I’m not sure Captain.”
“Tesseleck.”
“It could be anything, is your Lieutenant always so secretive in your missives?” I shrug trying to hide my concern.
“No, not really. That also concerns me.”
“What ever it is, we’ll find out in the morning. I for one, would like to get some rest,” I stand from the chair once more and the Captain stands also.
He comes from behind the desk and joins me in leaving the office. “You are most welcome to stay here, in that room upstairs. It would be easiest for us to go together in the morning.”
I nod in agreement. “Thank you for your hospitality Captain. I’m tired enough without having to try and find a room for the night.”
He gives me a small smile and escorts me to the stairs. “If you need anything, just ask.”
“Thank you,” I say as I head up the stairs.
He stands at the railing for several moments as I make my way to the second floor. As I reach the landing I hear his footsteps retreating down the hallway below. My own clothes are laid out on the bed when I enter the room, clean and fresh and dry. I find a nightrobe in the armoire and put that on before slipping under the heavy covers on the bed. Within moments my eyes are closed and I’m asleep.
Throughout the remainder of the night, and into the morning my sleep is peaceful except for the thoughts and worries that plague it. Which is to say that it’s not entirely peaceful at all. As I fight to stay asleep, my mind continues to relive the earlier evening. The decent into the abandoned sewer and what I encountered with the Captain. The most disturbing parts come to me in this fitful half-alseep night, in which I remember the chilly flow of the energies of the Aetheric as they flowed through me. To have the gift is to constantly be disturbed both in sleeping and waking hours, by both what you have seen and what you may have seen but cannot quite remember. It is those images that I cannot remember exactly that still haunt me as I’m woken sometime in the morning.
I am roused from bed sometime I assume after most people have been up for several hours. I can smell the delightful breakfast that must be waiting downstairs as the gentle older woman opens the door and calls softly for me.
“Miss…miss?” She asks softly, daring not to enter the room.
I’m only aware of her because of the lovely smell that wafts in from the hallway as she holds the door open. It takes me a few moments to gather myself as I look around the room and must remember where I am. The thoughts of mysterious rooms and wizards of the old city fall to the back of my mind as I sit up and see her standing in the entry to the room.
“Yes,” I mumble still waking up, “what is it?”
“Oh, yes miss. The Captain asked for me to see if you were yet awake. I’m sorry for disturbing you.”
I flip the covers off of me and slide out of the bed. I hear her breathe in, almost a gasp of surprise as I stand and stretch out my legs and arms trying to wake more fully. I turn to look at her, but she quickly looks down, averting her eyes to the floor. She mumbles another nervous apology and steps back out of the room.
“Breakfast is ready miss,” she manages to say before closing the door to the room.
I hear her steps shuffling down the stairs, and her nervousness gives me a small laugh. In Bauxe one seldom expects to come across such naive minds that have never enountered someone other than human. While Nomads are not so different from them, I expect she feels nervous about staring at me, though I do not mind overmuch from her. Having been born with unusual features, even among Nomads my dark red hair is rare, I am used to stares. It’s only my luck to have it combined with features both Nomads and Humans (and Slights, I’m also told) find pleasing.
I put on my clothes from the previous day and pull my hair up on my head to get it out of my face for the day. I head downstairs quickly and enter Tesseleck’s dining room. He’s sitting in the same spot he occupied for dinner the night before and he gives me a polite smile as I enter.
“Good morning.”
“Are we late?” I ask as I sit down at the table.
“No, we have plenty of time. You have time to eat.” His own plates are empty and he’s pushing them away with his last words.
His serving woman brings a full plate, setting it down in front to of me. The Captain has some paperwork at his side that he picks up while I eat. Just as the night before, the meal is wonderful and I eat as much as I can possibly stand. It’s nice to have a full meal at a table, and I try to enjoy it as much as I can. When I can’t eat another bite I push the plate back and scoot back in my chair. The Captain puts his paperwork down and gives me a bright smile.
“We should get going soon.” He pushes back from the table and stands up. “That is, if you’re ready?”
“Certainly.” I stand and follow him out of the room.
The day is bright and brisk. We both step out into the bright morning and head down the street out of his neighborhood.
“Have you come up with any thoughts about what more this could be about?” I ask as we walk down the busy roadway.
“Not really. I racked my brain trying to see if I could think of something. I reviewed some of my previous cases even…that’s what I was reading while you had breakfast.”
I shake my head. “I couldn’t stop thinking about it all night, I didn’t sleep well because of it. But, I couldn’t think of a thing.”
Even as I’m speaking, something triggers a memory of my dreams the previous night. Something about the way the Aethric was flowing through the system. I can’t pin it down, and when I try to focus on the thought, it drifts out of my reach. The Captain catches me in thought and gives me a puzzled look. I shrug, and repeat that I can’t think of any reason.
“We’ll find out soon enough, I suppose,” he mutters as we walk into Guild Alley.
The Alley is very busy. People are walking and running all over the alley, and there are many guilders walking around the the fronts of many shops. The headquarters of the Mercantile Guild is a large building flanked by smaller ones that serve as bunk houses for officers and other guilders as well as store houses for merchandise that needs to be distributed.
I sigh as we enter the building. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.”
“But you have been here?”
I nod. “A long time ago, like I said.”
The entrance to the guild house is heavily guarded, but the Captain and I are waved through quickly. A guard near the door where we enter escorts us down a narrow hallway and shows us to an office. The guard opens the door to the office and gestures for us to enter. The Captain takes the lead and walks in, I follow behind. The guard closes the door between us after I enter.
The Lieutentant is sitting at a large desk, rifling through the paperwork scattered over it. He looks up as we enter the office and gives the Captain a sharp nod. He stands and gestures to the seats across his desk for us to sit down. Tesseleck waits for me to choose a seat and be seated before sitting himself. He gives me a reassuring look before we both settle in and face the Lieutentant.
“Thank you both for your excellent and quick work last night,” the Lieutenant begins in a very formal voice, “our men have already started the recovery and should be finished shortly. We were pleased to discover that the majority of the missing items have been recovered in full and without damage.”
The Captain nods, “that’s good news”.
“Aye, it was not expected that we would recoop all the losses. However, the matter for which I asked you to see me this morning, extends beyond the merchandise and it’s recovery. It is a matter more directly related to the abandoned sewer itself. You see, that area of town is not as old as you could be led to think.”
The Captain and I exchange a quick look as the Lieutenant continues on.
“As a matter of city history, the sewer itself was used a hundred years or so ago, but abandoned recently when more modern accutraments could be used. I had a quick discussion this morning with my own superiors who informed me of a conversationn that took place in the dark early hours this mornng. A small contingent of advisors from Mendel’s came our way this morning to go over the layout of the system that Captain Tesseleck was wise enough to provide.”
The Lieutentan shuffles through some paperwork on his desk and pulls out a hastily drawn map on parchment paper. He pushes it foward on his desk so that we can see it more closely. He then pulls out a delicate and detailed map on yellowing parchment and places it next to the Captain’s map, where we can compare the two.
“You see, here’s the old system as it was mapped out almost a hundred years ago,” he says tapping the yellowed parchment. He traces a few lines on the map and then refers the Captain’s map, “however, Captain Tesseleck, your map doesn’t match up. Furthermore, when a small group of wizards went down this morning to investigate the system, they found markers of an older section of the system that they believe is also connected to what you found. They also came across some of the rats that were mentioned in your report. They’ve been taken to the college for examination.”
“What does that mean?” Tesseleck asks.
“Well, it could mean that miss Morgana was corrected and the rats have been tainted by magic in that place. However, it would mean that the magic left there is far older then you or I suspected,” the Lieutenant answers giving me a small nod.
As the Lieutenant continues to explain the old sewer system and the connection to the idea of an older city, or the ruins of a previous settlement where Bauxe is currently located, I can’t help but be a little nervous. My people have known for years that something existed here before Bauxe, and that there was a time in a very very distant past that the entire continent on which Bauxe is located held life across it’s face. Instead of in one small isolated place, where Bauxe later formed. It is the reason, or at least chief among them, why the Nomads still wander the wild lands. We search consistantly for other remenants of settlements that have yet to be discovered. We search for a reason for the wild lands, so that one day we may be able to counter act them, or at least understand them.
It’s obvious as he speaks that the Lieutenant and his superiors, nor those that have involved themselves from Mendel’s understand what they’re embarking on. It’s then, that he drops and even larger discovery in our laps.
“…I’ve been asked to choose one leader to take a contingent of guild men out of the city, to travel with wizards from the college, who will be lead by the headmaster: Reign, as well as summoners and clerics from the Temple who will be led by the Prisidium herself.” He stops and gives the Captain a meaningful look. “I’ve decided to send you, Captain Tesseleck, I think your impeccable investigative abilities will be of the upmost use in protecting the Guild’s interest among that entourage.”
The Captain visibly pales and takes a deep breath before asking, “where will I be leading this group, Sir?”
The Lieutenant nods as if he’d been waiting for this very moment, his eyes take on a glassy brightness as he smiles at the both of us, “to the ruins of a city three weeks north.”
“A…city…?” the Captain stammers.
“Yes. A small group that just travelled through Bauxe on their way back to the Old Kingdoms has left word about a great discovery. While travelling through the wilds north of Bauxe, they came across the ruins of what may have been at one time a very large and very great city.”
The Lieutenant seems nearly bursting with the excitement that this news brings, while the Captain sputters and mumbles at my side in disbelief. I try to remain calm at the news. We’ve known for a time, that sooner or later someone would start finding the old ruins in the north. What has distracted me however is the idea that a group from the Old Kingdoms would be the ones doing the discovering, and not any adventerers from Bauxe. It makes me very curious what this group was doing so far to the north, and if they did not already know where to search, and how they knew. I make a mental note for myself to trek back outside the city walls to find someone at the camp to talk to. The Elders will want to know that Bauxe is sending a group north. They’ll want to make sure when they set out once more, they travel in an opposing direction.
“Morgana, I would like to ask you to go along, with the Captain on this trip. We’re certain to need someone with your abilities and guild leanings, on our side in the coming month,” the Lieutenant says with a confident smile.
I waffle for a few minutes between saying no and saying yes, wondering what would come of either choice. I know the choice must be that I will go, if not for the guild (most certainly not) but for my people. Our interests must be protected as well, and it would not do to have no one along to represent those of us that are not of Bauxe entirely. Besides, there’s always the rare chance that these humans, especially with the help of the prestigious Presidium, that they might find something. Getting to meet and travel with the Presidium, a mysterious Slight woman that leads the Temple of the Three Gods, might be worth travelling with Reign in our midst.
“Will the city be sending any to protect it’s own interests? Aside from the church and the wizards, I imagine they’ll want warriors along for the protecting?” I ask trying to postpone giving my answer.
“Of course, our Lord Mayor has decided to send a remarkable number of men out for this journey. I expect they will slow the proceedings a bit, but it will be worth the protection in case of the unforseeable,” he responds.
The Captain and I both nod, understanding that a large troop of soldiers will slow any trip across the wild a great deal.
“As a matter of fact,” the Lieutenant continues, “I have a page here that outlines all of the numbers that will be travelling north in this group”. He shuffles through more papers on his desk and comes up with a small list and hands it to the Captain.
“And, what of the group that found these ruins? Are they to lead the trek north?” I ask as the Captain reviews the list.
“No, unfortunately they have already begun their return to the Old Kingdoms. They revealed their knowledge of this ruined settlement somehow that gave them enough time to get out to sea. I’m not sure of the details, this information came from headmaster Reighn just this morning. They may have been gone for days now.”
Tesseleck looks up from the list with a puzzled look on his face, “Lieutenant, you’ve assigned me a contingent of summoners to go with the guild officers. Who is to provide those?”
“Ah, yes. The college has offered to let us handpick a small group to travel with you. It will be best for all groups to share some common magic users in order to pass messages, or take care of other necessaries if you are apart from either the Presidium’s or Reighn’s entourage. Of course, the group left to pick from will be those that have not already been choosen for the trip by Reighn himself.”
The Captain gives a small grunt of acceptance at this news and looks back to his list. The Lieutenant finds another map on his desk and places it over the previous city maps we had been looking at. It’s another hastily constructed map with several notes, and crude pictures on it. He gives it a small tap and looks back to me.
“This map was provided by Reighn, I’m not sure where he got it. It should help you determine the location of the ruins. If you’re willing to go, I would trust you with this. Out of everyone set to go, I would trust a Nomad to find any location within the wilds,” he smiles and hands the map to me.
“I’ll go,” I say taking the map from him and placing it in my lap without looking at it. “May I ask, is the city prepared for the losses it may endure sending men out into the countryside, the wild? I cannot imagine they have many soldiers with experience.”
“That I cannot say. I know the men the Captain here will be taking are green to the wild. It has the potential for many dangers, but I trust that the losses will not be extreme. Headmaster Reighn has made preparations for a quick return in the event that something extreme happens. Do you know something, Morgana?”
“My people are well accustomed the wild energies outside Bauxe. It’s unnerving for many others, humans chief among them to be so long among places devoid of life. The company of fellow travellers isn’t always enough to keep the others around them feeling normal.” I shrug, not sure how else to explain it.
The Lieutenant harrumphs loudly and eyes the Captain. I’m not sure how well I can tell them what to expect. I know, I’ve been out there, I’ve lived in it for years. There’s more than just supplies that we find in Bauxe. Most often it’s the need to be surrounded by life, by activity that brings us back here so often. I’m not sure that most men, even soldiers have been out passed the country farms that surround the city. If they haven’t, it will take a long period of adjustment to the lack of activity, of noise…of life.
“When does this large group set off?” The Captain asks tucking the list of participating members away in his tunic.
“Two days. You’ll need to select the summoners you wish to take. I assume that you’ll be taking the men in your squad, but you’re welcome to ask for others if you think they’ll be necessary.”
“How will we contact anyone, when we get there? How am I to let you know what we find?”
“Messages will be passed regularly through the group the Headmaster is leading.”
“And what about guild specific messages?” The Captain presses for an answer.
“I’m certain you will find a way,” the Lieutenant nods and pushes away from his desk, standing up to dismiss us. “Let me know what you need and if you decide to take anyone else before you leave.”
“I will, Sir.” The Captain salutes and Lieutenant bids him farewell.
I give the Lieutanant a fair smile and shake his hand warmly. “I’ll watch over them Lieutenant,” I say as I turn to leave. They’re going to need it.
The Captain goes to speak with his men, or at least those of them he can find in the guild house. I’m escorted by one of the young men outside to wait, and I take a few moments to watch the bustle of Guild Alley in the daylight. It crosses my mind that by being here, I’m missing out on sales I could be making set up in the Market Square, and I shuffle my feet on the street trying to push those thoughts out. I know that the next few months are going to be difficult and money won’t be of concern if the guild is footing the bill for our portion of the trip. I do wonder if the city guards will know to bring enough rations for the trip and the investigation of the site. This is going to be difficult.
I decide to head out to the camp to talk with the Elders before Tesseleck comes out of the building. I leave a message for him with one of the guards at the front door to the guild house, and make my way down Guild Alley towards the Market Square. If I can make it out and back by lunch time, I’ll be able to meet with the Captain to help him choose the summoners we should take from Mendel’s.
The camp is between the city and the country farms, so as soon as I’m outside the city walls the tents and fires come into view. The Elders tend to camp in similar tents towards the center of camp. Each Tribe usually has two or three elders; the tribe that I travel with has two - a man and a woman that have been together since they were very young. They keep a single tent near the center of camp, and they keep the tent open through out the day when we’re camped near town. I stop at my own tent and take the chance to clean up a little and change into something more appropriate for seeing the Elders.
Normally, for my time in Bauxe I tend to dress as the locals do and usually more masculine than is typically expected of a woman, let alone a Nomad. To see the Elders and be presentable, I choose a long dress of many sheer layers. It’s a light color, several shades lighter than my hair and I’ve been told that it’s a flattering combination of colors on me. The layers wrap around each other and create a very flowing airey motion as I walk, and I know that it looks more like someone of my tribe should wear when meeting the Elders of another.
As I approach their tent doesn’t seem to be as busy as I’d expect. However, I don’t make a habit of frequenting the area the Elders inhabit, ever, so I’m not sure exactly what I should be expecting. A young woman greets me respectfully as I draw closer and she looks to be a daughter or granddaugter. I return her greeting and ask if I might speak with the Elders, gesturing at the open tent as I speak. She nods and motions for me to draw closer. We stand outside for another moment before she turns and enters the tent, and motions again for me to follow.
A very elderly man sits in the center of the tent on a thick set of brilliantly colored pillows. He is talking to a older woman, who despite her advanced age is still very beautiful. Both of them still have some dark streaks amid their graying hair, and it occurs to me that I’m not sure how old these Elders are, nor how long they’ve been the Elders of this tribe. Looking again at the young woman leading me, I conclude that she must be their granddaughter, however it is the nature of our race to age well. She could have me fooled. She smiles at me, catching my stare and escorts me to a small seat near the couple.
Both man and woman give me loving and welcoming smiles and wait for me to be seated and comfortable. I try to smooth my skirts around the floor as I position myself and give both Elders a bright smile. They give me a small nod and patiently wait for me to begin. I try to find the smoothest place to start, and find that I cannot think of the best place. Instead I start with the direct approach.
“The city is sending a diverse group to the ruined settlement in the North,” I say, using Dirk? the common language of the city instead of our own tongue to convey the importance of my message.
They exchange a look and both give a small shrug. Then they smile and turn back to look at me with a knowing glance.
“It was…expected, eventually” the old man says in broken Dirk.
I nod understanding his meaning. “Yes, however it was not a group from Bauxe that made the discovery, but rather small numbers from the Old Kingdom.”
Again the two exchange a look, however this time I am able to catch that this news is indeed unexpected. The old woman whispers something in a language I am unfamiliar with and they engage in a small discussion, without me. After a few moments, they fall silent and turn back to me.
The woman leans foward a little and gives me a hard stare, “How do you know?”
“I have a contact in the Mercantile Guild. I helped them recover some missing merchandise from an abandoned section underground…under the city…” I try to speak slowly hoping I’m not patronizing their ability to understand the language. “The place I found their cargo was old, and had been used many many years ago. When speaking with a leader, a Lieutenant in the guild, he shared the information about the discovery. He also asked me to accompany his group of men out to the ruins.”
Both of them shake their heads emphatically at me, “No,” the old man says.
“You should not go,” the old woman finishes for him, and he nods.
“They will need direction and help surviving. I will not reveal anything to them. And I will stay safe.” I sigh as the they both shake their heads again.
“If the Old Kingdoms…know…they are beginning to remember. You cannot take the chance.”
“I don’t think any of them will be on this trip. The group that sent word of the discovery of the ruins has already set sail back across the ocean for the Old Kingdoms. I don’t think they’ll be back anytime soon.”
“Still,” the woman says “it will be a dangerous risk to go”.
“What do you…achieve by the guild for accompanying them?” the old man asks, struggling with the right words.
In our own language I respond, “I accomplish, achieve nothing other than their continued respect. However, for your tribe, and for our people I will manage to see what these humans, and some of the Kel’tosh will do once they see what is there. And I would like to see it for myself.”
At my mention of the Slights going along to the ruins, the couple stir in their seats uncomfortably.
I press onward, “the Prisidium - a Kel’tosh woman who leads the Temple of the Three Gods,” they both give a small roll of the eyes at the mention of the human gods but I continue, “will be directing a group of diviners from the temple in this excursion. I do not know what her goals might be.”
They seem outwardly disinterested in the involvement of the Prisidium. However, by the sudden slump of the man’s shoulders and the direct look he and his partner share it’s obvious they think something about it is worth knowing. They give me a thankful smile and the woman reaches over to give me a small reassuring pat on the leg.
“You go. Keep your eye open and share what you find with us,” the man says after a few minutes giving a me a small nod of approval.
I’m a little taken aback by their sudden change of mind but remember to thank them both. I promise to inform them whenever I am able along the trip and to make note of anything I see while I’m there. They seem agreeable to the arrangement, and within moments my arms have been piled with many comforting blankets and clothing as a representative gift from the tribe. Their daughter, or granddaughter escorts me out of the tent when they’ve finished loading me up and instructs me to pay a visit to one of the cooks for rations. The thought of taking my own food along pleases me and I hurry to my tent to drop off what I have so far.
As I weave my way back through the camp, I notice a small group gathering and heading for the Elders tent. I wonder how much people already know, and how big a deal this may be. For the longest time, we’ve been the only ones travelling, the only ones discovering, and the only ones remembering. The fact that some one else is finally realizing what is out there could be frightening to many. Especially with the Kel’tosh and the involvement of the Prisidium. It occurs to me that this could be the first in a long line of discovery, and there are other places to discover. It also worries me to think of the number of Nomads that have taken shelter in Bauxe, that have stopped travelling and settled, how many of them will be forced to leave again if the humans can take back other cities? With an involuntary shudder, I try to push aside those thoughts and instead think of the trip ahead.
I store everything in my tent before heading out to the few cooking tents near my own. The area smells wonderful as it does when we’re near town. The breads and meats that are being cooked waft pleasant scents through the camp, and I’m glad I chose to camp where I did.