The Plight of Ostentero

[shernren]

Kuillia shuffled along awkwardly, not knowing just where they were going, content to follow the party.

(hint hint. am lost. ))

 

[Ellesar]

((I'm lost also...))

 

[jesusfreak10537]

((CC's character is taking us to the castle, I think))

Aneirin glanced at the sky again. The sun was beginning to sink toward the horizon. "I really need to get back to the temple soon." she muttered under her breath.

 

[Paladin Dave]

"He visited you in your dreams?!" Vili exclaimed, looking back at Tenkana. "Why did he not visit mine, I wonder? Hmm.... most odd...."

 

[Soldier_For_Christ]

Tenkana then remembered something: "Hey, Vili, remember how you ended up in that tree this morning?" Not waiting for a reply, Tenkana continued, "You think maybe that was his work?"

 

[CheshireCat]

(OOC: soldier that was great lol!)

"Well if you must know Tenkana," Mathonwy yelled behind him as he shouldered his way through the crowd, "I was the person in your dreams, though I don't know why, Vili, I didn't reach yours. Anywho, let's just get out of this crowd and back to the palace."

(ooc: to save all the confuzzlement, I'll just magically fast forward time until we reach the palace of the Emperor )

After the rather lengthy walk up three different flights of steps from the street, through the first ornamental gate, past the gardens, through the enormous cherry-stained wooden gate, then to the gaurd post before the regular door into the Emperor's private fountain gardens (here Mathonwy had thump on the glass window of the gaurd's station rouse him from is hazy sleep which one can get in the hot afternoon). He waited until everyone was in, closed the door behind them, and then took a deep breath as he was almost out of it entirely.

"Yeah sometimes I think I spend too much time reading and not enough time in the training rooms- that is until I think of Fikloun's novels and Ewrleiav's spellbooks, which I'm not supposed to see but oh well- and then i'm perfectly content with panting a bit after that walk up the stairs and you know the rest."

In reply, the bewildered group just blinked.

"Oh my I am rambling again aren't I. Well I'll leave you to refreshments that I'll ring up shortly, while I go and change into something without a cape or a hood. Be back soon!" With that he was off, leaving the company standing in a vast, lush, verdant garden, in which creeping vines are especially proliferate, and elegant curving fountains numerous.

 

[Paladin Dave]

Vili was about to say that he too used to read books of Lorekeeps and Druids that he probably should have stayed out of, but he was left standing in the garden with everyone else, his mouth hanging open. Not from the appearance of the garden, but because he was about to say something.

 

[Soldier_For_Christ]

((Which part, ChesireCat?))

Tenkana merely stood still for a about a minute after Mathonwy left. After that, he started looking around at the beatiful plant life. Most of it was plants he had never seen before, Probably a product of having Mathonwy around, Tenkana thought to himself.

 

[Lessien]

Zalika gasped at the beauty surrounding her. Never before had she seen such gorgeous flowers or elegant fountains. She was a bit taken aback by the explosion of color-some colors she didn't even know existed.

 

[shernren]

Kuillia examined the panorama with a scholarly eye, noting the details of the plants and flowers with his photographic memory. He would have to learn a little botany when he got back home ... if only to appreciate this beauty.

 

[jesusfreak10537]

Aneirin sighed and tapped her foot. "Just like Mathonwy to leave us here while he changes his clothes." She smiled. The garden was nothing new to her. She had been here a few times before, when visiting the imperial libraries and to talk to Mathonwy. All she was worried about now was her absence at the Temple.

 

[CheshireCat]

The party was startled from their sombre observations of their surroundings by high-pitched twittering giggling. Suddenly the door opened, and there was Mathonwy, now dressed in white with blue border, without cape or cowel, with short sleeves, and with a strange bluish-glowing creature hovering above his right shoulder. Mathonwy looked distressed at the fact that it was out, constantly fidgetting with something in his pocket on his forearm. He withdrew a small, worn, brown book, and said, "Davi, get in that pool right now- you know what would happen if they found you inside the Citadel walls."

"I don't wanna! Hmhmhmhahahahi!" fluttered the now-discernable blue fairylike creature with two long, thin blue wings, large bulbous navy eyes (well, large for a creature the size of a fairy), who wore only a long strand of blue ribbon that somehow always wrapped itself around the right places.

"I've got guests- I can't talk now!"

"Oh well how do you do, merry band of many strangers. What seerrvice may I be to you today?" she bowed, flourishing a wafting hand, and slurring the e sound and rolling the r.

"None today. Now that will do."

"Alas, so grumpy!" sulked the blue fairylike creature. She folded her arms and stuck out her lower lip, and instantaneoulsy, in a blue wur, flew with a plop into the water of the garden's largest fountain.

Mathonwy quickly said a few words read from the small book, touched the water's surface, and for an instant, the party was sure they had seen that same liquid surface turn to solid glass, and then back again.

"I'm really SO sorry for that. Her name is Davil-davilida (ooc: pronounced quickly, dah-veel-dah-veel-ah-vee-dah) and she is, contrary to Aenieren's initial belief when I first introduced them, a keplie, a water creature of the land of Fae, or dimension more like it. She was sent to me as a guide by the Mystics of the Waters, those who live within the bowels of the forest you were briefly in. And don't worry- i'm not being cruel by sealing her in that pool, for if anyone hostile to outside magical creatures, which most Citadelites are, they would bring her to court and have her executed."

"Anywho, enough of that. Conversation and relaxation first, business about your quest second. The snacks were good enough I trust?"

 

[Lessien]

"Yes. Thank you." Zalika finally managed to tear her eyes away from the kelplie. She looked somewhat familiar....

 

[Paladin Dave]

"Dryads make merry in the woods outside my village. I have never seen one before though... do they look like your Kelpie?" Vili asked as he walked closer to the fountain and stared into the crystalline waters. He had not seen many fountains like this, in his rural experiences, but he did enjoy seeing them. Especially the extremely elegant and well crafted ones. The supernatural also fascinated him. He hoped one day to possibly become a druid, although he did not know for sure if he had any magical abilities.

 

[CheshireCat]

Mathonwy chuckled. "If you keep staring long enough Vili you are bound to answer your own question, for Dyrads remain in humanoid form while in and out of water. Kelpie, on the other hand, look like horses whose bottom half including legs are a great tale and fin like that of a dolphin; outside the water, the various forms kelpie can take on have actually not been recorded by any human, as no keplie has ever told one, or at least to the knowledge of scholars on the world of Fae. Because of this a joke has circulated the books of those educated on Fae, that kelpie enjoy taking the form of hairy men when out of the water (ooc: actually, that is how the myth goes- they do take on hairy man form out of the water in Celtic mythology, but for my purposes I have spun this little tale ). Anywho, Vili, if you keep looking, you might just discern a horse's head. I know because several servants who clean the outside of the fountain have seen a horse's head and thought they were very nearly mad."

 

[jesusfreak10537]

Aneirin's cheeks flushed. She didn't like to be reminded of the day when she had met Davil. She had mistaken the kelpie for a poisonous insect and had attempted to set her on fire. "Well, enough on that subject." She smiled. "Mathonwy, you never do anything without some sort of concealed purpose in that head of yours, so why have you brought us here?"

 

[shernren]

Kuillia listened in silent wonder as he heard of all the mystical wonders outside his small worldview. He thought the merchant had passed on much knowledge of the world to him; now he felt like nothing more than a litte nestling. He waited with anticipation for Mathonwy's instructions, that he may learn even more.

 

[CheshireCat]

Mathonwy paused, sat on the rim of a fountain pensively.

After a moment, he replied, "Well I wasn't going to tell you all yet, but only for selfish reasons. I know you just got here, and you need rest, but something will happen late this evening that will force you back on the road. Yes, I suppose Aenieren was right, it must be outed now so as to reserve time to prepare; afterall, the element of water can sometimes bring procrastination, and thus sometimes requires the drive of the fire element to bring it to action.

My friends, well I call you friends in the hopes that you will be, you do not know me, as we have just met. But still I must ask you to aide me in my flight from the Citadel. Before you ask why, I'll answer. If you had stayed in the skies upon your arrival any longer, you would have been shot by over a hundred arrows. I know you are virtuous from our previous meeting in the forest, and did not wish to see you slaughtered. Hence I used my power which I had long hidden from the eyes of the Citadel, for fear of my life becoming endangered because of intolerance shown to any who possess foreign magic. Because the energy i expelled was visible, it was no doubt seen by the woman of the watchtower, the High Priestess.

Davil has confirmed my supposition that I acquired in a dream the previous evening, that is, that the High Priestess will send three assassins in the night to kill me. These three are formidable in power, and I could not defeat them on my own. Thus I ask you to aide me. Stay the night in the guest chamber's of my mother's house, and I shall visit each of you in your dreams to inform you of the hour which I must flee. If it is your will to come with me, I thank you; if you do not, however, wish to come, for reasons of your own, I understand completely. All that I ask is that you keep this matter secret until the morrow.

For those who will come, I do not yet know the destination- all will reveal itself in dreaming."

 

[Paladin Dave]

Vili bit his lower lip and stared at the ground for a moment, but was the first to step forward. He took his hammer from his belt and held it just below the head, then put his fist over his heart. "I will stay and defend you, sir. I owe it to you for saving us." he said in as bold a tone as he could muster. Yes, he was frightened, somewhat, but assassins would be a nice switch from an evil werewolf that haunted him wherever he went.

 

[Soldier_For_Christ]

Tenkana was in awe. The Council would never approve of this! Don't help him! Yet, at the same time, another side of him said, He deserves to live. It is your duty to help him. Tenkana made a decision to help Mathonwy escape and then go from there. "I'll help you escape." said Tenkana, clearly but trying to keep his voice down.