Cellocht’s party: Alvec Snaptail

The two wizards stood far from the tent, where other spellcasters slung spells downwind at several hay targets. "Scorching ray," Alvec cited before the magic bolted from one of their outstretched hands.

"Acid Arrow," Mavec responded as he tilted his head towards the next caster in line. "Don't you think this is a little dangerous?"

"I mean, I'm not worried about it; they put up some decent wards. We should be safe."

"So you agree, it's dangerous."

"You don't put wards up if it isn't."

"What is Cellocht thinking?" Mavec asked as he pulled out a cigarette and ignited it.

"It's flashy, alright; maybe that's the point. Just a little bit of flair Celocht didn't have to pay for. A well-timed fireball could look really cool."

"It's dangerous and dumb," Mavec said; he eyed the other spellcasters with mistrust.

"Well, you can sit here if you'd like and glower in their direction, but Naya left Echo with me, so I guess I've got to feed the boy. We'll chat later," Alvec said as he motioned for Echo to follow him. Alvec was used to having Rem, whose intelligence he was entirely certain of. The fox could read, and if his vocal cords allowed it, he would have been able to speak. Heck, the little fellow could even help with alchemy, and they were working on teaching him how to activate wands. Echo, on the other hand, Alvec couldn't get a good read on. He was more intelligent than an average wolf, or at least better behaved... but he certainly wasn't doing anything other than what Naya told him to do. Thankfully, those instructions today were to stay with Alvec and protect him. So the wolf did just that with a goofy, open-mouthed smile staring up at him the whole time.

It didn't take long for the trio to find the food. Several white tents were set up with tables beneath them, all overflowing with food. "Rem, can you help pick things out for Echo? I didn't exactly brush up on what wolves can eat, and Naya ran off to those fighting pits before I got a chance to ask." Rem stretched slowly, uncoiled himself from his nested position between Alvec's horns. Resting on Alvec's head had become one of his favorite pastimes. The fox hopped onto its master's shoulder and then onto the table. Where it proceeded to yip at specific products. Alvec took the hint and began to load his plate up for Echo first. Rem and himself were solid omnivores, so filling a plate for themselves wasn't hard. Once a fair bit was gathered on the dishes, the trio returned to the open air under the sun. Alvec sat down and placed the plate of meats in front of Echo. Rem and Alvec shared the second one he had assembled.

It was, thankfully, a nice day. It was relaxing just to rest on the grass for a moment. How long had it been since he had been able to sit upon short-cut grass and not fear an animal attack? Another tiefling made his way over toward them. Alvec stood up to greet him properly. He brushed his pants clean as he stood. The man was older than him by a decade and wore nice fancy clothing of a rich charcoal black. His horns were straight and jutted up like deer from his skull. His skin was a soft red, and his eyes were tinted, almost an amber brown.

"A pleasure to see another tiefling here. I worried I'd be the only one. Lahzan, master of the Bellforge," he said as he extended his hand.

"Alvec," Alvec replied curtly as he shook his hand.

"So what got you the invite? I hear each of us is in some way an exceptional individual. For me, it's undoubtedly the founding of the Bellforge and my efforts to associate our kind with the arts. What better way than through the art of music." Alvec frowned at the man as he pondered why he had been invited. A man of Cellocht's stature might have known his real name. Being a Reynore came with many perks within the magical community. There was another possibility, he thought as he anxiously bunched up his cloak.

"Did you hear about Rust Hill?" Alvec asked.

"Yes, a bunch of fire elementals ran amok in a small forge settlement. Red Banner helped evacuate, and some beastly barbarian tiefling held the line."

Alvec laughed heartily. "The tales really do get exaggerated. I'm a wizard, and I'd hardly call myself beastly."

"That was you?" Lahzan asked. The man took stock of the young man in front of him again. He smiled at him and gave a quick nod of his head to the boy.

"Yup."

"You're braver than you look. Thank you for your service to our kin."

"It was nothing, really. A child was in danger; I just did what anyone would do."

"You're a good chap, Alvec," the man said. Lahzan clapped him once on the back. "I'd be honored to host you at the Bellforge. If you don't mind, I'm going to take my leave. Get myself some food and mingle with others. I'd love to secure a few more investors." Lahzan wandered off to seek out more privileged individuals, and Alvec, Echo, and Rem were left alone once more.

Officially, all subjects of the Empire were equal in the eyes of the law. After the end of Ageneon's War, his Third Ascension Decree swept away old oppressive laws against Tieflings, Orcs, and Goblins. That said, perceptions of Tieflings were slow to change. Alvec knew all too well how the prejudices lingered. Devils had run amok during the Anarchy... hell his no-good grandfather Iridel had summoned them and cut deals with them. One of which led to Alvec's father's birth and the spawning of this bastard branch of the Reynore family.

"Bait have cheese knife, what problem?" A sharp voice from the nearby food tables cut off Alvec's musings. A goblin appeared to be arguing with a man over cheese. Despite his grubby appearance, the goblin held two beautiful cheese knives decorated with stylized animal heads on the end of the handles. Upon closer closer, Alvec's breath caught in his lungs. The human man was wearing one of the more casual uniforms of the Gold Banner Army. Stylish black slacks, a black jacket with bright golden trim, and an unmistakable armband prominently displayed for all to see.

"Echo, Rem, stay here," Alvec commanded as he walked briskly over to the pair. Echo moved to follow, but Rem gently bit his tail and tugged him back.

"You've not answered my questions yet. Who are you, and how did you come to be here?"

"Bait have cheese knife, what problem?" The goblin repeated as he tried to push past the man to acquire some cheese.

"He's clearly a guest," Alvec said as he arrived behind the goblin.

"And you are?"

"Alvec Snaptail. Abjurer," he replied as he produced a bronze medallion from his coat and displayed it like a badge. The man's eyes narrowed as he assessed Alvec.

"Do you know this goblin?" He asked.

"Bait want cheese, cheese for guests, Bait guest!"

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"No, but presumably, he had to come through security like the rest of us. It might be faster to ask the front guard. I'm sure they'll remember this goblin," Alvec replied.

"What Bait need do to get cheese?" The man looked at the pair with distrust or disgust; it was hard to tell which emotion was behind the sneer. Alvec had been warned many times about dealing with the Gold Banner. They were granted immense power with very little oversight. There were rumors that they could arrest and execute simply on gossip. Their crusade against threats to the throne meant that all tieflings were viewed with an extra layer of scrutiny. The man stepped back, allowing the goblin to rush to the table and stab at the cheese. He took a clump of cheddar and eagerly licked it off his blade before going in for another. The Gold Banner agent stepped forward again.

"You will use a plate," The agent insisted.

"But Bait have cheese knife, knife better than dumb plate."

"Friend, I really would recommend using a plate," Alvec said to the goblin. "You can load it high as you want with cheese, but please humor me and use a plate."

"You boring, remind me of Illaria, use plate Bait, don't go boom at party Bait, mind your manners Bait." He begrudgingly took a plate and used the serving utensil to fill it as high as possible before he scampered off a few feet and used his cheese knives to eat it; he licked the knife clean between slices.

"I'll be checking with the front guards now," the Gold Banner agent said before walking briskly away from the food tables. Alvec let out a nervous sigh. He didn't want to be known by the Gold Banner Army. It was best to stay as far away from them as possible. It wasn't wise for him to have interceded, but it wasn't right to do nothing. He clutched at his small necklace, a simple hammer pendant hanging by a smooth leather cord. Gods help him.

Cellocht's party: Mavec

Alvec was taking forever. Mavec glanced down at Piccora sitting patiently by his feet. Perhaps he should begin doing routine maintenance; finding a quiet and safe space to work on her here would be easier than in the middle of the woods. Mavec was sick of wandering through the wilds but grateful for the company, even if Naya's spirituality was spiritual bullshit. Sure, the spirits existed, but why would he pray to something so volatile? Meanwhile, the gods were right there and far more interested in cultivating a following. Mortal opinion mattered to gods; spirits just did whatever the hell spirits did.

"What do you make of this?" a man said as he approached Mavec, who stood beside the magic tents. A quick glance over the man revealed him to be Gold Banner Army. Mavec shrugged in response. He'd also heard rumors that some of the Gold Banner wore masks to obscure their identities, but he'd never confirmed that. This man didn't have a mask. His hair was brown and thin, and his skin was clammy and sunken. Mavec knew the work must be challenging, but this man looked downright sickly up close.

"It's irresponsible, dangerous, and dumb," Mavec replied cooly. He had no opinions on the Gold Banner. They were a thing that existed, and his life ran pretty far away from their concerns. The man nodded in agreement. There was something off about him. While he gazed at Mavec, it was less that he made eye contact and more like he was looking through him. It gave Mavec the chills.

"Yes, Cellocht encourages this sort of play, but it is unpredictable. It is good that he has set up sufficient defenses this year. Seeing someone watching the festivities rather than participating in them is even more impressive. Forgive me for asking, but are you perhaps an artificer?" Mavec shuffled through his pockets and produced his bronze badge. It was similar to Alvec's. Both were cast in bronze, with the name of the institution they attended carved into it, but Mavec's looked more like a cog with toothlike edges. "I see. What are your views on Alusai?" The man asked, watching him closely. Mavec let out a big sigh.

"How could one of the brightest minds of Artificy be such an idiot when it came to choosing sides? His designs are fascinating, and I'd love to study his work, but I'm not interested in why he didn't take up Ageneon's First Amnesty," Mavec replied, attempting to thread the needle between truth and lie.

Alusai wasn't just good; he was downright brilliant. His creations revolutionized the field of Artificy. Hell, much of Piccora's designs were only possible by standing on the shoulders of the giants, Alusai in particular.

"A very wise take. There is much to be learned from studying the man's work and nothing from learning about his ideologies." Mavec took another drag off his cigarette and faced back down towards the drunken spell-casting celebrants.

"Fireball," he muttered, continuing the game he'd been playing with Alvec.

"Excuse me?" The Gold Banner agent asked.

"Sorry, another wizard and I were playing a game. Guess what spell they cast. He was ahead, but if he doesn't return soon, I think I'll win by default." The man, a good twenty or thirty years Mavec's senior, opened his mouth to speak. A loud boom echoed through the grounds as brilliant vermillion flames sprouted through the sky, followed by a shower of blue sparks and green wisps of flame.

"Praise to the father of creation and father of destruction!" Shouted a wild-looking halfling with a mop of hair framing her head like a lion's mane made of fire, with marigold flowers braided into it. A sudden hiss caught Mavec off guard, and he shuffled to the side, turning to face the Gold Banner Army agent.

"Are you ok?" Mavec asked. The man proceeded to cough a few times into his hand.

"Yes, the smoke is just getting to me," he said as he pointed at Mavec's cigarette. "I never could stand them."

"Oh, oh, sorry. I'll put it out. Didn't mean any disrespect," Mavec said as he passed the lit cigarette to Piccora, who promptly squished the lit end with her metal paws.

"It's alright; I have other business to attend to. If you'll excuse me," the man said before he bowed and walked towards the manor.

"What was that about Piccora?" He asked down at his metallic companion. Two beeps came from her in response. "I didn't imagine that, did I?" Another beep from Piccora affirmed that she heard the man hiss. "Yeah, it was fucking weird."

Cellocht’s party: Naya

Hope blistered bright as the sun in Naya, the sky filled with wild colors of fire, and the name thundered over the crowd. Alvec and Mavec weren't followers of the spirits. They wanted to go to her home and get samples to study what had happened to her village. She was grateful for whatever help they might provide, but if this was due to the spirits, then who could say if arcane magic could even help? They had been traveling for weeks, and she had only seen a handful of people honoring the spirits. She raced from the fighting pits towards the halfling woman with messy red hair.

"Excuse me?!" She said as she neared the woman. Up close, she could see that she was barefoot, and her clothing was clean but simple cloth with lots of charms and talismans scattered over it—earthen colors, bright red berries, and sea glass stones.

"Yes, child?" The woman asked as she greeted her with a wide, bright smile.

"You mentioned you worship the spirits?"

"Yes, and we should all worship them and honor the old accords," she nodded.

"I need help; my village, the people were all turned into plants," Naya pleaded.

"Slow down, child. We haven't even exchanged names yet. I'm Lina, and you are?"

"Naya, from Lom-Itoti, it's a pleasure to meet you," Naya said as she dipped into a slight bow.

"The whole village turned to plants? How did you escape this fate?" Naya frowned. Her memories of it were still very hazy. She had been asleep in bed; the next thing she knew, she was deep in the forest. The trauma of seeing her family and her friends turned into plants had also not helped cement the memories of that night in her skull. Alvec had suggested that they consult an enchanter. Perhaps they could help untangle the emotions and help paint a clearer picture of what had happened to her.

"I went to bed and woke up in the woods with a strong urge to keep walking." The halfling smiled, wrinkles crossing her brow.

"It sounds to me as if Enner Jut was looking after you. Attempting to protect you from whatever was afoot. I wish I could tell you why she could only save you." Naya frowned; she had thought as much herself. Enner Jut was one of the Three Sisters; they were some of the closest spirits to mortals.

"Is it possible to commune with them?" Naya asked.

"Perhaps, but the spirits have trouble communicating with mortals—especially ancient and mighty spirits like the Three Sisters. Perhaps you should try to seek out the Children of Akrixy instead. They are tree spirits who live all over the Empire. They are much closer to mortals and may be able to give you information more directly. Speaking with the spirits is far more art than it is science."

"Do you know where any of them are?"

"No. The last I heard, there was one somewhere near the city of Sha-Laial. Beyond that, I do not know where they make their homes. I wish you the best of luck in finding them. May they be able to shed some light onto what has happened and if anything can be done about it." She pulled a metal canister from a satchel and walked away, shaking it as she went. Seeds fell from it onto the ground. "A parting gift for Cellocht, his manors flora is too boring." Naya liked this woman quite a bit. A crowd had begun to gather in front of the stage. It was time to find Alvec and Mavec and find some seats.