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Strolling through the merchant district, outside of the central pillars and the Undergrowth, was a welcome change of pace. Despite Cire’s wishes, a guild auditor was not immediately available to take the group out and they would have to wait a couple of days. This gave them a chance to outfit themselves properly, have a meal together to discuss some rough strategy, and get other various tasks done.
Using the opportunity to shop for more than one purpose, Cire and Selene had calculating gazes as they ambled. They each had an eye on supplies they would need on the adventuring path, as well as back home. Getting out of the Silverstar pillar also had the benefit of evading prying ears. Since they were in town, and now both armed, the pair could avoid having an escort.
Selene looked odd back in a dress of crushed blue velvet with large open sleeves and radiant silver highlights bringing out the cloudy blue-gray of her eyes. Obviously reinforcing her familial connections was noticeably grating on her nerves, but she was willing to do it. They were spending her gold, sold off jewelry to be precise,and she wanted it to stretch as far as possible.
Cire swore he would reimburse her for his purchases once he sold some of the more valuable items stored with Maisy and Stout, notably the top and maybe the stasis box. That still didn’t mean that he was comfortable going into her debt. However, it wasn’t entirely his choice. Selene had insisted as another member of the noble house that they outfit themselves properly.
Already tucked snugly in a bag wrapped in parchment paper was a new pair of boots, socks, and shirts for Cire. Thankfully, bootsdidn’t count as armor, so he could wear them in combat without hampering his Fluid Motion skill. The leather shop they were entering now had some additional items that could fulfill a similar niche according to Elias.
Sounding out with a clarion ring a small bell attached to the door heralded their entry to the shop. Cire let Selene take the lead making an introduction while planning to slip in mid-way to close the deal. Her associations helped with negotiations, but his Charisma generally pushed things a bit further.
The shopkeep looked up from organizing a stack of uncut tanned leather hides, it was clear that they did custom jobs and sold ready made product. Cire was surprised to see a moon elf, as this was the first one working a job outside of the pillars he had come across. The man was well apportioned and had a smart cut tunic with a jaunty hat atop his gray haired head. With a youthful smile, showing that his hair color was more to do with his lineage than age, he welcomed them in.
“Good day, good day fine customers. A lovely one for shopping is it not? What brings you to my Hermes blessed store on this fine morning?”
“I would like to get my man servant here a proper pair of leather pants and perchance a matching vest. What do you think?” Selene looked back towards Cire, but then flicked her hand as if to dismiss his opinion. “Never mind that. Yes, several pairs of leather pants, matching vests, and a new pack so he can carry my things.”
Cire was honestly impressed at the charade that Selene was managing to put on. Covering his mouth with his hand to hide a chuckle, he had a hard time not erupting into laughter. A cold chill washed over him as he realized that she was emulating her sister Penelope, it wasn’t as amusing as it had been any longer. He saw a glint in Selene’s eye as she looked back, and he regretted his mirth all the more.
“Of course, my lady. It would please me greatly to serve you.” Giving his hands a quick rub, he pulled a segemented string from around his shoulders. He ushered Cire up onto a small box and began taking his measurements. Cire gave a quick cough, the leathersmith was not gentle when taking his inseam.
“Perhaps a new hat? Belt?”
“Yes, I do believe a belt would make a fine addition.” The gleam still danced in Selene’s eyes and Cire counted himself lucky that she hadn’t pushed things too far. Cire’s moment of panic made him cast about for a solution to wordlessly communicate with her. The shopkeeper was still right before him, so he pondered.
Suddenly Selene started backwards surprised. Selene and Durg were both party members with Cire through their Adventurer skill. So far this had demonstrated itself as a vague sense of the others well being when they were close enough to one another, and the ability to generally sense each other’s location. Selene had relayed that while she was worried when he went missing, their bond had assuaged most of her fears. It had been difficult to pin down his exact whereabouts though, and Cire suspected that had something to do with Theophanes. Cire had discovered a new function of the skill though and he used it now.
Sharing the table of his sun elf abilities took a bit of concentration, but Cire willed the exchange. By her reaction he knew it had taken place. Immediately distracted, Selene’s eyes went distant. Extracting himself from the shopkeeper with care, Cire climbed down from the box.
Sun Elf Abilities
Current Lvl
Points until next Lvl
Luminous Physique: +1 to saving throws against most status ailments, 10% resistance to magic. Once per day can emit a strong flash of light from your skin that can cause temporary blindness and disorientation in a 20’ radius. This effect can include allies and cannot be directed.
1
1
Celestial Heart: A heart specializing in the storage and release of large amounts of mana. Can currently hold an additional amount of mana equal to 70% of your maximum mana capacity. Can only be filled a quarter of the way within a given day. If both your Celestial Heart and mana pool are completely empty you will fall into a mana deficient torpor.
3
3
Star Vein Surge: Your bodies mana pathways have been strengthened beyond what is typical for a mortal being. Skill abilities can be overcharged with 25% additional mana increasing the abilities effect by 25%. This may have unintended results.
1
1
Letting Selene read and consider, Cire proceeded to duck behind a changing curtain and try on one article of clothing after the next. He set aside the ones that fit well, and provided full range of movement. Some of the breeks and breeches were far too tight to be practical for fighting in, but Cire knew the trader had been led to different implications of their uses by Selene.
Blinking her eyes slowly, Selene shook her head and waved away the invisible screen. Disguising the action, she giggled using her hand to cover her mouth. Cire had walked out of the changing booth in one of the pairs of overly tight leather pants. They left nothing to the imagination.
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“Enough, enough. Pick out the ones you liked and let’s settle up with the purveyor. We have lunch with Eliana and I would prefer not to be late.”
Wincing involuntarily, Cire ducked back into the changing booth and into his original set of clothes. Selene had shared that Eliana was being forced out of her position at the academy after taking the fall for the unfortunate deaths of the students during the patrol. They were going to try and recruit her to help their burgeoning territory. That didn’t mean Cire’s body had forgotten the countless times she had literally beaten a lesson into him during class.
Leaning into the act, Cire would have to pay later for his response when they had time to themselves. “Yes my lady, right away. Would you like me to select oil for the leather and myself here or will there be another appropriate store?”
Waiting in a private, magically secured booth, in one of the upscale restaurants near the center of town, Cire and Selene took a moment to speak candidly and let their guard down. It was the first such time since Selene and the others had come and “rescued” him from Theophanes, they had much to talk about. Selene was still caught up in Cire’s new abilities.
“So, how do you think it works? Will you shine like a lightning bolt or more like a campfire? Do you think it will go through your clothing?”
Leaning back on a plush pillow, Cire sat cross legged on the floor next to Selene with a large low table before them. A pot of steaming hot tea and a bowl of fruit, a quirk that he rather liked compared to bread, sat in the center of the table. Finishing his bite of fig, he shrugged.
“Who knows? It’s not like I am going to try it out anywhere near your mother, or in town. Most folks still think I am an overly tanned wood elf, no point to give them any reason to think otherwise.” Cire tilted his head and grinned. “Besides, that’s what you wanted to ask about? You’re not annoyed that Theophanes has essentially been stalking us for months now?”
Puckering with the tart flavor, the quince that Selene chewed on was a delicious golden-yellow. “He is a servant of the gods, they are as capricious as they are powerful. If he is truly a guide sent by Apollo then it is indeed a boon. Apollo is know for being honest and kind in his dealings with mortals. It makes even more sense if Selene has shown her favor. For all his positive traits, Apollo can be jealous, and you are a sun elf. Besides, being a vampire appears to be less common among them compared to what we expected.”
Cire was still getting used to the idea of gods and goddesses that actively mucked around in mortal affairs, let alone garnering the attention of not one, but two of them. It was beginning to become more clear as to why Selene and Durg had given him the bonding stone, being a ruler was as much a danger as privilege, or path to power. How many people came out of interacting with gods for the better? If Cire’s knowledge of Greek mythology had taught him anything was that it was as rare as a politician’s conscience.
“You know, Theophanes said something else that I haven’t had time to ask you about. It hadn’t really occurred to me until now, but he called you a glade elf. I have heard of others being refereed to as glade elves, but I don’t know which school of magic they are associated with. Wood elves are associated with the earth, Sky elves are associated with wind, et cetera.”
A shadow fell across Selene’s face at Cire’s innocent, yet insulting statement. He immediately knew that he had said something wrong, but he still didn’t know what. Assuming it had to do with magic, he was about to apologize, but Selene cut him off.
“Cire, glade elf is the term given to half wood and half moon elves, or other similar offspring. It is better than most and does not carry the negative implications of other terms commonly used. Whenever elves of different types produce children they are not linked in the same way to a specific element. They can have a bond with one, both, or neither of the elements of their parents. The same is true for their abilities.”
A scarlet blush of shame and embarrassment erupted onto Cire’s cheeks. This explained a lot, but in his ignorance he had hurt his friend. In times like this he wanted nothing more than to grasp the right words to convey his apology and sympathy, yet they were as as without purchase as smoke or thoughts. The two sat in a heavy silence.
A single knock on the door stymied any chance at further discussion. The door handle turned and Eliana, dressed more casually than Cire had ever seen her, stepped into the room with a waiter following her. Setting a large bowl of salad next to the fruit, the server departed swiftly to inform the kitchen to start on their hot dishes.
“Eliana, thank you for coming. I wish the circumstances were better.” Selene said.
“Yes, we both do. Now, out with it. You were coy with the invitation, but I do not favor games,” Eliana laid out with her brusque tone. “I am simply to old for them.”
“Yes, teacher.” Cire used the more general term instead of palaestra or instructor given her recent dismissal from the academy.
Selene immediately followed, they had already decided she would make the ask. Selene had a longer, and more personal, relationship with Eliana. They would be going out on a limb, but it was fairly sturdy. Besides they were elves, so it wasn’t unheard of.
“We would like you to relocate to the Chimera’s Mane, specifically the Valley of Sunset, where I reside.”
“To be this young lord’s tutor I presume?” Eliana’s head tilted towards Cire, but they were the only three people in the room, so it was also obvious of who she spoke.
“When did you work it out?” Cire asked.
“Do not be daft boy. You all but confirmed it when you summoned a Prometheus cursed fortress from nothing. With your level and mana pool that should be impossible. I had my suspicions much earlier than that. Neither of you are as clever as you think.”
Selene and Cire both grimaced, almost in unison. Piling a heap of greens and vegetables into a bowl, Selene distracted herself as she let Cire take over. If Eliana knew already then she hardly had to take the lead. It would be more convincing if Cire made the ask himself.
“You’re right, we are making it up as we go along. Initially, we thought about asking you to be my tutor, but honestly if you would be willing to be an advisor also it would be most appreciated.”
Seeming to mull over the confirmation and then Cire’s words, the elder taciturn moon elf pulled her long graying braid over her shoulder and ran her hand down its length. The waiter returned, giving her more time to contemplate. A positively divine smelling roast of venison, delectable fried fritters, and some sort of soup filled the table. Dismissing the waiter, Cire started to serve the whole group, and Eliana raised an eyebrow.
“What sort of remuneration can I expect for performing such a task?”
Cire knew that one hundred gold was generally what a skilled crafter would make over the course of a year. The leather shop they had been in most recently probably earned the proprietor two to three times that based on what they spent for his new clothing.
What would be a proper wage to offer her? Was a wage even what she was asking for? Would he even be able to afford it? He hadn’t expected to run into liquidity issues so rapidly, that was a clear lack of foresight on his end. Cire figured that he should simply ask instead of taking shots in the dark.
“What would be appealing to you? If it is gold, whatever you are worth. I have a feeling you’re interested in something else though.”
Eliana went in a different direction than Cire expected, as was common for her, only normally in combat.
“You are a hit and run fighter. Based on your current skills and abilities you are maximized to deal as much damage as possible with a single attack and then distance yourself. You need to keep moving, if you get pinned down or encircled you’ll likely die.” The elder elf took a long drink from her tea and then swirled the liquid. “If you hadn’t learned that by now you would have been kicked out of the academy instead of leaving it voluntarily. What is your goal?”
Instead of immediately speaking and trying to answer, Cire thought about the question. Eliana was always purposeful. She wouldn't have left the query open ended if she hadn’t intended to. All but sure that she wasn’t asking about his martial path, he gave consideration to the direction he hoped for his territory.
In a world of magic, wonder, and the fantastic there were also reciprocal terrors, horrors, and danger. He had heard somewhere that the radical nature of most revolutions was not in any dramatic shift from one form of government to the next, or even who the leaders in charge were. It was how the common people were enfranchised.
“To build a place of community based on merit that harmonizes with itself. A territory governed by empowered citizens, not built on a foundation of slavery.” Cire hesitated. Only Maisy, Stout, Selene, Durg, Daphne, and maybe Nic and Andre knew he was from a different world. Considering the number had reached so many, he doubted it would stay a secret to anyone who cared to uncover it much longer. Besides, it didn’t seem to be the world shaking revelation he had thought it would be. In a land with fae creatures, demons, elementals, and other extra planar beings, he simply wasn’t that special.
“I am from another plane. So, my sensibilities and perspective are a bit skewed from standard.”
Clucking her tongue, Eliana cut and finished several bites of venison steak before setting her knife down on the plate. Her face a wooden mask betraying none of her thoughts or emotions.
“You keep telling me things that are obvious child, like I hadn’t been teaching you day in and day out. What would the timeline for this position look like? What are your immediate plans?”
Cire looked over to Selene, this was not going how they had planned. Eliana had figured out most of what they were going to ask her beforehand and was directing the conversation. They had shared a lot of information without a promise of keeping it secret, and he was beginning to regret that decision. They were already more than halfway across the lake though, and the far shore was closer than turning around now.
“We need you to go to the valley before us. The gnoll host that we fought retreated back to the Chimera’s Mane, and the guard last saw them entering the southern part of the range. It is unlikely they will attack Sunset, but we can’t take the risk. Selene and I should be able to follow towards the end of summer after we do enough quests to build up a reputation with the adventurer’s guild.”
A sharp nod and a frown followed, Eliana obviously felt the weight of her decisions. To learn that they had put a different group of people in danger couldn’t have been easy. Cire hadn’t said it to guilt her, but her expression let him know it had.
Uncomfortable silence hung in the air like lazy smoke on warm summer evening. There was a lot left unsaid, lingering between them. They needed someone with Eliana’s experience if they were going to succeed. Cire had all but told her that Selene was part of the ruling house, but not confirmed it. The group ate quietly, the only sounds being the clacking of utensils, slurp of soup, and chewing of morsels.
Never one to rush when it was not prudent, nor a person who waited once she had made up her mind, it was only towards the end of the meal that Eliana gave them an answer.
“You know, I do not actually know where Sunset is located, you are going to have to draw me a map.”