> [Freshen Up] - 3th circle spell.
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> Element: Sky.
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> Type: Elemental. Healing.
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> Classification: Support. Sustained. Harmless.
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> Target: A 10 foot cube.
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> Creates an area of cool air, that can invigorate and refresh creatures or an objects in the area of effect. The air can be felt as humid or dry depending if the creature is drenched or not. After a minute, fatigue is greatly reduced and objects and creatures are cleaned up. Debris, moisture, and other impurities removed are deposited on the far corner of the cube relative to the caster. Does not kill mold or parasites. Repeated applications of this spell have no particular effect on fatigue if used within a day of the last casting. The spells' effectiveness is halved if used where the sky is not visible.
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> This spell was designed by Princess Lumina of Yutis.
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Imagine you were the governor of a small city in the middle of nowhere with old abandoned mines and nothing else of interest around, only impassable, monster-filled mountains separating your city from the neighboring country. And one day, the most exciting event of the city's existence happen. The Crown Princess arrives with two otherworlder Heroes in her retinue. It was a chance to earn some favor! And then everything blows up in the following months, the Princess vanishes and your city is raided by slavers.
The Dungeon recently discovered was a disaster. Not only the Princess' party was wiped out but it spewed both Kobolds and slavers in equal measures. Something slaughtered both parties and that was worse than dealing with the tangible threats. The amount of bloodshed and gore that was the result of the carnage made them take the decision of triggering an avalanche to seal the Dungeon. The second party of slavers came to check on their comrades and rampaged when they learned of their fate.
Slavery is not even legal in Gohar.
Suddenly it is your fault that the future Queen vanished, that the slavers attacked. You did not support her, you did not set patrols, you did not do your job. A little part of you even wished you were taken to the capital and executed because at least the pain would cease. But no. The powers that be decided you should repent from your sins by doing the freaking job you were appointed to do in the first place, but this time under the close scrutiny of capital scribes.
And the investigation reveals that the Princess fled the country through an old and forgotten smugglers' tunnel under unknown circumstances with a party rumored to contain the most hated and dangerous Princess of the continent, whereabouts unknown for neither her or the two Otherworlders. Another slap in your figurative face. To make matters worse, the capital sends a garrison of knights, led by a Captain your faction doesn't like. That almost no faction likes as the vultures are plotting to bring down the runaway Princess and knock her out of the succession line in favor of their preferred scion. A Captain that is said heiress staunchest supporter and held a title of Viscount, over-ranking a mere Baron like yourself.
Life wasn't recently either easy or kind to Baron Elmhill, that is a certainty.
It was a terrible day as usual in the City Hall. The Baron had no idea even why he was still sitting on his chair in his office. The auditing scribes went and came as they liked and ordered everyone around anyway. A messenger barged in and the Baron sighed. Not even the peasants respected him enough to knock on the door.
"My Lord! My Lord! She has returned!" The young men shouted, clearly flustered.
"Speak, man! Who has returned?" The words had left the Baron's mouth when he noticed the pronoun. His mouth dropped. "Her?"
"Her Royal Highness! Princess Pearl has returned!"
Baron Elmhill froze. The hangman's noose never felt so comfortable.
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He was not a warrior but he wasn't aware of how out-of-shape he was as he ran up the hill to the place where the knights were building a fort. The rocky region was hostile to the horses' hooves and a road connecting the town to the fort was the lowest priority. The Baron remembered vaguely that a hermit ranger lived in this region and he never caused trouble until the Princess arrived. He was panting and sweating, cursing inside at having to present such a disheveled mien to Royalty but he had to reach the Princess before the proverbial well was poisoned.
His hopes were dashed. He saw the last of a train of floating luggage enter the half-erected walls of the fort. It meant Pearl had a mage in her retinue as he was aware that the Princess had lost her magical powers as the cost of the summoning ritual. And to make a Princess' luggage float, it had to be a good mage. His wife was a baroness and he knew no mage in Elmhill could make all her luggage float.
The Baron steeled himself and pushed forward. Two knights were guarding the gap where one day a gate would sit and they blocked his way by crossing their halberds.
"Milord Baron, good morning!" One of the knights did the traditional salute. "Unfortunately we cannot allow you to go through. Captain's orders."
Elmhill ground his teeth. Being a viscount, it was like the captain carved that region of land out of his domain. He felt another wave of powerlessness.
*SCREECH*
Something screeched from behind and above. Baron Elmhill turned around and ducked in fear. Behind the nondescript background of clouds, it was hard to judge the size but a dragon was approaching.
A freaking dragon!
He broke and sobbed, hiding his face with his hand. A stupid thought flashed in his mind. If he could die fighting a dragon, maybe he could enter the annals of history as a hero and not as the failure he lived as. The Baron stood and drew his sword.
"Come, beast! I'll show you the nobility of Gohar fears no challenge. I shall defend Princess Pearl with my blood!"
He roared his challenge at the approaching mythical creature. Brandishing his sword and shouting his challenge, the Baron mentally prepared himself to become a barbecue. He saw with his peripheral vision the halberds of the knights flanking him. He felt proud.
The dragon grew as he approached. Baron Elmhill found one oddity. The beast cast no shadow. Because it was obvious a monster of that stature should darken the land underneath its passing...
"SKIPPY!" A velvety and refined young male voice shouted from behind. "Stop playing pranks on people. For crying out loud, one day you'll make someone die of fright!"
The dragon paused its descent, hovered far away. Elmhill felt the wind from the wings brush his face like a breeze. Then he shifted and took a step sideways, parallax telling him what his mind couldn't accept.
The fearsome dragon was no bigger than a dog.
"Come here, before the knights skewer you!" The same male voice said. "I'm sorry, gentlemen. He's my familiar."
The Baron's eyes stung. It was the dust raised by the dragon, not tears. Of course. He slowly turned around, sword in hand. He saw a young man, of average height and less impressive physical build, wearing expensive traveler's clothes and with no discernible weapon on him. The man raised his arm and the dragon comfortably nested on the limb like a bird of prey. And the baron remembered a word he said.
"Familiar?"
He cursed inside as he spoke it out loud. The young man's eyes met.
"Baron Elmhill, good morning. I'm Aidan, from Yutis, a friend of Princess Pearl," He bowed slightly but enough to show he regarded the Baron as someone slightly above himself in station. Then he addressed one of the knights. "Have anyone informed the Princess that the Baron is here to see her?"
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"No, milord," He ran inside, his armor clanging.
The other knights were ashamed as they shook their heads. The baron felt a pang of relief. Maybe that boy could be of use to him.
"Baron Elmhill, I know the hike up here from the town is a bother, especially under this weather. Please allow me," He said and quickly cast a spell.
A wave of cool and dry air with the faint scent of wildflowers enveloped the Baron, removing the sweat, cooling his body, and erasing his fatigue. He was sure it even cleaned up his clothes. After a minute, the Baron felt as if he had just showered and donned new, clean clothes.
"I thank you, milord Aidan," The baron nodded.
Elmhill replied and measured the man's reaction at the treatment pronoun. The lack of one pointed out the young dragon tamer was indeed nobility. To have a dragon whelp as a familiar, he was probably the one making the luggage float. Pearl fled to Yutis, didn't she? Was this man someone hired by her.
A knight approached. "The Captain ordered to usher the Baron in. Thank you, Lord Champion."
Champion, the Baron smirked. Maybe he could foster a relationship with that man and gain some points. The two noblemen walked behind the knight and into the fort area. A small wooden hut was still in the middle. It probably belonged to the savage ranger that lived here. Elmhill wasn't prepared for what he saw. He could see the towering figure of Viscount Krolm next to a group of ladies. Pearl's retinue, most probably. The pile of once-floating luggage was next to them but out of the way.
And as he approached, he heard the lamentations of a woman. Soon he found out it was Princess Pearl, hugging someone in maid clothes and crying.
"I'm so sorry, Lola!" The Princess whined then looked tenderly at the wooden hovel. "I'm sorry, Gurf."
Gurf! That was the name of the ranger! The Baron tried to approach but the young man raised his arm to block his path. The nobleman decided to err on the side of caution and let this slight go.
"Your Royal Highness!" Captain Krolm exulted. "Please don't cry. I still don't understand, forgive me. Who was Gurf?"
Pearl turned around and met the Captain's eyes. Her eyes were already swollen. "My knight. He died defending me. My mistake killed him."
The maid Pearl was hugging was also crying. Maybe she was related? The Baron narrowed his ears to listen.
"Then he died with honor! He fulfilled his duty as you are here and hale, your Highness. Tell me, what order he belongs to? We must honor him."
The Crown Princess shook her eyes and sobbed. Elmhill could not believe she was openly displaying such weakness. To admit she was responsible for the death of a knight? Preposterous. The soldiers existed to die for them, nobility and Royalty.
"No order," she replied. "I found him here, in this hut, a wild hunter that liked his solitude and his niece even more," she squeezed the maid. "I ordained him and took his vows right here where I stand. Oh, Gurf. How I regret taking you with me. You could be here, living a happy life."
"He was honored to follow you, Princess. His life had meaning once you took us in," The insolent maid dared to talk openly to the Princess.
"We shall honor him, your Highness. Should we initiate him posthumously into an order?"
"Would you listen to the story of my failure, my dear captain?" The Princess asked. "I need to make amends. After I ordained Sir Gurf, we..."
The Baron heard slack-jawed the tale of betrayal. The otherworlder she summoned went rogue and assaulted Yutis' royal castle. During the struggle, he fatally wounded that Gurf guy and kidnapped Pearl. Only due to the efforts of one Lord Aidan was the otherworlder defeated and Pearl rescued, hale. It was a tall tale and if it were not for the Crown Princess shaming herself by telling it, he would not believe. Did someone defeat an otherworlder? That person would be in the league of a legendary hero or a demigod.
The gears in the Baron's head were rusted. They refused to turn but after a pregnant pause, he connected the dots. Pearl's champion. Dragon Tamer. A nobleman from Yutis. The Baron looked sideways and drew the attention of the young man.
"It is all true," the man told the Baron as if he could read his mind. "And yes, I know Pearl is not helping her case by speaking up but she had to open up and put it out of her. Only this way she can move forward," He exhaled deeply. "She has a long battle ahead to restore her status and we have to help her. You are aware of that, aren't you, dear Baron?"
Baron Elmhill cursed inside as he realized what was happening. The reason he was allowed to listen to the Princess' confession was to rein him in and that dragon tamer had that in mind all the time! His faction was one that would profit if Pearl lost her right to succession or at least was swapped down the line by one of her siblings. There was no lack of heirs in Gohar as King Jett's loins were powerful and Queen Elmas' womb was plentiful.
"Indeed. The Princess has a tough battle ahead of her," He replied noncommittally.
"My dear Baron, I would cast my luck with Pearl," The man confirmed Elmhill's suspicions as he spoke, a subtle threat climbing as the tone of his voice lowered. "Because that fight is not one she will lose. I would make the 'right choice' right away if I were you."
"Grawk!" The dragon crowed and shook his head in agreement.
Elmhill hesitated. The young man spoke again before he could make up his mind.
"Let me tell you a little not-so-secret. This town is going to be revived. We are soon opening the tunnel connecting Gohar and Yutis, and both Kings already agreed to a trade deal. It will shorten the trip between both nations by two months. The villages on both sides will grow into true towns or cities as the wealth will flow on both sides."
That much the Baron knew. He was even suffering some pressure to swap demesnes with a piece of a count's domain on the other side of the country. Away from the damn mountains, in the valley of all places.
"I know that. I don't see--"
"Baron," The man rudely interrupted him. "Pearl is going to be Queen of Gohar if she so wishes. This region will be too valuable for a mere barony. When the time comes to promote the region, what would happen? Would the future Queen move in one of her own nobles, or promote the one that is already here? I know her situation is not stable but she has heavy backing, and I am not talking just about me. I am sure you know who is the Lady in the red dress there, next to the elf and the squirrel-kin."
The Baron squinted and gasped, startled. Her hair was too short but he recognized that face. Why was she here? Why was she back? That Princess was trouble incarnated! "Lumina?"
"Not Lumina but I think you met before briefly. Princess Dawn of Yutis, she was lost until recently. Pearl has her unconditional support and King Helios sent her here to show she has his too."
As if she could hear them, the Princess turned around and waved at the Baron. It also drew Pearl's attention.
"Go ahead and bend the knee, Baron," The man gently pushed him forward. "You'll thank me later."
Elmhill cursed inside but now the Princess' gaze was locked on him. His situation was precarious and the outcome, nebulous. Any stance he took was a gamble but maybe jumping ships would give him a different perspective.
"Baron Elmhill, you may approach," The heir to the throne called him.
"Your Royal Highness. I came here as soon as I knew you returned. May the gods bless you," He bowed a full ninety degrees but didn't kneel.
"I will be imposing on your hospitality for a while, Baron. I appreciate that you took your time to see me," she said, clearly displeased.
He felt the judging gazes of everyone. The dragon tamer, the two Princesses, the ladies next to Dawn, even from the captain. He was a Baron but right now he might as well be a captured enemy soldier. And it was not like Pearl was going to vanish even if she lost her position in the line of succession. At the end of the day, she would still be a Princess and he would still remain a lowly Baron. Elmhill considered his choices and decided to gamble.
"Was it your champion that defeated the otherworlder, your Highness?"
It was an impudent question and one that could get him punished for daring to pry. But Elmhill knew he had some value to them or the dragon boy wouldn't attempt to entice him.
Pearl stared at him in silence and the Baron could swear he saw flames licking the inside of her eyes. She raised an arm and moved it broadly in the direction of the three foreign ladies. "Lord Aidan, Princess Dawn, Ambassador Sora, and Lady Cythrel defeated him and fixed my blunder together."
He looked at the three women. They didn't seem powerful but looks could be misleading. Even four to one, to kill a rogue otherworlder was quite the feat. Otherworlders were strategic weapons, able to turn even wars around. Each country usually held one Princess capable of summoning as a deterrence to other nations. When Pearl went ahead and summoned them in times of peace, it was a disaster. Gohar had just wasted its good hand, deploying its cards and showing the world that they were either planning to invade someone or wasting their strategic resource.
Invading a neighbor would be against Gohar's beliefs but would still be a better outcome.
Diplomatic relations plummeted, especially when news that Pearl fled to the secluded nation of Yutis spread to other countries. On the surface, it was so she could study in the renowned magical academy there but that assumption held less water than a woven basket. But now she showed up with four heroes, born to this world in her retinue. Feeling comfortable enough to even admit her mistakes.
He knew Pearl was naive, young, and should curb her desires to travel the world but he also knew she was no dolt. She had a plan and he saw in her eyes it would succeed.
"Please pardon me, your Royal Highness, our future Queen," Elmhill knelt. "I beg you to punish me for my insolence. Welcome home, and use this servant as you see fit, Princess Pearl. I pledge my loyalty to the crown and to you."
"Arise, Baron Elmhill. All I wish is that you coordinate actions better with Captain Krolm here. The tunnel will open soon and all sorts of undesirables will flock here. Keep corruption and crime out of our Realm. That is my only wish. No. There's another. Captain?"
"At your service, your Royal Highness!" Krolm promptly snapped.
"Has this fort been named yet?" She asked.
"No, your Highness. It is not even built yet."
Pearl turned sideways and met Dawn's gaze. The visiting Princess smiled and nodded.
"That can be fixed. Princess Dawn and Lord Aidan here proposed to donate us the labor for the construction. Have your architect and engineers available for them. I'm naming this fort now."
"Your will be done! Cadet Jorhal, see that the Princess' orders are known!" the Knight Viscount immediately sent the orders down the chain of command. One of the knights behind him bolted away.
Pearl hugged the maid once again and let go of her. She took a step forward and with perfect synch, the other Princess waved her hand and a stone dais rose underneath Pearl.
"On my authority as the Crown Princess of Gohar, I name this fort after the man who dedicated his life to protect. From this day forward, this fort will forever be called...
"Gurf's VIgil."