When Darius had gotten to see his niece and returned to her, Madge wasted no time in opening a doorway to the tenth floor of the library, where all eleven other counselors should be gathering. They had to hear this news, and they had to take action.
They were indeed all there. Madgera Creshook, Ayave Curalat, Silas stone eyes Staunis, Masona Braesome, Anedi Saecono, Brendan Galder, Alden Calemis, Jeshiva Gorana, Alora Sutrenya, Alexander Glasat, Sofia Meritas And Daren Kurradus, the high counselors of the bastion Cities. The most important political figures in the only known surviving cities in the world.
When Madge brought Darius in they were arguing like children, screaming at one another and trading insults. Some things never change, and governance is among them. Madge did the mental equivalent of shouting for quite, which was a horrendously loud and sharp tone that lasted about 5 seconds. “Hello everyone and thank you all for coming, I am sure you have all heard by now, but our ranger Darius Pastetor had returned to us after 20 months, two weeks and 5 days. He is the only returnee of his party of 200.
Just being around Madge meant a person could communicate psychically, and be heard by all they wanted to hear, though Madge could hear everyone no matter what they wanted, when they were in her range.
It was not a thing she entirely understood, even after all this time, but Madgera Creshook was involuntarily, semi consciously able to read the minds of anyone within 300 meters. she had learned over years how to tune out those not intentionally speaking to her.
“Please, decide order among yourselves and take turns, there is no need for chaos. Everyone will get a chance to speak, and each of the 12 districts will be considered. But before any of that, let us hear from the man himself, Darius Pathfinder.”
Darius stepped forward amid many a hopeful, and many a suspicious look, and did begin to speak in the way he shared with Madgera, a fact over which the two bonded. They were for decades now good friends and she always knew he would come back.
“I scarcely know where to begin,” he said honestly. “But I suppose this much will do. There is still a world beyond the scorched lands, but it is not the world of before them. I could never explain it all, but now that I am home, I can create a link with the doorway I left there.”
“Where is 'there' exactly,” Asked Alora Sutrenya, one of the counselors who had voted against the exploratory mission he was returning from. “What happened to the rest of your party?”
“Its a sad fact most are dead, but those who yet live are waiting at that 'there' you asked about. A town beyond the scorched land, connected to a world beyond the scorched lands. Humanity is not yet gone from this world.” There was an audible gasp of disbelief and awe. “The world exists, but it is not the world we knew. It will not be again. I could try a hundred years to explain and it would do no good. Its a thing you've got to see.”
There were outright shouts of denial from several counselors, Among them Alden Clemis, Brendan Galder and Ayave Curalant. Madge settled them the same way as when she first arrived.
“Cease! Speak among yourself to decide order, and speak to the man one at a time. I will go last.” Madge stood by Darius still but the others had all gathered in a far corner.They were still in Madge's range but she ignored them.
Eventually Alora Sutrenya stepped forward as the agreed upon first and the others lined up as they'd discussed with only a small amount of shoving and arguing who was in who's spot.
“It is a pleasure to see you again, Master Darius,” She said in greeting. Darius gave a stiff nod, which seemed the best he could manage. When you've nothing nice to say, silence is a course worth considering, if not always the best. Only usually the best.
“The pleasure is mine,” He said after several moments. “Our mission was hard fought, but once you see what we've won, you will agree it was worth it.”
Her expression said she doubted that but all she said was “We shall see. How many of your original party are still alive.” The room fell silent. More than a few had friends or family out there, among the rangers.
“27. It is a harsh world, even outside the scorched lands, though most of our lost were before we got beyond them. Of the 100 rangers who left this place, 27 still draw breath, including me.”
There were many gasps of despair. Many people just learned that their loved ones might be dead. There was an outpouring of demand, and he said he had a list. He pulled it from a pocket.
“These are the ones who still live.” The list was passed from person to person, and there were many tears and more than a few cries of relief. No one expected that many to survive, including the 200 who disembarked almost two years ago. The wastes had devoured attempts at exploring or escaping it. There had been a great many lost, and the cities as a whole had been ready and willing to give up on ever finding an end to the desolation..
“Thank you, my friend. No further questions.”
The questioner to step forward next was Alden Calemis, a a short, stout man with a hawkish look about the eye with shoulder length hair going from brown to grey, He oversaw many of the smaller satellite cities surrounding Bastion's heart. He had shouted denial loudest as Darius spoke of an outside world.
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“When will we be able to see this new world of yours, and what can we expect?” He had no small amount of malice in his voice and did little to hide it.
Darius missed not one step in responding. “I can open a doorway right here as soon as we finish speaking if you wish. What to expect, that will take longer to explain. A world beyond imagining, and not without dangers. I recommend you send a small exploratory group along with someone from this counsel to establish contact, and possibly trade and eventual emigration. I would be happy to go with this group as a guide.”
Alden gave Darius a doubtful look, and then continued. “No further questions, and I hope this goes quickly, I look forward to seeing this...new world.”
After that the questioners fell into two groups, one who asked questions about the new world, and ones that had no questions to ask and wanted to hurry this along to see this man's evidence.
Soon, the line was through, and Madgera Creshook came forward. “it is good to see you, Darius. I knew you would make it back, given time. I had faith in you, old fiend.”
“It has been ever my aim to prove you wrong, but I have this irritating aversion to death.” She smiled. She'd missed the old goat.
“The wonders I will see for myself. Tell me of the dangers.” She needed some idea of what the outgoing party may have to deal with, no matter how hard Darius found putting it into words to be.
“I left the doorway today in a town square, and the locals are aware of it, so we won't be in wild country and we won't be arrested. Muggings are not uncommon, and we must be wary, there are darker things than may seem out there. Never leave town alone, and stay clear of the purple flowers.”
“I may need help with that until I can recognize the feel of their energy.” After she'd been near them once, at most three times, she would be able to recognize them as well as anyone. “Is there anything else.”
“I think that is enough to prepare us for our first step out.”
“In that case, we should be about it. The party embarking will be me and my writing students. Between me, Ayave, and Silas we will have more than enough diplomatic representation.” The hall seemed in agreement. She wrote messages to Silas, Ayave,Gerald, Gedra, Daedalus, and Zahria, asking them to meet her as soon as possible in front of Scholar's spire.
Daedalus Duard
Daedealus packed quickly and light, and helped Zahria do that before going to meet Madge and the others. Soon the whole group before Darius, who was grinning like a fool. “Prepare yourselves.” With that he took a slip of paper from his pocket, amd read the doorway into existence.
Silas was the first to pass through, followed by Madge, Ayave, Gerald, Gedra, Daedalus, Zahria, and Darius. Once each was through, they gasped audibly at the scene before them. It was a large town, with people milling about, but more than that it was surrounded on all sides by a lush forest. Most of those here had never seen a tree over ten feet tall, with Silas and Madge the sole exceptions. Even they were taken aback by this. Madge could not recall ever feeling so much life in one place.
After finally adjusting to the most green he'd seen in his life, he began to take in the people of the town. One in 3 it seemed was spellforged in some way or another. There were people with any number of limbs, and fingers tipped with claws. There were small folk as tall as your knee and 8 foot tall giants that had to stoop deeply to enter buildings. Even at the battle, where almost every spellforged person was present, there had been fewer than a hundred. If this whole big town was like this , the world outside the scorched lands certainly had changed.
People walked along on sidewalks while large, wooden vehicles like floating ornate horseless carriages and strange, large pack animals moved along the gravel paved street itself. “I see why you could not explain this. I could not, no matter how I tried”
“It is a thing to see. But let us hurry, the counsel of this town must speak to you all soon. Follow me to the town hall.” And with that they were off, moving with a throng of people like none they'd ever seen. They walked past shops for weapon, armorers, Bake shops, sparring yards, taverns, but strangely not a single book shop.
They scarcely had time to wonder at this before they were being ushered through the door at the town hall, a massive, squat building about half a mile from where they arrived. The man who greeted them at the doo had dark green scales, was somewhat far, and looked like nothing so much as a bipedal toad in a shirt and trousers. “The council will see you now,” said the toad man. “Follow me if you please.”
Daedalus found himself somewhat unnerved, nervous for a reason he could not place, while the strange man led them through the halls to an ornate door with two armed guards, four armed and wearing a two handed sword at either hip. They uneased him further, but he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, shuffled in and found a seat out of the several set out for them.
They were unremarkable to look at after the townspeople, non visibly spellforged, but their clothing made up for it. All of them were in crisp white embroidered exquisitely in bright colors, each of them a different motif.
The one who spoke first was a slight, matronly looking woman who gave the impression that she was not told no often, and typically did it anyway. She wore a beautiful white blouse embroidered with purple flowers. Madge attempted to brush against her consciousness, but felt the woman's mind pull away. “I would rather use my voice, if you please. Let me be the first to welcome you to Adamori township.” She looked at each of them in turn.
“Darius has told us you and your people, some 10,000, have been cut off from the world, living in the last remnants of the Poet cities around scholar's spire, which somehow still stands. He told us you are beset by fowl creatures from the scotched lands around your city, and that you use the power of the books to defend yourself.” She sounded none too pleased by their continued survival
“That's all true,” Said Daedalus. “We thought we were the last survivors.”
“I can see how you could think that. It really was a terrible war. We've come out of it though, and the world is a better place. A far safer place.”
“well, it certainly is different,” Silas said. “Now, it seems Darius has told you an aweful lot about us, but we know nothing about you.”
“Well to begin with, We are the high council of this township, which is a colony of a nation called Seborati. There are a few other nations still about in the world, but I am sure they will see the wisdom of union soon enough. I am councilor Selosion, and at present I hold the title of High councilor, a title which was given me by the body before you.”
“So the leader of this township is chosen by five people? What of the people?”
“How quaint. The people are governed. Power can not be trusted in the hands of all, that is how the world came to be this way. That is what led to war.”
“So the people just allow themselves to be ruled, without any say?” They were all thinking it, but Silas was the one to speak. “They accept this, do they?”
“Well, they must. People are violent and destructive by nature, so they have to be ruled. And yes, of course there have been malcontents, stirring up trouble, but with the prohibition of writing, and the strict control of any and all books, order is easy enough to maintain.”
The horrible picture began to take shape. “A prohibition on writing? A monopoly upon all books?” Silas and the others were beginning to understand why Darius had been so tight lipped about the outside world. They were betrayed. Everything he said to them was now in question. The doors opened and the guards outside came in, swords drawn.
The guards approached Daedalus, Silas, Gedra, Ayave, Gerald, and Zahria. “At this point, you will be placed in guarded rooms elsewhere in this building, while we send a party back with Darius to this great library, this scholar's spire. The most dangerous books will be burned and the others will be seized, and taken to storehouses within Seborati and its colonies. For now, you will be led to your quarters by these men.”
They were all struck dumb, even Madge, who Silas had been speaking silently to, relaying what was being said. They had surrendered any writing implements they had when they entered the building, and none could remember a relevant verse at present to aid escape. All that they could do was curse Darius for a miserable traitor and comply.
“And welcome to Adamori Township,” Councillor Selosion said as they, with the exception of Darius, were led from the room by the guards.