The spar left them sweaty and bruised, but quite satisfied.
Ulgrin stretched as he finished swallowing a mouthful of healing potion. “Not bad, everyone. Alder, you’re improving quickly. I think you’ll be ready for real combat soon.” The boy had dealt him quite the blow upside the head, rattling his braincase in the new helmet. Hadn’t properly brought him down, but it was a good effort.
True to their nature, he and Saezz had inevitably betrayed one another at the most inopportune time; both of them leaving each other exposed to the rest of their team. It’d definitely been a well fought spar. Enough to get the blood pumping and to work off those pancakes clogging up his system. Ulgrin may have been predisposed to a stocky figure but he refused to become fat.
He cast his gaze towards the child who had been joined by her presumed ‘father’ or ‘guardian’. Both had the same amber-colored hair, but he couldn’t see many more details.
“Enjoy the show?” Ulgrin asked, tucking his helmet under one arm. He wiped away a bit of sweat.
“It was… An interesting display,” The fey man replied. “You are all strong fighters. While most of you aren’t well-trained, you make up for it with perseverance and force of will.” He crossed his arms, exposing his sallow face to them. “I am known as Fleeting Wind. I’ve been sent to aid you.”
Ulgrin raised an eyebrow. “Aid us? Who were you sent by?” He was wary for a moment, but nothing about the man seemed hostile.
“Viscount Meier has a fair few contacts and favors amongst the Courts. As you might be able to tell by my appearance, I am an agent of theirs. Specifically, the Gale Court.” Below the hood Ulgrin could see an almost unnaturally smooth face, alien in a way. “While I am mortal, it is in my best interest to join you and facilitate contact.” Now that was interesting. Unexpected allies.
Saezz looked down at the child, craning his head down. “And her?” A toothy grin formed on his face, causing her to jump.
“This is Maya. She is… A relative. Her father rejected her on suspicion of infidelity, given her fey nature and sorcerous abilities.” Wind’s neutral expression shifted slightly towards anger. “He is a fool. As her mother is no longer with us, I have been entrusted to care for her.” He placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
Maya had darted behind the man like a barn mouse fleeing a cat the moment Saezz’s gaze focused upon her. She hesitantly peered out from behind him. “...Hello.” A whisper-loud greeting came.
Alyss smiled and stepped forwards, crouching down to be on an even level. “Hello there. It’s nice to meet you, Maya. My name is Alyss. Don’t be afraid of the big guy, Saezz would never hurt a fly.” She held out a hand and shook with the girl, prompting a smile.
The lizard’s brow scrunched in confusion. “Of course he would hurt a fly. Flies are annoying pests.”
“What he means to say,” Raelza added quickly, “is that he wouldn’t hurt you or any children. He might look scary, but he’s a protector at heart. If any bad folks show up he’ll take care of them. Right, Saezz?”
“Saezz agrees, but is still confused about the fly part. Ulgrin, it is normal to kill flies, no?” He looked to the dwarf for aid, but Ulgrin just shrugged. The dwarf gave a look that said ‘you are on your own here’.
Fleeting Wind smiled lightly. “It is good that you can get along. I know it is difficult to raise a child on the road, but she is more mature than most.” Turning back to Ulgrin, he continued. “But I do have a mission to complete. Will you allow me and my relative to join you on this venture? I will aid you however I can.”
“Well, if Meier sent you then it’d be a bit rude to refuse a noble.” Ulgrin tapped his chin. “I don’t know if you were apprised of the details, but we’re headed towards the capital. Once we get situated there and find our fishing boat we can begin delving down below. Along the way we’ll need to get in contact with the Murky Court and hopefully gain an audience.”
The changeling nodded. “It is a wise course of action. In my long life I have made more friends than enemies. I shall bring you to them.” He turned to watch the river pass by. “But we won’t be arriving for days, yet. Maya and I have had a long day. We shall be retiring to our quarters if you need nothing else.”
Maya yawned, looking quite sleepy. While they could never compete with dwarven children, he had to admit humans had fairly adorable youth. There’s nothing cuter than a wispy beardling trying to swing a hammer. That was a fact.
“Go ahead. It’s about time we get some rest too.” Ulgrin replied, beginning to doff his armor. They’d have more time for chit chatting later. The rocking of the boat was almost relaxing to him.
Now sounded like a good time for a nap of his own.
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The days passed swiftly, bringing them farther into the month of Slate. Warm breezes guided the boat up stream, their journey remaining uneventful. Ulgrin spent this time studying, sparring, training, and teaching.
In their off time their party got to know Wind and Maya more. The two seemed to have a good pair of heads on their shoulders. When she wasn’t shy, Maya seemed quite inquisitive, always asking questions. A worrying development was the fact that Alder always seemed to have a miserable expression on his face when he was near her.
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He could very well understand why. The boy was missing his own sister terribly. Ulgrin vowed to get her back soon, but pressing matters were forcing his hand. How much time can I spare, though? A dark voice in the back of his mind queried. Is saving one girl worth dooming millions? Ulgrin tried to ignore it.
Eventually they arrived at the mouth of the river and saw a wondrous sight ahead. Lake Andire spread out along the horizon as far as the eye could see. It was a truly massive body of water, hardly a lake. Unfortunately, he was not a geographer nor a noble of this land and didn’t get to make decisions on map making.
A light fog hovered over the surface of the cerulean waters. They were almost crystalline, practically transparent. Shoals of fish swam within the freshwater lake, gliding in and out of patches of verdant growth. The farther you got the more it appeared like a reverse forest. Strange blooms of color could be seen in the water. Aquatic flowers and plants make the area a rich bounty of odd herbs, fruits, and growths.
Alyss had to be torn away from the ledge before she could jump right in, her fervor for alchemical knowledge momentarily outweighing her sense of survival. Their barge began to follow along the shoreline, giving them just the barest of glimpses into the watery jungle below. Occasionally they could see glimpses of movement and strange shapes in the water. Humanoid in nature, but always fleeting.
“The fey of the Murky Court prefer to remain below and unseen.” Fleeting Wind spoke as they spotted a beautiful woman with fins and a tail swimming away. “They are a tempting bunch. To join them is to experience pleasure known no elsewhere, but that allure is deadly. I would advise you to stay out of the water unless you would prefer to drown.”
Saezz looked a bit miffed by that, but nodded. “Very well. We shall wait until we enter properly. Saezz shall stamp down on his instincts for a time.” He turned towards the south east. “How long until we reach this capital city? Andire? Why would they name a city after their country?”
“Other way around,” Alyss replied with a laugh. “They named the country after the city. And the castle. And the lake. Okay, I’ll admit that our ancestors had a stupid idea when they came up with that. But it works well enough that nobody has bothered to change it in five hundred years. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
“Wise words,” Saezz replied.
Ulgrin cleared his throat. “We’ll be arriving by night. And the capital city of Andire isn’t actually settled on the lake. There is a sub-lake separated by just a few miles. Normally that would be an issue, but over time they have constructed a series of channels and canals that allow easy access. It’s quite the ingenious method, actually. They built it in segments that allow the water to be drained and pumped to bypass the hilly terrain. Not only is it good for security during a war, but they haven’t had to dig immense tunnels.”
“I’m sure the engineering behind it is very interesting,” Raelza said, rolling her eyes. “But we still need to continue last night’s card game. If I remember correctly you owe me quite a bit of your stack.”
“Damn. You’re right.” He sighed, following them all back belowdecks.
The morning came and went, bringing an uneventful evening. As the suns began to set and darkness covered the land they finally began to see the capital in all its glory.
As they began crossing through the channel they could see distant walls. A network of walls formed a honeycomb structure of three hexagons pressed against one another. Built up over centuries, the impressive walls seemed to be made of a local variety of serpentine. The greenish hued slabs of stone stretched high, making the three segments of the city into a fortress.
He could see a smaller hexagon in the center of all three that formed a castle design. The rest of the city bordered the lake. Oddly enough, some kind of algae was glowing all over the water’s surface. It cast warm yellow hues into the sky, washing over the walls and docks.
Ulgrin had to admit it was a beautiful city, especially with the natural light source. Hundreds of boats filled the harbor and waters, illuminated by the moss. Most seemed to be fishing the active nocturnal fish shoals that swam below the waters. You could see all the way to the bottom even in this darkened night.
Captain Venn smoothly guided their vessel into the harbor. “We’re here, ladies and gents. Welcome to the Capital City of Andire. You’ll need to find someone to show you around, but the three quarters of the city are the Unicorn Quarter,” he gestured to the hexagon on the left. “Next is the Fairy Quarter.” He moved his hand to the right. “And beyond those two is the Dryad Quarter.”
“And those quarters are dedicated towards…” Ulgrin asked, staring up at the tall green walls. He couldn’t see any major errors in their construction, but they were old. Very old. Only their enchantment network was keeping them from degrading as much as they should have. That likely meant a fair few weak points.
“The Fairy Quarter is dedicated to tradecraft.” Fleeting Wind said, speaking up. “You will find many merchants and craftspeople there along with their domiciles. Warehouses and storage areas as well.”
Venn raised an eyebrow. “Been here before, huh?” He nodded and continued. “The Unicorn Quarter is a place dedicated to the arts. You can find the Lady’s Theatre here, but good luck on buying a seat. Even if you did have the money, they’re sold out weeks in advance.” He sighed. “There are many churches and chapels there as well.”
“A shame.” Alyss sighed. “I’ve been there once, when I was young. It was the most beautiful place I’ve been to. And in a classy way, too. Not an ounce of gaudiness.” She let out a wistful breath. “I’m afraid that I won’t even be able to claim rank. Even higher nobles still have trouble getting a booth.”
“Lastly you’ve got the Dryad Quarter. Mostly focused around agricultural things, but is also the most densely populated part of the city. Lots of houses and apartments. Not that I think you’ll need to go there much. It’s honestly a bit boring compared to the rest of the city.” Venn said, shrugging.
“Why are they called ‘quarters’ if there are only three parts of the city?” Saezz asked with a frown.
“Oh.” Venn snapped his finger. “Because the fourth part is the castle. Technically it’s the ‘Nymph Quarter’, but it’s mostly just a castle. All of the three Houses live there in times when there is no ruler. When one is chosen they get the right to move to Castle Andire on the western side of the lake.”
“Ah. So there are indeed four parts to the city.” The lizardfolk rubbed his chin. “Do the various slums and farming communities not count?” They could see sections sprawling outwards from the walls. It was his first time seeing abject poverty and it unnerved him. People lived in tiny ramshackle huts of raw timer and mudbrick. It was packed in places, an eerie stain on the city’s exterior. Like a cyst, but he hated thinking of those people in that way.
“Why are people just living in shacks? Are there no institutions in place?” Ulgrin asked, quite confused.
Wind answered him. “During times of stagnation when there is no reigning ruler of Andire, such social initiatives are mostly abandoned.”
Ulgrin bit his lower lip as he stared at the teeming mass of humanoid kind. In his homeland you could hardly starve provided you were willing to put in some work. For those who couldn’t there were always jobs available to people who lacked the fortitude or able bodies for mining. And at the end of the day you would always return to a comfortably dry room of stone.
Not a bunch of shoddy huts. Perhaps the country of Andire had more problems below the beautiful exterior than he had thought. “Feh. Of course the nobility would be stupid and remove those things. They’re too dumb to realize they’re ruining their own economy.”
Alyss grimaced. “It seems they have forgotten the words Noblesse Oblige.” He was unfamiliar with the words in the Andiran tongue, but could mostly understand it. Nobility obliges. “Hopefully we can get a ruler soon. I suppose that’s the problem with the system as it stands.”
“It will not be permanent,” Wind replied. “In my long years, I have found the country quickly recovers from such decay. But it is sad to see the people suffer in such a way. But I am only one man.”
“Maybe we can talk some sense into them when we meet,” Ulgrin said with a sigh. “But it’s about time we go find a tavern to stay in. Will you be joining us?” He asked the pair.
“We shall. Come along, Maya.”
The party stepped onto the docks and made their way into the city of Andire. Around them, even at so late a time at night, the city didn’t seem to sleep. Cargo was always unloading, laborers busied their way down the streets, and workers hammered away at projects.
Yet for all the material wealth that the city produced he could see an undercurrent of recession. Haggard faces and tightened belts marked a grim sign. What should have been a friendly air was reduced to a depressed silence.
Perhaps they would get to the root of such things, but only time would tell.
The party finally arrives at the Capital of Andire! It's not quite the shining beacon they thought it would be, but it's still the best way to see their goals accomplished. Thank you all for reading. See you next chapter.