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(Earthdawn: Persephone's Diadem) Ch II, Righetous Again (T2)

Yaiil studies the old dwarf for a few moments. It was amazing how closely he resembled every cliche there was about wizards, including the beard, the robes - which must be quite impractical out in the wild - and, to top it off, the pointy hat.

But Vignor's clothing habits were not why she was here.

"Indeed I am..." she agreed, with a smile. "... the bunch is growing a bit restless."
 
Vignor nodded. "Well, your work thus far illustratis your abilities quite well."

The old dwarf brought a tome down from a bookshelf, flipped through 'til he found a few pages, then set it down on the table, showing a map to a tower in a mountain valley. "This place is called Nile's Caer. The tower was crafted beneath a summer retreat for a wealthy mage and his family, and the Caer was built beneath it. It never opened after the Scourge. A horror might have gotten in, or perhaps the place was so small that the whole comunity was done in by cabin fever. I believe when it closed it contained five noble familie and their retainers. The Nile household is of most intrest too me. I'd like his books and a pendent he wore--an emerald the size of a partrige egg on a golden chain. On top of paying you to retrieve these things, the caer contained several magical artifacts that should be of use to yourself and your group. My notes on those start on page 55."

"I'll prepare a scroll to open the seal on the Caer so that either Vendar or Wynne can use it, whichever you'd like to have along."
 
A Caer. Uh. She only had ever heard of those in stories so far, and now she was going to visit one first hand? That was unknown terrain, and if the stories were onyl half true, also dangerous one. On the other hand, she did need a job, and the pay it would bring. Only ...

Yaiil nodded to what Vignor told her, and then she began to ask her own question. "What I am wondering most ... Why hire a whole mercenary company for this? Now I am no expert onCaers, that much is sure, but from all I hear investigating one seems best suited to a small party of skilled individuals, and not three dozen grunts."
 
"Frankly," Vignor replied with a smile, "I sugest you leave most of your men to secure the base camp and only take your strongest into the Caer. My major reason for sending you here instead of a small group of my regulars is that I'd like you to have acess to those objects on page 55 for future use in my service.

"That said, if Thalog finds out that the emerald I speak of is in that Caer as well, he may send a small band of Scorchers or other fast moving agents after it as well. I'll advise you to have your men secure the tower and be prepare to hold it 'til you emerge."
 
Yaiil was pondering this when Vignor, intentionally or not, gave her a compelling prompt for her next question.

"And who exactly is Thalog?"
 
"An aspiring tyrant," The dwarf replied. "A very powerful man, both in strength of arms and wealth. He controls several strongholds between Iopos and Throal. Numerous small comunities pay him tribute, and he uses the resouces to build mercinary armies. Several tribes of Scorchers serve him, a variety of monsters, and a number of powerful namegivers. Of the last, the best known is a troll cavalryman in a great horned helm."
 
"Sounds like a charming fellow ..." Yaiil commented "... and that fellow is hunting Caer artifacts?" Wel, seeing his general agenda it sort of made sense.

"That said ... why all of this now? That Caer has been there for many years, why has nobody bothered with it so far?"
 
Vignor gave her an aproving nod. "Primarily, I believe, for a fairly foolish reason. Many of those who would try have been so ambitious as to go after larger Caers. Not all with the sense too realie what a prize this is have been able to find it.

Too my knowlege, of the three others to locate the Caer, one decided his group was not prepared for it. He believed the Nile family used magical servants called Falsemen, which his group had a bad experience with in Parlainth. The other two were unable to breach the seal. Of those, the first failed completely, the second triggered a ward in the attempt and was nearly slain in the process. I sent the man a gift when I came across his journal in the Library, they were detailed enough that i was able to put together a spell to do what he could not."
 
Yail nods.

"So how much time do we have. How urgent is this? Do we have to rush out today, or can we prepare for a few days?"

Mostly she was asking because she still had not fully processed all that had happened when she obtained leadership of Jarek's band, and a few days of meditation might come in useful.
 
"You have had a long journey," Vignor allowed, "And I'm sure you've learned much and have much to consider. Rest here for two weeks. Let your men relax for whatever feels apropraite, then talk to Krik about any way you'd like him to help see them instructed. The resources of my tower are at your disposal for study and training form the third subasement up to the seventeenth floor."
 
"I thank you for that" Yaiil gave a slight bow of appreciation. She picked up the book containg knowledge of the caer Vignor had offered her "and I am quite curious what page 55 has to tell me."

After a moment of contemplation she added "And maybe Wynne can find some time to teach me a thing or two about Elementalism?"
 
Vignor smiled. "Just a moment."

He dug out a peace of clena velumn and penned a quick note to Wynne. "There." he showed her. It was a short contract showing that he would cover the standard tutor fees Wynne would charge to instruct an elementalist in the first circle provided Yaiil would carry out the currently contracted mission.

"She may ask an aditional price," Vignor added. "Mentors traditionaly make it a bit dificult on students who wish to learn a second discispline. I sugest offering to exhange an oath of blood-peace to soldify your alliance and ensure you don't abuse her teaching."
 
"I will consider it." Yaiil replied as she turned to finally leave, the tome tucked away under her left arm "Or maybe she is open to some other suggestion?" At that the warrior had to smile. Maybe Wynne indeed was.

"So where can I find her?"
 
"I'm not certain," vignor replied. "I'd start in the library on the seventh floor. Failing that, go down to the ktichen. That girl does love to nibble. If not there, try getting to know your men or training in the yeard behind the tower."
 
That was definitely enough of a lead, so Yaiil did as suggested, and headed for the seventh floor to start her search.
 
Yaiil found the other buxom elf in the kitchens, gossiping with a dwarf girl turning the spit and nibbling on cake and milk.

The ebony girl rose to greet Yaiil and wave her over. "Would you care for a snack?" she inquired.

"How do you do that, Wynne?" the dwarf girl called out iwth an exhaspearated voice as she brought over two fewsh plates of cake.

"What?" the ebony girl replied.

"Keep your figure when you eat like this?"

The ebony girl giggled and waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not Vignor, dear. When I'm not reading I'm usualy training or dancing." Then she flashed the other girl a grin. "How can I entertain you, YAiil?"
 
Yaiil raised her hand, palm facing Wynne, to indicate that currently she would rather not eat, sharing the dwarf girl's concern.

"Actually ..." she began, deciding not to beat aroudn the bush. "... I have been thinking about learning Elementalism for a while now, and I was wondering whether you could help me."
 
"Oh," the ebony girl replied with a smile. "That does sound like fun. Can we spar when I'm not teaching you? And..." She shook her head. "I suppose I should ask for some silver, too. I swear if I didn't have such an honest employer I'd wind up working for food."
 
"Do not worry" now Yaiil had to smile "the silver is taken care of." With that she flourished the waiver Vignor had given her before handing it over.

"So when do we start?"
 
Wynne grinned and drained her milk, then licked her midnight purple lips clean. "Let's go up to the seventh floor library."

On the way up the steps, the ebony girl inquired, "How are you at reading? Do you have Throalic? Any other langueges?"
 
"Throalic and human, that's it ..." the elven warrior replied as she followed Wynne upstairs.

Surprising as it may have sounded, due to her upbringing Yaiil was indeed not knowledgeable of the Elven tongue.
 
Yaiil had to chuckle.

"I assume you are asking why I don't speak Elven?" A brief pause to get a confirming nod. "The explanation is rather simple, actually. I was found by a human village as a newborn, and raised by them. So I never had the opportunity to learn Sperethiel ..."

If that did bother her much she certainly did not show it.
 
"Hm," Wynne replied. "Child of two worlds. For a momnet I was wondering if you were half human, but if the child of an elf and a human were born in a human town, she usualy would have come out human.

All right, here we are." They were back at the seventh floor. Wynne grabbed a few tudy books on the way into a quiet room with a large table topped with a box of wet stand and some stylus. "We'll start at the beging. Magic has it's own languege, wtih it's own alphabet."

She set Yaiil to work tracing an elaborate pictogramic languege of over 15,000 character in the sand--starting with symbols related to the element of earth. Rather than a lesson on penmanship, though, as the ebony girl lead her through the lesson, she related with some small skill stories of the elementalists of the past--both historical and mythic.
 
Yaiil focussed as well as she could. Ognar towards the end had called her a quick learner, and she hoped she could absorb the unfamiliar and abstract concepts that came with learning a new discipline at a reasonable pace. Though listening to Wynne at the same time she was trying to carve those pcitographic runes into the sand with utmost accuracy was no trivial task.

That did not keep her from trying ...
 
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