Omar, "The Town of Azure Steel." At least that's what you call it when you've never been here before. The locals prefer to call it "this deathtrap of a town" due to frequent deaths inside the mines. This small labor town nestles between a great mine to the south east and a peninsula to the northwest. Buildings above one story are sparsely scattered amid the town's metal-plated streets. The people of Omar are known for being tough and stuffy, but there is one day where that gruffness turns to hardy exultation.

Every year when the travelling merchant band comes by, Omar holds The Omaroa Fair where Omar's miners and smiths can sell a great deal of their stock, and the citizens can buy food, materials and numenera from distant lands. It also attracts many adventurers due to the weapons and tools made in Omar are some of the most effective and durable ever seen. There is also "The Azure Cup", a small tournament where smiths choose a champion to fight with their weapons made only of azure steel. The winning champion is rewarded with all weapons used in the tournament, and every year the winning smith sells out their lot. Among the people of Omar, The Azure Cup brings more renown to the smiths than the combatants.
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Xi was concluding the cleaning of her shop which was more thorough than she was known for. She never climbs onto the ceiling to be able to dust the suspended illuminated gem that bathes this two room hutch in sapphire light. Though the twinkle it had when clean was so delightful, she questioned why she so seldom dusted it. Once all was in readiness, she removed the shop's sign from the wall and stepped out into the busy street to hang it above the door.

"The Cobble Claive: Numenera Shop" the sign reads. Xi scans the crowd of merchants and citizens, many of which flinch as though startled by the sight of her. She produces two marble sized orb from her robes and gently knocks them together creating the sound of a bell. She releases the orbs that continue banging together as if she hadn't, and shouts "Numenera Shop! Kick-knacks, oddities and more! Got any numenera you need identified? Come to The Cobbled Claive, run by the only Aeon Priest in Omar!"

Monarch-12 moved as well as they could through the crowd, stopping periodically as they did to politely allow others by. They were dressed as if for travel, armor layered with a tabard-like robe. Over their shoulder was a sturdy, but much patched satchel, and on their hip was a sword. Though they left their mechanical head uncovered, they knew people only looked with passing interest. Some suspected they were an automaton, some just assumed they wore a mask or helmet. Most didn’t seem to care either way, and their sword deterred the ones who did. Most of the time.

Patience was the mark of this Glaive, but eventually even a saint would choose the path of least resistance. When Mon had given way for the three hundred and twenty second person since arriving at this festival, they decided the nearest shop would do. An Aeon Priest(claiming to be the only one in town) was crying her wares. Monarch approached and addressed her, making no mention of her own physical oddities.

“Good morning,” the voice came out clear, the automaton’s vestigial mouth moving to mimic a human, which took away any doubts about the nature of this creature. “I do have some unknown numenera, as well as some for sale, if you buy or trade.”

Many months had Elijah wandered, bringing Sol's Justice down upon those tainted by the Darkness, and purifying the taint of their wretched souls in His Flame. As fulfilling as the work was, the endless trek had begun to weigh on him, and he found he had the need to stop and rest, for a short time at least. Journeying alongside a lesser merchant's wagon, he came upon the shining steets of Omar, and witnessing Sol's pristine reflection upon the silver road, deemed it a fitting place to rest.

While wandering through the township in search of an Inn, a loud voice caught his attention. A man-sized womanly spider on six legs, hawking knick-knacks and curios from a forgotten age, and allegedly a idolatrous priest as well. He'd seen stranger, far stranger in his time, and normally would pass her by, but, having nothing better to do, and nowhere else to be, he sauntered over to the store, greeting the automaton and arachnid in equal measure, in a seriously jovial tone, "Excuse me, mister and misses, but have you heard of the Cleansing Light of our Fiery Lord Above?"

Clunk. Ashley had made it, she'd really made it. The steel streets of Omar. Renowned world wide for its artizan craftsmen, cheap ale and pretty women, although none of these interested Ashley much. Overworked, underpaid miners working in terrible conditions? There just had to be desperate patients just waiting for an experimental lung replacement. Ashley did an embarassing little jig in public, too excited by the posibilities of finally starting a project she's had on the backburner for atleast a year, and possibly because she was still delirious from exhaustion, to care. Ashley pulled out her timepiece, she'd made good time despite losing her coach ride. Ashley felt reinvigorated by her arrival and the opportunities that it afforded, but she needed a rest before she did any real work.

Ashley clomped down the street hunting down the busiest tavern, because the busiest one would surely be the best one when she happened apon a weird little Numanera shop. Initially, Ashley was drawn in by the possiblity of finding some bizarre item of intrigue that would help with her with her experimentation, but then she noticed the shopkeeper, who was quite the item of intrigue herself. Pale grey skin and unsual soul stealing, void black eyes? Where had she got those done? And the way she moved...That was the most intriguing. It was a shame she was already she was already caught up with somekind of evangelist, who Ashley was sure would find something about her to object too.

"I know you've got your hands full right now but you wouldn't mind if I had a quick poke around, would you miss?"

Xi's attention was grabbed instantly by the automaton. Her eyes widened to two perfect spheres, black as void. "Good day, Construct!" Xi gave a gesture somewhat resembling a bow, "Of course! What kind of Seeker of Truth would I be if I said 'no'?" Xi straightened her legs granting her an equal height with the machine. She gave a blank stare into its 'eyes', then spoke abruptly. "Also, if you don't mind I'd like to ask a few questions of my own. It really isn't everyday you meet a fully sentient construct in Omar."

Before opening the door, her eye was caught by another making their way toward the shop. A man in rags, bald and battle-scarred with an impressive blade hanging off his back. He speaks and reveals himself a follower of some foreign entity. "Our Fiery Lord Above?" Xi inquired, then looked down at her orange robes in a wash of worry. This man Very well could be a missionary whose ideology is not a peaceful one. A sentiment reinforced by the man's signs of heavy combat. Doing well to hide her nervousness, she put on a friendly face, "I don't believe I have. Please come inside, both of you we may..." Xi silenced herself as she made eye contact with a third.

She recognized a white coat as a common signature of status in distant lands for scientists, philosophers, sorcerers, doctors and other professions of great learning. She approached asking to view the wares. Forgetting entirely what she was saying before, Xi grew a smile in delight of the attention her shop has attracted. Her eyes panned over the three as she held the door open. "Yes, yes! Come in, come in! It's so nice to know, not everyone in Omar is afraid of the numenera."

The four entered the shop, stocked from floor to ceiling with odds and ends of bizarre and alien nature. So many of which were self luminescent, making the lack of windows hardly noticeable. Xi quickly scuttled behind a small desk and pulled a pair of black wire spectacles from a drawer, one lens entirely white, the other seemed to change color every time one looked away from it. "I'm happy to answer any questions you may have." Xi said to the woman. She then turned toward the automaton and holy warrior, "As for you construct and gentleman, speak your piece."

"I have not," Monarch answered the battle-priest, their voice conveying polite curiosity. They made silent note of the man's immediate assumption of their masculinity. It was a source of interest, bordering on amusement, to see how various people reacted to them. The spider-woman had an almost opposite reaction; rather than ignoring Monarch's mechanical nature, or assuming they could be treated as any other, she found it fascinating, and wanted to know more about it. Mon had seen both reactions in their time, and many in between. Though they had a basic set of emotions, the concept of offense did not translate very well to them, and neither immediate attention, nor ignorance to their unique state of being had any adverse effect. It was just something they noticed.

Monarch allowed themself to be led into the shop, and listened with some interest as the man told of his god. They paused briefly as they reached the proprietor's desk, where she readied herself to observe what they had.

"I am called Monarch-12," they indicated a marking above their right eye in a now-dead language. "It is a pleasure."

Breaking out into a wide grin, the warrior-priest begins to explain the tenets of his religion, rambling on with an almost childish enthusiasm, it's obvious he doesn't often get the opportunity to preach, "The Fiery Lord Above, blessed be His Name, illuminates our path, shelters us with His Warmth, and safeguards us with His Strength. I speak of course, of Sol, the Almighty Sphere Above, the Flame Eternal, whose Manifest Light sustains All Things! I am a humble Solist, a mere mortal who has borne witness to Sol's Glory, and now seeks only to see His Will be done.

My name is Elijah Verum, Harbinger of the Cleansing Flame, but you can call me whatever you please, for it makes no difference in His Sight. I am a Torchbearer, a warrior of Sol who has sworn to wander the world bringing Sol's Justice down upon those who would do wrong unto others for personal profit or pleasure, for such things are detestable in His Sight, and to hunt monsters, beings twisted to hate all that is not of the Darkness Eternal, and slay them, for while they live, there can be no peace."

Nodding to himself, Elijah curiously examines the Numenara shop for some time, before sheepishly turning back to Xi, "You said you were an Aeon Priest, yes? I've heard the name mentioned a time or two in my wanderings, but I've never actually met one myself. If, if you don't mind, c-could you explain your religion? I'm very fascinated by such things, and, I'd like better understand your belief system, if you're willing to explain, of course. Y-you understand."

Spider legs! How unlady-like it was of you to show off such scandlous ankles! Six chitinous legs, like high heel boots that gave you super stength and regenative armour. Ashley hadn't even begun researching new legs, hooves had crossed her mind once, but when the opportunity like this presents itself...

"Yes, yes! Come in, come in! It's so nice to know, not everyone in Omar is afraid of the numenera."

And with that invitation Ashley trotted inside like a little show boar.

"I'm happy to answer any questions you may have."

Oh my goodness, she skitters, she skitters! Ashley did her best to continue looking professional and interested in Numenera but could barely contain her excitement. Skittery legs! Who architected such a grotesque transformation? Ashley needed to know, she needed to know how they worked too, exactly. Muscles? Hydraulics? A tingle ran down her spine, she hoped it was hydraulics.

Ashley's fantasies about her host's alien biology were halted upon a proper examination of the shop. Inside the store was impressively well illuminated, radiant objects scattered the windowless room which alleviated the cramped feeling Ashley expected from the view outside. Ashley also didn't expect the serenity of the place either, the gentle chimes, the dampened ding of orbs outside, the whirr of counterweights and ticking of gears, while asynchronous, filled the shop with a simple, ever changing melody. It was a calm, safe place to empty her pockets.

The first thing that struck Ashley as a little odd was a distinct lack descriptions on the items, one couldn't quietly browse the shopkeeper's wares, but perhaps that was to encourage interaction with the shopkeeper herself. Maybe Numenera were considered quite mystical here, and to maintain the spiritual visage the shopkeeper kept them shrouded in mystery. Cunning, Ashley thought, as she hoped that the shopkeeper would step quickly in if Ashley got too close to anything dangerous, like a cypher sextant of soul banishment. An ornate wooden sextant with fantastic gold plated arc resting on a mantle across the room, making Ashley's heart skip a beat when she spied it in her periphery vision. She made deliberate care not to eye it up any more in case the shopkeeper thought she was knowledgeable of its curse and still interested in buying it.

"...I am a Torchbearer, a warrior of Sol who has sworn to wander the world bringing Sol's Justice down upon those who would do wrong unto others for personal profit or pleasure, for such things are detestable in His Sight, and to hunt monsters..."

This was the line she objected too, and not so much the line itself but how it is often interpreted. Instead of risking getting involved in a heated exchange Ashley turned her attention to what she believed must have been some kind of merchant construct. The design was curious, far from what she considered functional, when given the opportunity to create something like this, wouldn't you stray from a humanoid such that it could trade goods and ferry items more effectively?

Ashley thrust out a warped right palm, and sternly commanded, "Automaton, print mission statement."

Xi's suspicion of the 'holy warrior' quelled as he maintained a bright and friendly attitude, even when inquiring about her being an Aeon Priest. "we Aeon Priests have dedicated our lives to the discovery and understanding of the numenera." Xi's eyes turned to Monarch with a smile, "From artifact to automaton, we wish to understand it all in our slow journey to reclaim the wisdom and knowledge held by the previous eight worlds. We usually put a small group of Priests called a 'claive' in any given city, town or settlement; but The Amber Papacy didn't think it would be beneficial to send a claive to Omar because they deemed this town 'too uneducated and simple to make the best use of one." Xi grinned as she passed her eyes over the shop once more, "But I disagree. So few people here understand the numenera, and most even fear it. How could they ever learn to use the numenera if no one teaches them how? It really is a shame."

"But what of your business here?" Xi said leaning in slightly toward Elijah, "Why has Sol, brought you to Omar?" The woman in the coat spoke to the automaton on the heels of Xi's question. To which Xi's eyes darted, curious if the automaton had any 'mission statement' or a will of its own. It made Xi feel better when she was no longer the only one taking interest in Monarch, she only hoped he would have willingness to answer her questions.

The light's in Monarch's eyes and mouth flashed rapidly. At first it might seem like her command had an effect, but only because the white coat didn't know them well enough to know that this was their version of laughing. "I am sorry, Madam. You are not the first to try that, and you probably won't be the last. There's nothing there to recover, I have tried myself. If you would like to ask me other personal questions, I only ask that you introduce yourself first."

Flashing lights? Ashley had hoped for an audio response but maybe he hadn't the programming to do so. Was it Morse code? Binary? It was a short message considering how slow it was being played out. Regardless of its encoding, and as soon as she could get something to write this all down with, Ashley fancied she could decrypt it. Ashley was digging in her pockets trying to scavenge a vial, something long and pointy and some scrap notes when the automaton started to speak. Ashley stopped rummaging and listened intently.

"I am sorry, Madam. You are not the first to try that, and you probably won't be the last. There's nothing there to recover, I have tried myself. If you would like to ask me other personal questions, I only ask that you introduce yourself first."

The first bit did not compute with Ashley. It defyed her understanding of constructs, which she had to admit wasn't much, but even in her limited knowledge knew it was very much out of the ordinary. Not being able to comprehend exactly how odd helped her to put the statement to one side as all the necessary follow up questions lay outside the scope of her talents.

An introduction though? She could do that. Ashley the Good Doctor! Field medic, mad scientist, rebel necromancer and naughty nun. Sculptor of mortals and shunner of ethical experiementation AND practice. Yeah! Powerpose, Sultry gaze, pop the hips, make that coat swish.Ashley gave a little courtsy instead, "Dr. Ashley Jung, medical malpractioner", she hesitated for a moment, it wasn't too late to back out of the full intro, "but just call me Ashley", she said with a smile. Not covered in enough blood and vicera, high from the thrill of the Hunt, Ashley supposed. They could find out about her exploits later.