Annabeth GulchThough the feast between the diplomats of Eania and Djarkel was held in the dinning hall, there was also much festivities outside as well. Outside tents were set up by the many visiting merchants and travelers, hawking their wares and services. There was even some entertainment in the form of carnival games and theatrics. Annabeth was dressed in her best formal attire, an
expensive dress with garment featuring finely embroidered silk panels and elegant stitching in gold and silver thread. It wasn't as grand or sensual as some dresses were, but it was pretty to look at and allowed Annabeth to hide a dagger on her person. After all that's happened, she may need it. Of course, it's mostly for herself... Since a short while ago, she had an argument with Cynn. Annabeth was starting to feel guilty for lashing out at her, but she still felt that Cynn was being way to personal with her. Sure Annabeth did save her, but she just wasn't ready to tell Cynn. Trying to forget about it, she went around the college and looked at their various attractions.
The first place Annabeth went to was a sort of prize game. There was a large glass panel with various prizes on the other side, tied to a string. There were many strings draped over the top of the glass, the goal was to pick out a string and see if you'll get a prize. A few people pulled their strings but got nothing, but some pulled their strings an had some nice little gifts. Mostly it was petty things like wooden carvings, dolls, the occasional coin. It was very gimicky, but Annabeth was willing to spend a few coins to try. She only did it three times, and only won one prize, an apple.
"Well, at least it's something."Annabeth continued looking around. There were test of strength games, theater shows, drinking contests, even some sort of dueling circle. She questioned if the last one was legal, but it was in plain view of the guards and no one interfered. Granted, both the duelist were wearing heavy padded armor and only fighting each other with lengths of wood, so maybe it wasn't as dangerous as she thought. She was tempted to join the duel herself, but ultimately refrained from it. It seemed too silly for her. She just kept looking around, seeing if she'd find any of her friends or Cynn.
Lucilia RiovasThrough the front gates of the college, a new group of visitors arrived. There were six individuals, all of whom were Esyire. Five of the men and women were obviously soldiers, all wearing a similar style of thick, medium weight leather armor, with varying types of weapons. At the head of the group was an Esyire female obscured in a black hooded cloak which extended down to her ankles. Apart from her wings, most of her features were obscured by her cloak, except for a scar on the right side of her muzzle that interrupted the solid black color of her scales.
She guided the group into the courtyard. Even with most of her hidden under her cloak, any onlooker could tell she was moving with purpose. She stopped in front of a guard in the courtyard and questioned him for a time while her guards looked on somewhat impatiently. Eventually, after she told him who she was, he divulged the information she requested. She ordered her guards to remain in the courtyard, as they were not allowed to accompany her, then followed the directions the guard provided to lead her to the college's dining hall. There was some sort of feast going on, but it was irrelevant to her, as she had only a single goal in mind. The moment she entered the room, her eyes darted around across the growing crowd, searching for the one to which she had been directed. At the front of the hall, there was a table which was set apart from the rest, so she naturally assumed that would be where anyone important would be located. From one end of the table to the other, she examined each person to see if they matched the description of the person she had been told to find. Finally, she spotted her, the pale-skinned human woman who the guard had described.
As she approached the human, she lowered her hood, revealing the face of a near middle-aged Esyire whose life was written in her features. Her black scales lacked the vibrance they likely had in her youth. She bore a few scars, along with small imperfections in her scale patterns brought on by old wounds. One of the horns on the right side of her head, near the back was broken entirely in half and had been worn down to appear smooth.
"Are you Lucillia Riovas?" She asked simply and directly.
After arriving to the feast, Lucilia had taken her seat by the staff's table. But they had little chance to speak to themselves, as each teacher was caught into various conversation. Lucilia herself had just finished speaking to some ranchers over in Ghannos. Their exports would keep the college fed for a good while, and now Lucilia could reliably discontinue the service of some others to save cost. Of course now she needed to one day speak to them about canceling their service, but their contract was nearing and end anyways. Most of them anyways. Lucilia had just enough time to take a bite of one of the serving samplers and a drink of her Marrow Drought when a new guest arrived. A fairly shady Esyire with dark scales, not unlike their own Ssarak. From her dress Lucilia guessed she was from Djarkel, but she did not recall seeing her at the college in recent days. The Esyire was also fairly blunt and straightforward, telling Lucilia that this was either a business proposition or a blackmail attempt. Humoring the stranger, Lucilia laced her fingers over one another and looked at the guest.
"That I am. May I ask whom is asking?""My name is Dirssi Xhotharanil, and I am here to warn you of a criminal who I have reason to believe is attending this college. I am a representative of Clan Xhoth and have been sent to apprehend this fugitive for his crimes against my people. His name is Ssarak Dyreackthanose. Do you know of him?" Dirssi explained, wasting no time in getting to her point.
Well, this has certainly taken a drastic turn. Lucilia thought this Dirssi was just another uptight representative of some small organization in Djarkel. Instead she seemed to be part of a larger factions, and makes accusations against one of their students. Lucilia's smile quickly faded as she straiten up.
"That is a serious claim, madam Dirssi. While I can look into our records to see if we have this Ssarak, I hope that you have some evidence of his crimes if he indeed a student of the college." Actually Lucilia was quite aware of some of Ssarak's past, including the general gist of why he left, which would explain why someone of Clan Xhoth was here. Lucilia did not know all the details, but she imagined that either this was a personal vendetta, or things were much worse than Lucilia knew.
Dirssi gave a respectful nod. "Of course. I would not expect you to simply release someone into my custody without any form of proof. I have my orders, signed with the seal of clans Xhoth and Dyre. This Ssarak went against the laws of both of our clans, so both of us agree he needs to be judged." Dirssi reached into a pouch under her cloak and produced an official-looking scroll made not from paper, as was common in human lands, but from the hide of a creature native to the Scorched lands. "Here. You may examine it now, or wait until you are in a more...appropriate setting. It details the crimes for which he is wanted, though I can give a more detailed explanation if you wish. I understand this may take time. All I ask is that, if Ssarak is a student here, that he not be allowed to leave the college. It was difficult to track him here, and I fear I may not be so fortunate again should he escape." Dirssi's tone was respectful and professional. It was clear that she had not expected her quarry to be given to her immediately, as she gave each response with no hesitation.
"Yes... Thank you. I'll be sure to look at these as soon as possible. Now than, is there anything else that you need?" Lucilia took the documents, looking them over briefly, before tucking them into a pocket on her scarf. She could deal with contracts and business deals, but this was a little bit over her head. She'd have to talk to Ssarak and Khan about it. No doubt Satori would be involved as well, seeing that he's one of her students. And than any friends that Ssarak has. And than Lucilia would have to arrange a meeting or some sort of correspondence with Clan Xhoth and Dyre for verification. And everything could go wrong. But that was just more on her plate, more for Lucilia to deal with.
"Since it seems I will be here for a while, I would be appreciative if you could arrange for quarters for myself and my guards. There are six of us in total, all Esyire. They are currently awaiting my return in the courtyard. Beyond that, if you find Ssarak among your students, I would recommend arranging a meeting between all of us, the fugitive included. He may confess to his crimes, if pressed. " Dirssi responded. Again, she seemed to have expected Lucillia's response since she gave no argument to the delay in apprehending Ssarak. As she was essentially on a diplomatic mission from the Scorched Lands, it was sensible that she would be well-versed in dealing with bureaucracy. Despite the serious nature of her business in the college, her tone was friendly, almost pleasant.
"Of course. I'll be sure to have it arranged as soon as possible. But I must ask you that you refrain from investigating our students until we have verified that we have found this Ssarak of yours. As you may know we have many Esyire among our students and staff, so please allow us to find Ssarak for you." Lucilia was quickly thinking of ways to stall for time. She had to get to the bottom of this herself. She didn't know what crimes Ssarak has committed in the past, but now that he was part of the college it was indeed her business to know all the details and judge for herself.
"Now than, please enjoy the rest of the feast, madam Dirssi. As soon as it is over I will be sure to look into this matter with haste."Dirssi nodded. "Thank you. Myself and my guards will remain remain in our quarters, as soon as you provide them. I hope for a quick resolution to this issue. Now, I will leave you to your duties." She said, giving a slight, respectful bow before turning to walk away. The moment she was faced away from Lucilia, her expression showed a hint of annoyance, but it quickly subsided. She pulled her hood back up over her head. then found a secluded corner of the dining hall to stand in, clearly having no interest in the feast. For the moment, she was simply waiting for the festivities to conclude so Lucillia could show her to her quarters.
Tyrael MarchrosiasAnd so came the dreaded moment. Tyrael entered the dinning hall, his appearance largely unchanged. He never bothered to decorate his body with clothing since he had nothing to hide, with the closet thing to accessories being spikes or runes. And the spikes he had to remove in the chance that he accidentally impales someone on them. The runes stayed, if only because of how difficult it was to get the metal engravings out of his flesh. He had hoped that his appearance and general demeanor would have dissuaded anyone from speaking to him, but once he began to walk through the doors he was swarmed by many people trying to vine for his favor. He ignored them and just waded through the crowd towards the staff's table. It was more open there, with only a few people talking to the teachers. Tyrael took his seat next to Khan. He knew it was his because a mug of his drink sat in front of the plate; Orcish Moss Wine.
The only remnant of his past that continues to have importance now. Only a rare few would drink pure Orcish Moss Wine, but back in Tyrael's day it was more common than water. Made from a unique moss that grows from orc blood, one could harvest the moss and squeeze the juice out from it and make a powerful poison. Or for those who would water it down, a not-as-lethal but still strong alcohol. Some parts of the Oelik Hold would coat their weapons with the stuff to ensure their foes die, some would even use Orcish Moss Wine as a means of a slow and agonizing execution. But for Tyrael it was just a drink, and it almost sadden him when he discovered most orcs nowadays couldn't stomach the stuff. They've grown soft, he thought.
Sipping his drink and taking a few bites of the bread placed before him, he heard Khan say something under his breath.
"None of us grows younger, Headmaster." He just wanted to quip something to try to alleviate Khan's stress. He served as a perfect example for why Tyrael did not want to bother with politics, or people in general. If it was the Inferno all matters would have been resolved on how many times you could kill the opposing party until the pain of death gets too much. He actually had fantasies of amassing the college's powers together and taking over the world, but he kept these fancies to himself. He knew how unrealistic they were, but he also knew of what power the College had. That they all had. Nothing would be impossible if they simply came into agreement into do it.
"If only we could have both these nations under our banner."
