Official Story: Enter Sedorra

Damon dropped what he still retained of the sword on the floor of the barracks, the clanging against stone rang through and heads turned immediately. "She froze my sword! She froze it and snapped it in half!" He was still half in shock, eyes wide and staring at the blade's hilt. A few fellow guards moved over. One touched the blade - it was still frozen - and his finger flicked back at the chill. The other off duty guards all began talking at once.

"What in the blazes..." the angry, gruff voice of Commander Galrad could be heard before he even opened his door. "Who's making all this racket? What's going on?" The tall, strong man ducked his head as he entered the main barracks hall.

"Sir! I have been..." Damon seemed a bit lost for words. He shook his head to gather his thoughts. He was confused and annoyed at stumbling on his words in front of the commander. "A strange woman, foreign to this land, froze my sword with her very hand and then snapped it in two. Sir."

The commander stared right at Damon and checked his eyes. The previous shock in his eyes was replaced with the eyes he knew far better - Damon was always a good, loyal soldier who took his job seriously and loved the city. He was never known for antics. "Damon, you lead three men out there and you apprehend this woman."

"Sir!" Damon quickly pointed towards three friends he had amongst the barracks and they quickly gathered their gear.

Just as they were about to head out, Galrad spoke once more. "And Damon..." The dark, muscular man picked up the blade by it's frozen end. "You find out how this trickery came about and you report to me immediately." Damon nodded in reply and ran back towards King's Square.

Commander Galrad, like all the guards present, had seen fire weapons before. Never ice. He stared at the blade intently and then his head shot up. "Someone get the Queen back to the palace right now!" The command roared through the barracks and two men near the doors claimed responsibility by grabbing their blades and running out the door. "The rest of you, head out and increase patrols. I don't want any strangers ruining this night!"

Desmond wiped the blood off his fingers with a napkin. He tried to push his claws out further, but they still just barely broke the skin and it hurt like drek so he stopped and wiped his fingers again. The bleeding stopped rapidly, but he knew from the teachings of Drak'Sivar that his claws would eventually reach an octoyar in length.

OOC:	that is about 16cm

Desmond popped a tab of Brill. It was time to make his first social contact in this world. He hadn't got high since his arrival in Lucrecia, so he still had 77 more tabs left.

His reflection in the mirror above the bar caught his attention.

Ja'hlu vrax?

His beard was coming in... and it was orange.

Looking more closely, the roots of his hair also looked orange and he was more hirsute than he remembered. More strikingly, his fangs were drekmucketly huge. Probably nobody else would notice, but they weren't far from poking out of his mouth. If he continued to go this way, he'd soon look like Drak'Sivar.

good.

Now where had that thought come from?

Desmond mentally shook his head and put the distraction from his mind. He approached the table seating the pair from the incident outside, and without so much as a by-your-leave, plopped his arse down beside them.

"Hello, " he began. "I believe we have something in common. I am Desmond..."

Here he hesitated.

"I am Desmond Redclaw. I hail from another world, called the Galactic Nexus. There is a certain ability we share which I do not believe is indigenous to this land. "

Desmond paused. The Brill was making him talk like a debs-blasted har'dor.

"Perhaps we should remain combine efforts to remain safe until we know what our status here will be."

Yep. Total drek-hawk talk.

Alezin VI
"Was that magic some kind of gift from the gods? Dirus asks as the the pair weave and sidestep their way through the crowd.

"There is only one god. It's name is Aeon and it brings nothing but death" Azelin responded. Dirus wanted to interject but the young assassin continued. "Magic is a fundamental force in the universe which seems to only serve the purpose of disrupting, manipulating or outright breaking all other fundamental forces. Many beings, sentient or not are able to wield it at various levels but there are just as many or even more that can't" he finished as if that made any sense to someone who has never seen magic before.

"What's a fundamental force?" Dirus asked, hoping for a easy explanation.

"Really?" Azelin said with a sigh, glancing back at the old Doban. "I'm not going to teach you basic science right now" He added and spoke no more as if the matter was settled. Dirus never considered himself a particularly smart Doban but nor was he an idiot, so someone speaking to him like he was a child urked him slightly, but there was more important things st hand.

As the were closing in on the pub where the magic user had entered, Dirus asks "Can you wield magic?"

Azelin pondered briefly about whether he should tell him or not, giving away information about yourself was always considered a failure by his fellow assassins. But he didn't know hoe the Doban would react if his magic started affecting him. "Yes" he finally said. Better he knows now than in the middle of a fight. "My people can haste or slow the body of ourselves or others around us at will.....I'm not that good at it though" The young assassin forced himself to stare straight ahead and not look back at the Doban. He had seats been ashamed at how much his magic was lacking. He was ridiculed by his peers for it, more so than others because his other skills excelled so much. Thinking about it angered him so he pushed it from his mind.

They had reached the door and Dirus was about to ask something else but Alezin cut him off, not want to talk about magic anymore "We're just going to observe the ice wielder for now and maybe keep an eye on that weird Hyu'man".

"Ok, you go find us somewhere to sit. I'll buy us some drinks so we blend in better" Dirus added.

"Lets do this" Azelin said with a smile. They nodded to each other an pushed the double doors open.

Gerhard watched as his patrons went about their business, undisturbed by his outburst. They were used to the odd broken stool here and there; it was the owner's particular way of keeping the peace. Or at least enforcing his demands.

"Perhaps you should have winged them anyway, eh?" Derk said. "Humans are like young driggers, the only way to teach em is to smack every once and awhile."

Derk reached into one of his many apron pockets and tossed a small gold nugget at Gerhard. "This is for the stool, and for entertaining me, even if it didn't end in a fight. Also, for another ale, this one's empty," he said, emptying his ale in one swig.

As Gerhard was refilling the mug, the doors opened. He paused, concerned the humans had returned. Instead, in walked an unlikely pair: an Ursus and a human. They stood in the doorway, talking to one another for a moment.

Curious, Gerhard thought to himself. He decided to let them in. Didn't see many Ursus and human duos, especially ones that looked like this.

He watched as they finished talking and the human approached the bar. I guess he's not a snack, Gerhard thought.

"Umm... hello?" the human said. "I would just like some food please. Whatever's cooking smells lovely - is that stew? A serve of that would be nice and... my Aelum friend would like some steak. The rarest you've got. I hope that's not too much trouble."

He fumbled about with a coin purse before dropping some unfamiliar coins onto the bar. They weren't any currency he'd ever seen before, but they weren't fakes. Gold and silver coins... Gerhard snatched a couple up and wore a grin; he'd sell them to some collector as rarities and make a quiet profit.

"I'll bring your food round in a bit," Gerhard said. "Grab yourselves a table. Just have your Ursus friend be careful; some of the chairs aren't as sturdy."

The human nodded sheepishly and turned to sit.

"Oh," Gerhard interrupted. "Anything to drink?"

The human turned back. "A pitcher of water, if you have any."

Gerhard laughed. Water? "Sure. Whatever you say, pal."

https://img1.etsystatic.com/031/0/85...07013_2oiw.jpg

Flying swiftly through the sky on the back of a great bird in pursuit of the one who had first betrayed him, Luke raised his staff and commanded lightning to strike his foe. The sky crackled at his command, instantly slaying both his target and the wyvern that she was riding.

This was the dream of one of Vabyriaur's great sorcerers as he slept that night. But nothing more. With his skill, Luke was able to fire a lance of electricity a full three meters even without the help of his staff, an impressive feat in his world. But even with his staff, regardless of the quality of the faerlstone that its head was carved from, such extravagant feats as calling lightning from the sky were simply the stuff of fantasy.

Just as this thought crossed Luke's mind – that he was not powerful enough to command the skies - the storm turned on him, striking him and his bird with a deafening thunderbolt. The bird vanished in the flash of light, and he was left falling alone...

He turned to what should have been the ground, expecting to see the teal plains and violet-tinted seas of the Crescent Isle below, but there was nothing. He flipped around to look back at the sky, but the clouds had vanished. There was nothing. He was falling through a bleak gray void – that is, until something hard struck his back. A branch. And another. Ow. Ow!

This pain was not a part of his dream. The third bough to strike him brought Luke soundly back to the waking world, where he found himself falling through the canopy of a dense forest. He dropped unceremoniously to the ground below, slowed only by the branches on the way down. His landing was accompanied by a sharp crack as the head of his staff struck a rock, mere inches from where his head now rested.

Winded by the crash-landing, it took several seconds for him to draw breath. He could tell almost immediately that something was off. These trees shouldn't be such deep green, should they? Where am I? How did I get here?

He tried to think back, to remember... but he could remember only his dream, as far back as the wyvern and a shadowy figure falling from his sight after being struck by lightning, and nothing before that. He replayed the each thought that passed through his mind during the dream, lest he forget: Vabyriaur. The Crescent Isle. Did it really look so different from this, or were my dreams playing tricks on me? My name was... is... Lucas Warmwater...

Once he was able to pull himself to his feet, Luke looked around the area and found that he was near the forest's edge. Through a gap in the trees, not far to the northwest, he saw a village along the shoreline of whatever strange land this was that he had awoken in – a small fishing village, most likely. It would be best for now, he thought, to find a place to rest. Aided heavily by his staff, he hobbled into Naithe to seek an inn as quickly as the pain in his back would allow him.

Locke VII

The hours rolled by, both Locke and Ziad engrossed in their darts and the good ol' stories they shared intriguing both of them. Alistair, meanwhile, went up to his room to nap. It was eventide when two weary travelers entered the inn. Just festival goers, Locke surmised, and continued with his darts game. He wasn't doing well.

"My, what a crazy day eh?" said one of the travelers, nudging the other's side in a jokey fashion.

"Please, I just want to forget what I saw", replied the other. He stared into his hands, "how could anyone do that? What that... thing did with her hands, that's unlike anything I have seen before." What's this, thought Locke. Not much would phase a traveler, it must have been quite the sight, whatever it was.

"Hey, Ziad, give me a second will you? I just need to talk to these two quickly." Nodding in acknowledgement, Ziad began pouring himself a drink from the cabinet.

Walking out of the lounge, Locke re-entered the reception. "Hey, you two, what was that you were saying?"

"Huh? Oh me, right. Sorry. What did you want?"

"Just a small thing. You said something about this thing and her hands, care to share, friend?"

"What, you haven't heard? Sheesh! This strange creature was in King's Square just now, looking like a snow fox. That was weird enough. Then this guard approached her, and this crazy light appeared. Next thing you know, the guard's sword is snapped off, turned into ice. No word of a lie."

Locke examined the traveler's face. He didn't really think he was lying. "Well, that's certainly interesting. Thanks for telling me this." Exchanging pleasantries, he left the two travelers to register a room, and went back to Ziad. When he re-entered the lounge, Ziad was close to the door having clearly listened in.

"You heard everything, I guess?" said Locke. Ziad nodded.

"Yes, I have. You think this man is telling the truth?"

"I think so. It was so wild a story, I don't think you could make it up. But Ziad, what do you think? Have you heard of a species, humanoid in stature, with features of a snow fox?" inquired Locke. Ziad crossed his arms.

"I can't say I have. Certainly, that it seems humanoid in nature suggests that it isn't completely far removed from Humans, Akims and even Dobans. Not all of Sedorra has been charted either. That there are new species out there wouldn't surprise me."

"I agree, but Ziad, it isn't her appearance that astounds me. It's what she's supposedly done. Foreign or not, what do you make of her powers?"

"Now that, is a very good question, my friend." The Akim tilted his head upwards, as if he thinking.

"What are you thinking about?"

"It's... nothing. Just an old story I heard from the Akim elders in my village. It was so long ago now, I'm struggling remembering all of it."

"Well, we've been telling stories all day Ziad. What's one more to the pile?" joked Locke.

Ziad gestured for Locke to sit down.

Commander Galrad

The Commander stood over a table in his office by the barracks, studying a map of Lucrecia. The map had icons that indicated stationary guards that were positioned throughout the city as well as a web of coloured sting which indicated the path of the patrolling guards. He was in the process of increasing the number of patrols to help locate the foreigner with the strange power when a new recruit came running in.

“Sir” he said loudly, breathing heavily but still managed a firm salute “I Have a message from the Queen”

“At ease and speak lad” Galrad responded, looking up from the map.

The young man relaxed a bit but was still breathing heavily “The Queen said she thanks you for your concern but she trusts that you can handle any threat to hers and the peoples life. And the blessing is too important to everyone for her to forgo it. The King would not leave either, he would not leave his wife in danger by herself” the young recruit told him. Galrad groaned but knew deep down that Queen would not miss her speech, she loved her people too much and it was why they loved her so much.

“What of the Prince and Princess?” he asked

“They are being taken back to the palace as we speak”

“Some good news at least” Galrad said mainly to himself. He pondered his next course of action, looking briefly at the broken sword that sat next to the map on his table. It still had frost on it but his warm office was quickly melting it. “I need you to go to the outer barracks and send ten guards to meet me at the stage in King’s Square. Then head to Rivers market and bring five more and yourself to me as well. The Queens speech is not long off so have haste” The Commander ordered

“Yes Sir!” the young recruit responded

“And if old Cridus complains just tell him to simmer down, I’ll send his men back after the speech” He said light heartedly. “Dismissed” The guard nodded with a slight smile, turned on his heel and marched off. Galrad watched the boy leave before walking to his long sword, picking it up and strapping it on. He hoped that tonight would be another night were his blade would not taste blood.

Cohen smiled in thanks and returned to the table with the pitcher of water in one hand and two deep chalices in the other. He wasn't sure if Tala's paws would allow her to grasp the thin stem of a chalice, but he thought it would be rude not to offer.

He placed the items down on the table and sat. He wasn't sure what to say to Tala, so mostly they sat in silence. Cohen could hear trumpets calling into the night. He'd heard people muttering about this festival all day and it appeared to have finally arrived.

The man behind the counter didn't seem the type to wait tables, but he brought Cohen and Tala's dinner to them, as he said he would. 'Thank you very much,' Cohen said as the plates were laid on the wooden surface.

'Sure you don't want something stronger to wash it down with?' the man asked.

Cohen pondered the water that he had poured into his chalice, remembering his vows to the Order. He'd promised many things, including sobriety; alcohol clouded the mind and prevented the clarity needed to commune with the Gods.

But your Gods aren't here, a voice in his mind reminded him. Cohen ignored the voice and, mostly out of habit, refused. 'I'm happy with water, thank you.'

Noticing that Tala had already started on her food, Cohen dipped a spoon into his stew and brought the warm broth to his lips. The smell was heavenly and the taste didn't disappoint. He ate a few spoonfuls in silence, at a loss for conversation. It had been a long day.

The trumpets grew louder and other instruments joined in the song, as well as the shouts of excited city folk. Cohen swallowed and looked up. 'When we've finish eating, should we return to the square and see what all the fuss is about?' he asked Tala.

Locke VIII

"It is more of a cryptic warning. The elders rarely tell it; many of them think it a myth anyway." Ziad pondered what followed next. "The story goes that the Akim revel in the fire of the desert. The heat, the burning sands. But it is said that when the pale blue frost spreads over the Akimolm desert, the sands become naught but brittle husks of what they once were." Ziad's face was hard to read.

Locke leaned over, listened intently on his every word. "Ziad, that... that is some story." The Akim laughed heartily.

"You appear so serious Locke! You do not believe this I hope!" Ziad slapped Locke on the back. "It is some old story the elders tell. I tell you, they tell many stories - guess how many come true?" With this, Ziad grinned widely.

"Ziad, what do you think about this ice-wielding creature?" Locke quickly turned the subject back to the mater at hand.

"Oh, yes. Well, we do not know much, and I don't know about you, but I would like to meet this creature in person. What do you say?" Ziad gestured to the door. Locke equally glanced towards Alistair, who was walking down the stairs. He couldn't leave him by himself, but yet, he didn't want to expose him to any danger. Ziad sensed Locke's unease.

"You are worried about the boy, aren't you? Locke, there will come a time when everyone is exposed to the adult world. My, when I was his age, I was already hunting out in the desert."

When I was his age, I was in Lucrecia Castle, eating fine foods and getting an education. Locke thought about it for a while longer. Eventually, he turned to Alistair.

"Hey, we've not even explored much of Lucrecia today have we? How does Kings Square sound? We may also be able to catch the Queen's blessing of the city!" Locke said with a convincingly happy intonation. Inside, he was anything but.

"Kings Square was where it was last seen. We should start there." Ziad said.

Gripping Alistair's hand tightly, Locke, together with Ziad left the inn and began travelling to Kings Square.

Camille scowled. Cancel each other? When the chocobos looked and felt like that? She wanted to yell, no way!, but seeing that everyone was armed, she didn't have time to get into fight over it. Koko and Bristles needed to go home—no, somewhere near where they can get some rest from their truama.

She glanced at the thieves. They were quieter now, exchanging communicative looks with each other.

"Whaddaya get then, Blackie?” asked the big one. “You're not getting chocobos this way."

"I don't want them; paying for them and papers screws me in the pouch,” replied the Doban. “I also don't have to bleed or dig ditches for anyone, which is more the point. I mean, I always could, but that's your decision, lads, and yours, lass."

Yeah, right, Camille thought with a snort, turning her head away, to look at the younger chocobos, who had huddled against each other at the draw of all the weapons.

There had to be a catch. The Doban was strong and smart for his size and age. She didn't imagine him nice enough to strike a deal like that and not get anything out of it.

"Tell you what, boyos: I got a flask of Xanderdraught to yer name if you walk away. Veritas, was it?”

She gave him a single nod, and was secretly relieved that there was one person in Sedorra who didn't know who she was.

“I have greens I can share with yer birds and we can take a look at them here if you're staying."

“Stay?” she repeated, almost with doubt. “Stay here?”

Blackie lifted his palm and half-shrugged. “Do you have somethin' better, lass?”

Well, it's much closer than having to travel to Lucrecia. And she would rather not deal with idiotic thieves any longer than necessary. They were rotten people, and on top of that, they smelled.

“I don't,” she said plainly. “Show me the greens. If they're good, I may agree to stay.” She was still hesitant about trusting this stranger, but she wasn't completely against it. “Pull anything stupid on me you get chocobos trampling your face, Doban.” She turned to glare daggers at the two thieves, silently warning them that she would do the same to them.

The Kings Guard

A large precession of 20 knights, marching in pairs, entered King's Square from the north. Every other knight carried a torched which illuminated their highly polished gold and skyblue armour. These men and women were the kings guard and are amongst the best in Lucrecia and are hand picked to guard the royal family by the king and the commander.

As they marched they cut a path through the crowd and the ones at the front surrounded the stage that sat in the north end of the Square. A voice in the distance called out a command and the remaining knights that were lined up turned to face the crowd and then took three steps each.

The crowd started to go wild as the kings bannermem began marching down the newly created pathway, distant trumpets signalled the imminent arrival of the king and Queen.

Damon and his two fellow guards had arrived in King's Square by the East and immediately began asking the crowd if they had seen someone in a Fox costume running around with an Akim. Nervous about what would happen if they did find it, they had decided to stay within 5 paces from each other for safety.

Alezin VIi
Pushing open the door, the two men were both shocked when they saw the crazed human sitting at the same table as the fox featured humaniod and the Akim. To the hyoung assasin the man looked happy, the Akim looked anxious while the foreigner didn't seem concerned at all. Although Alezin has never claimed to be able to read animals. "Well this changes things slightly" Dirus said, rubbing his chin.

"Follow my lead" Alezin replied as he walked over to the table next to the trio's. It was occupied by a rowdy group of Dobans and humans. "Guys, I cant believe its been a year already" He said to the men, some looked confused.

"Have we met-" one of the men began to say.

"It's us, Diren and Delek. This time last year we were drinking to the Queens good health" Dirus cut in "And you" he pointed to one of the humans "You got so drunk that I didnt think you'd make it home" he laughed as he spoke and some of the men joined in.

"You do always get bladdered, Ian" A Doban added. "You end up looking like a chocobo thats forgot thst it has legs" at that the rest of the men started to laughing, Alezin and Dirus joined in but neither found it funny.

"Next round is on me" Dirus said as he headed to the bar. The men cheered and allowed Alezin into there group.

"So, any good stories? The ladies were all over you last year" Alezin directed his question to an average looking man who had a lipstick mark on his neck. Just to the left of this man was a clear view to the fox like humaniod and her table.

The Commander
Galrad had reached King's Square, his size made him an imposing man and many in the crowd moved out of the way as he marched towards the stage. The Kings guard were in position so the royal family would be arriving soon. He hoped that the men he asked for would arrive soon but hoped more that nothing would happen.

As he drew closer to the stage he noticed that some of the guards began to salute as they spotted him, he waved a hand to put them at ease. "Sir! We weren't expecting you" a female kings guard shouted so she could be heard over the cheering crowd "Is something wrong?"

"There talk of some strange folk running around, I'm bring over some extra men just to ease my mind" he boomed back. Looking up at the stage he could see the two bannermen standing proud on each side, holding the flag that held the emblem of the royal family on it. He step past the human wall of kings guard, turned his back on the stage and faced the sea of people.

The Jewel of Lucrecia

Glistening in torch light, six golden armoured chocobos entered King’s Square from the North, staying in between the row of kings guard that led to the stage. The chocobos were lined up in pairs and pulling a carriage that was an eccentric mix of gold, blue velvet and gems. A man sat on the front of the carriage and controlled the chocobos. He was wearing fine blue cotton that had a gold trim.

The chocobos pulled up to the stage and came to a halt. The king, tall and distinguished, stepped out of the carriage and waved to his people. He was wearing a series of overlapping blue and gold silk that flowed around him like smoke. We was an attractive man even now that he was well into middle age with hair containing flecks of silver and wrinkles around his eyes. His eyes were a piercing blue, a trademark of his bloodline. He raised a hand which the Queen took and helped her out of the carriage.

The Queen was a beautiful and elegant women who wore a dress of blue and gold silk that rippled like water has she walked. She had long brown hair, emerald green eyes and looked like she was still in her early twenties when her actual age is 48. The pair walked up the stairs of the stage to the applause and cheers of the crowd. Once at the top, the King kissed his wife on the cheek and walked to the side as she walked to the front of the stage.

“Thank you all for coming” she addressed the crowd, her voice was almost musical “It’s been another prosperous year for Lucrecia and may the next year bless us all for the year to come. But there has been a few bumps in the road”.

Alezin

The cheers from outside grew louder and the doors burst open “They’re here” a man called in to the crowded tavern then rushed back out again. People began to rush out or pull open the windows so the could see. One of the Dobans in the group put his arm around Alezin and began to lead him out of the tavern.

“Come on guys, lets get a better view” he called out. Alezin looked at the bar but couldn’t see Dirus.

Outside, Alezin could see the Queen making her way to the front of the stage.

Locke IX

The joyous mood Locke and Alistair encountered when they arrived in Lucrecia in the morning has disappeared. The trumpets still played, and the dancers still danced, but Locke sensed unease. He sensed it in the guards, he sensed it in the young children, he sensed it in the air he breathed. King's Square was not far away now, but they walked in silence. Even Alistair, who would normally be manic at such excitement, knew something was up.

Armored knights entered King's Square from the northern entrance. Locke, Alistair and Ziad could barely see them from over the shoulders of other people, but one glimpse was enough - the torches they held only made their armor glisten and shine.

"Who are those people, Locke?" asked Alistair. All of this was new to him.

"They are the King's Guard. They are sworn to protect the King and the Royal Family. You could call them bodyguards, perhaps," Locke explained.

"Their presence is hardly surprising given the civilian reports" mused Ziad. Locke nodded in agreement. Having attended many Royal speeches over his formative years, Locke knew the standard procedure. A speech during the nighttime was unusual, but not unheard of and certainly after recent events in Lucrecia, allaying public fears would be the Queen's utmost priority.

"Is this your first Queen's festival, Ziad?" Locke asked.

"No, I have seen two before." Ziad shrugged his shoulders. "I am a traveler. Lucrecia is great for supplies, it was mere coincidence that I saw those".

"When is the Queen speaking?" piped Alistair.

"Soon, now, soon." Locke could not hide the anxiety in his voice any longer. Ziad picked up on this, and moved closer to him.

"What's wrong?" Ziad whispered into his ear. Locke sighed.

"I don't know, really. I just have a bad feeling about all this." Locke looked furtively around. It was during this that he noticed the Commander of the Lucrecian Guards, Commander Galrad, present and taking up position. From previous experience, Locke knew this was highly unusual. The Commander always orchestrated security during these events, but never has Locke ever seen him in an active role. This revelation only made Locke more uneasy.

Something is up.

"Hey, look!" Alistair pointed towards the northern entrance to King's Square. Excited, the boy pushed past the crowd to get a better view. Locke had no choice but to follow suit, repeating apologies all the while. When he got out to the front, he spotted Alistair. His face was glued to the Chocobos. Locke has never seen him so happy. It was almost perplexing. ​

The speech was about to begin, thought Locke.