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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Carnifex" data-source="post: 234863" data-attributes="member: 227">Continuing the tale of the Corvus Company...I'm going to change my style of writing a bit now - writing in the past tense rather than the present. This'll allow me to directly port over far more of the actual text of the game into the story hour, since it's all written in the past tense.Into the Guild:The group headed out of the watch headquarters, Alaric leading the band in the direction of the wizards' guild down the boulevard. For the FlameHawk squire, there was something in the past conversation for him to think on - Ecurius Tarravus, the apparent recipitor of Sandslipper's parcel from the Huronese 'Fireball', was a Truth Seeker. The Truth Seekers were an openly elitist group within the boundaries of the Naserian nobility, made up only of powerful and learned sorcerers - their aim being the search for truth, not in the sense of common, mundane truths such as the name of a criminal or suchlike, but rather far more fundamental truths about reality, the gods and existence. It was rumoured by people from outside the society that the Truth Seekers had in their possession a series of prophetic works which told the tale of the world from creation to the present day; others muttered that they sought the means of ascendance into godhood to join Naskha, patron deity of Naseria and the sorcerer-god from which the Naserian nobility claimed lineage.The procession recieved many odd looks as they entered the wizards' guild, a building of perhaps surprisingly small scale. Entering into the comfortably but not ostentatiously upholstered lobby, the party could see around them not a single wizard who was dressed in lavish finery such as House Corvus nobles wore, but rather all in practical or more drab gard, the only indicatorsof their skills as wizards their belt pouches, spellbooks and the occasional glint of an enchanted ring or amulet. In Naseria, no noble needed to study wizardry, and as such it was entirely the province of the common people. There were amongst the elemental orders a few commoners who trained in wizardry and combat, but the bulk of the elite warriors were nobility; though they did have supporting specialist wizards such as diviners. Nonetheless, the status of a wizard within Naseria was about on par with a merchant or skilled craftsman, below that of the nobility.At the end of the entrance hall a wizard-clerk sat behind a desk, scribbling notes in a ledger. As the band approached her, she looked up, nodding respectfully to the young Valiere. "Is there perhaps something I can aid you with, sir?"[/color] she addressed the squire."One of my guests," he waved an arm to indicate the warrior and three women with him, "expressed an interest in coming here." Turning to Melisande, he allowed himself a shy but courtly smile, "M'lady, whatever you need, just let this clerk know."Melisande had been hanging back slightly, but keeping close to the handsome and noble Alaric. All these wizards were reminding her uncomfortably of the Manipulation labs. Most of the fledgeling apprentices there had come to learn necromancy and transmutation; they wore all black and made a point of going with unkempt, dirty hair and long fingernails. They distrusted Melisande and her innate gifts, and mocked her squeamishness unmercifully. How often did she find bits of goblins deposited on her chair or under her workbench? "Feeling a little green there, Melberry?" they would taunt.But her smile hardly wavered as the unpleasant memories flashed past and then vanished like cold-blooded lizards darting under sun-warmed stones. Those nasty people were behind her forever. She was in Naseria now. She stole a glance at Alaric, the living epitome of her salvation, in his clean-cut, noble bearing precisely the opposite of those grungy nihilists she had suffered in Carthagia."Well, Ma'am, during our travels we came across this magical rod," she began, lifting the Fire-Serpent Rod dramatically across both hands. "I hoped someone in your learned guild would be able to tell us more about it. Like, how to use it, for one thing."The clerk - a stocky woman probably in her early thirties, clad in peasant-style garb - perused the proferred object carefully for a few moments, before glancing amidst the notes on her desk. "Well, madame, we could perform a minor identification spell upon it for the standard rate of one hundred and five pieces of gold, or a more powerful divination such as an analyse dweomer or legend lore, the price for which would vary depending on the individual wizard contracted to perform the service.""Oh... money..."Mel patted her pockets, but still there was nothing in them except Pierre, a couple of potions, a holy symbol of Immar and a few empty snail shells.Somehow she had expected the wizards to be purveyors of knowledge for knowledge's sake. Her end of the bargain was showing them this nifty rod, and their end was telling her more about it. She bit her lip, feeling silly again. I suppose they have to make a living somehow, don't they?The question of money chose that moment to flash its ugly head at her: the lack of it would soon become more than just embarrassing. She wanted to travel with Sandslipper north, but her rations were nearly spent and she had little to offer as a freelance Manipulator. Sudden panic threatened to paralyze her, but an undisguised impatient gaze coming at her from the wizard clerk dragged her back to the present problem."I'm afraid I don't have that much on me... You wouldn't have a library I could consult, would you?" Her voice betrayed a meekness it lacked just a moment before. The clerk nodded again. "We do indeed have a library here. Cost of access is usually fifteen gold pieces to non-Guild members per day of perusal of the common archives, though of course to a noble," she said to Alaric, "the charge is only five gold pieces. Access to more archaic, rare or powerful books carries an extra charge."That's about all I have, Melisande thought desperately."I'll... I'll come back when I have more time," she said with a forced smile."You wouldn't happen to have a copy of Ha--Hinkle--Herbert--Hathel--yes! Hathelberts Occult Manual Of The Celestial and Demonic, would you? Is that in the archaic and rare books section?" The clerk nodded once more. "We do indeed have a copy of the Occult Manual - at least one copy, in fact. It's a highly regarded text, but not part of the archaic or rare books sections. Actually, part of the archaic tomes section is currently unavailable anyway, because some Truth Seekers have hired out the entire catalogue for their own perusal at the moment."Sebastion managed to stifle his laugh at the expression on the clerk's face, seen from the corner of his eye.Could she really have thought she would just walk in here and they would welcome her with open arms? he wondered, turning to face her."I'll... I'll come back when I have more time..." Melisande had muttered, and Sebastion felt a little sorry for her, as she turned. He wondered what dreams had to have died to cause such a rapid change in expressions. Feeling the need to change the subject, divert the conversation, he stepped to the door to hold it for them as they left, and spoke quietly."Truthseekers again, huh? What exactly are these truthseekers?"Sebastion headed for the door, apparently impatient to be outside a place of learning. Melisande wasn't ready to give up yet, however. She turned her hopeful azure gaze up to Squire Alaric. She simply must consult that book, and although she did have that much gold it would mean not eating if she spent it. Besides, the Squire was eligible for the nobility discount.Once again, all she had to bargain with were the odds and ends of unusual knowledge she had accumulated recently. "I've heard talk of the Truth-Seekers more than once in recent times, as well as of Nephian assassins attacking the Flame Hawks. I think we both might be interested in the Occult Manual..." she suggested to Alaric with her sweetest smile.Sebastion, left standing like an idiot, holding the door for women who weren't coming, let it go with a dramatic grimace, turning back to theconversation."Or we could just stay here and embaress ourselves a little more..." he observed, to no-one in particular, under his breath. "I wonder if I have a hat somewhere that I could put on the floor to catch the pennies... beggars that we appear to have become."Next Update: Find out what the Corvus Company discover while perusing the library of the Corvus wizards guild!</blockquote>

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