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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Greenfield" data-source="post: 7800218" data-attributes="member: 6669384">Okay, it's a new day so I'll try to pick up where I left off.***<Story>Pax looked at his fallen friend, unable to even determine from his still-misty form if the huge Barbarian was still alive."He won't bleed in that form", one of the Janni guards said, almost casually.  "He'll feel the pain without dying from it.", added another with a cruel smile.  The rest almost laughed in satisfaction.  The blustering intruder had been humiliated and then defeated without having ever landed a blow.Dion looked on sadly, and carefully dismissed his Wind Walk spell so Mash would solidify.  The body, now having weight, slumped to the floor and blood began to pool."Let me take our friend and leave", Pax asked as he watched his friend gradually expire.The leader of the guards snapped an order in Ignan, which Pax didn't understand.   But he turned his head back towards the Temple Knight and assured him.  "We'll see to his wounds.  He won't die, but we'll keep him here.  He tried to go where he was forbidden, and the law is clear."Pax felt his jaw clench and his voice came out like a blade on a grindstone:  "We will not leave without our friend, and the slaves!""They you remain.  Out there.", came the equally hard reply.  "Wait as long as you like, but until we hear otherwise, this is the hall of our lord Ignus, and you may not enter."It was Dion who broke the deadlock.  "I'll go back to the city and see if I can get something official.  Will that do?"The lead guard nodded curtly, never breaking gaze with Pax.The Druid once again cast Wind Walk, this time including only himself, and then set off like the wind for the City of Brass.One of the Janni whispered something to their leader, who softened his stance slightly.  "That will take several hours, even at the best speed.  If you and your cohort would like to enter the courtyard, I'll send for refreshments.  There are laws of hospitality, after all."But Pax might as well have been carved of stone, and his companions followd his lead.  No one moved a muscle.</Story><Interlude>I'm actually taking this small break to show the passage of time, and to mark the change of scene.I will comment though that I'm not sure Wind Walk can actually be "dismissed", per the rules, but I let it go by.Also, there probably aren't any formal "laws of hospitality" that would apply to uninvited guests.</Interlude><Story>The landscape was as bewildering and the the smoke just as thick for Dion as it had been for anyone else, but he knew the general direction and he knew that the city was wider than the distance he was traveling, so he took his best guess and pressed on.It took over an hour before the great city came into sight, but he was traveling so fast that he nearly passed the outer wall before he could stop.  He didn't see any barrier, but in a world where most everyone could fly it would make sense that there were precautions to prevent that.He dropped down and found the nearest entrance and, once there, took solid form.The gate guard looked at the Human with open contempt.  "Who is you master and what is his business here?", the guard demanded, once again presuming that any Humans in the city were someone's slaves."I'm a free man and I'm here on my own business.", replied Dion.Are you a beggar, or do you have coin to spend?", asked the guard, sill looking unfriendly.  Dion answered by jingling his purse, and was allowed entry.  It ws then that he realized that he had no idea what to do next, nor where to go.  He certainly couldn't find Fireheart in this huge place, if he was even in the cit, and if he had this much trouble simply entering the town unescorted, antering the palace was out of the question.Still, he decided that the palace seemed like a place to start.  He once again turned to mist and took to the air. Since the city was free of the open flames and volcanic vents that filled the lands outside its walls, visibility was much better.  So, as he rose he realized that he'd been right earlier.  The city was huge, and his trip from the perimeter to the grand palace at the center was almost as far as he'd already traveled.He stayed low and followed the road that he recognized as the Grand Curve.  It lead to the palace.As he arrived h materialized some distance from the palace gate and approached on foot.  A pair of Efreet guards stood, scowling at him as he approached."Excuse me, but has the Sultan made any formal proclamations recently?", he asked politely.The towering guards smirked as they replied, "Why yes he has."  They said no more.Dion, knowing the way of this city, opened his purse and drew gold from it.  "Penny for your thoughts?" he asked, the proper form he'd learned in his time here."Yes he has," repeated the guard as he tucked the coin into a fold in his sash.  "He's confirmed the station of Lord Fireheart, and his victory over the lower one known as Ignus."  While the word translated as "lower", Dion recognized that in the local language it denoted someone or something pathetic."Is there a place where I could find a copy of that proclamation, in writing>", he asked, again offering golden tribute.This time the second guard replied, taking the coin.  "Yes there is", he answered.  "Turn to your right, walk about fifty paces, then turn left."Dion did as instructed and saw the proclamation clearly posted on a pillar.  He also realized that he'd only asked where he could find a copy, rather than asking if he could have a copy, and that taking this one would probably be a problem.  He returned to the guards, this time with two gold in his hand."Is there a copy available that I can take with me?", he asked.One of the guards whisked away both coin, the whistled.  A Mephit appeared within seconds, his tiny wings abuzz.  "This one wants the latest proclamation.", the guard said.  The tiny bit of animated flame vanished back through his small tunne, then returned with a small bundle of parchment.  "Post these clearly at every crossroads and at any public square.  Or circle", he added, passing the mass to Dion.Dion extracted two copies and returned the rest to the Mephit.  "I'm not here as your servant.  I have other duties", he said, then headed out, this time following the way known as the Crooked Road, which he knew lead to The Details, where his friends were waiting.</Story><Commentary>If I didn't make it clear earlier, my take on the City of Brass is that, being ruled by the Lawful Evil Efreet, if you're not sure if something is legal, it probably isn't.  They take delight in tormenting lesser beings, and even each other when they can, so you really don't want to give them an excuse.Fireheart seems to be the exception.  Definately Lawful Evil, but far less predatory than the others they'd dealt with.  But, as I said, "Seems".Also, nothing is free.  The "Penny for your thoughts" line was something I adopted as a way to say that you want information and are willing to pay.  Dion called it right on the amount.  A copper for common directions about the city, but as you move up the scale of importance, so the costs rise accordingly.Again, I have to take a break, probably for a few hours, so again, "To be continued..." <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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