Indirik Family/Kende/Pilgrimage to the Volcano
| Roleplay from Kende Indirik | |
| Message sent to All nobles of Darka | |
| Kende once again stood on the outcropping of volcanic rock. This was the ledge used by the priests to toss sacrifices into the central crater. He had witnessed several such sacrifices in his time as Lord of Mnt. Sinclair, so many years ago. He'd even watched a prisoner execution here once. He'd forgotten who it was. Some lackwit noble who fancied himself an assassin, and been caught in the act, no doubt. Well, he'd paid the price, and Sigrid had claimed him with her vengeful fires.
There was something mesmerizing about the way the lava ebbed and flowed. And the way the lava occasionally bubbled up, sending a random gout of flame rising into the air accompanied by thick rolls of black smoke. Sometimes these bursting bubbles sent small gobbets of lava flying into the air. Their fiery red trails were spectacular in the darkness. On rare occasions these small bits of molten rock found willing tinder in some dry bit of vegetation. Probably Darka attempting to reclaim the land and bring life back to blasted slopes of the volcano. The tinder blazed into a small fire that burned voraciously before the scant fuel ran out. This had been happening for so many hundreds of years, as long as any written record could be found, that there was just very little left to burn. Sigrid apparently didn't view Darka's attempts to restore life too kindly. Perhaps some day this friendly sparring would become more serious, perhaps leading Sigrid to cause another eruption of lava, like that which periodically washed across down across the plains of Winser, into the sea. This was the third night in a row that Kende stood upon this ledge. He brooded and stared, not knowing why he felt called to this place. Yet there was no doubt that he was called. The compulsion had been strong, and he had no choice but to answer. So here he was, answering the call. Waiting for the reason to become clear. Staring into the fires... | |
| Kende Indirik (General of Darka) | |
| Roleplay from Kende Indirik | |
| Message sent to All nobles of Darka | |
| The fourth night found Kende once again on the ledge above the volcano. But something was different tonight. He didn't know what it was. Did the lava look maybe a bit hotter tonight, or the glow a little brighter?
It was deep into the night when it happened. A particularly large bubble of lava burst, sending a noxious cloud of fumes into the air and ejecting several small molten gobbets of lava high into the air. Kende watched them fly through the air leaving bright fiery trails across the sky. One of them appeared to be flying straight up. Or was it... It couldn't be... The chances would be astronomical. But still, it sure looked like it was headed ... right at him! Kende stepped quickly back away from the ledge. Just in time, too, as the fiery missile impacted with the ledge right where he had been standing moments before. The flaming rock bounced off the hard rock of the ledge scattering sparks. It bounced a time or two, then rolled across the ledge straight toward. It slowed as it neared him, finally coming to rest against his foot, hitting his armor with a faint *tink* sound. Kende stared at the rapidly cooling rock. He moved his foot back and squatted to get a better view. It was about the size of a large walnut. Following a strange compulsion, he reached down and picked it. It was uncomfortably hot in his hands, even through the steel of his gauntlet, and the linen padding underneath. But, oddly, it was not quite hot enough to burn his hand. He held up the rock and inspected it closely. Little waves of fire washed hypnotically across the surface of the rock as the ash on the surface burned off. Kende's mind drifted as he stared...
Kende blinked, then blinked again. He looked around, to see some of his men standing close at hand, despite his orders for them to remain back near the stone shrine some ways back. The men had a concerned look on their faces. One of them had reached forward and touched his shoulder, pulling him away from the visions. "General Kende? General, are you alright?" Kende stared at them uncomprehendingly for a few seconds. He closed has fist around the rock and answered. "Yes, yes. I'm fine." "m'Lord, you were staring at that stone for so long. We were worried that something had happened, or that the volcano might try again, and not miss this time." Kende waved them back. "No, it's alright. We'll be leaving shortly. Get the men ready for the journey back to Siver in the morning." The men nodded in acknowledgment, then turned and headed back to the shrine where the rest of the soldiers remained. Kende stood and opened his fist. The rock laying in his palm was just a rock. Still warm, but no longer the hot volcanic fragment it had once been. Just a lump of warm, black rock. As he turned it over in his palm the outer shell started to flake and fall away. Using both hands he began to peel off the coating, almost as if he were peeling a fruit. When the outer coating was gone, he could see the light glinting off the surface of a rough stone. It looked like some type of uncut gemstone. Kende closed his fist around the stone once more. With a final glance toward the flaming volcano, he turned and headed toward the shrine and the waiting soldiers. As if in farewell the volcano flared briefly, sending another small shower of flaming stones into the air. Most of them died out as they came down and hit hard rock. But some found ready fuel, and a few small fires started to burn. | |
| Kende Indirik (General of Darka) | |
| Roleplay from Kende Indirik | |
| Message sent to All nobles of Darka | |
| The lapidary's shop was located in the finer part of Siver's mercantile district. The lapidary himself was purported to be extremely skilled. His work was in such high demand that Kende wondered how long it would take to get the stone cut and polished.
As it turned out, he needn't have worried. The gemcutter was quite enthusiastic about the stone. He claimed it was a ruby of extraordinary size, and with a deep red color that was quite unusual. He would begin the work immediately, and estimated that it would take only a few days. After leaving the gemcutter's shop Kende gathered up his men, and headed for Bitana to join the hunt for the reported monster outbreak. | |
| Kende Indirik (General of Darka) | |
| Roleplay from Kende Indirik | |
| Message sent to All nobles of Darka | |
| After a week, Kende returned to the lapidary shop where he had left the gem. As the gem cutter had promised, the work had been completed. The gem cutter brought a locked iron strongbox from the back of the shop, and opened it with an intricate key hanging from a thong around his neck. He brought forth a purple velvet pouch. Opening the drawstrings on the pouch, he spilled forth the gem onto his palm.
It was a large, round ruby, nearly an inch across. The color was a deep blood red. The gem cutter held it in the light coming in through the barred window. Brilliant red light sparkled and flashed from the many facets. "I have done my finest work on this stone, m'Lord. The cutting is as near perfect as a man can get. I must apologize, however, that the gem is, well, slightly ... flawed. It was not the cutting, m'Lord. You see, there are imperfections deep within the stone itself. Here, you can see for yourself with this magnifier." The gem cutter handed the gem to Kende, and held out the magnifier in his other hand. Kende took the gem, but ignored the magnifier. He held the gem up in front of his eyes. He felt the same entrancement he had felt when he first beheld the gem. The motes in the gem stirred. The faceting broke the light into sparks, and the flames inside the gem began to dance. With an effort of pure will, he resisted the urge to stare into the flames and looked away. He shook his head a bit to clear his thoughts. "These are not flaws" Kende said, turning the gem back and forth. "They are the very soul and purpose of the stone. Without them, it would be nothing but a pretty bauble." The gem cutter looked as if he would say something, but thought better of contradicting the General of Darka. "m'Lord, gems of this size are quite rare. They often become quite well known. It is traditional that they have names." Still inspecting the ruby, Kende absently responded to the gem cutter. "It already has a name." The gem cutter blinked. "It does, m'Lord?" "Yes" Kende responded. "It is the Eye of Sigrid." Kende tossed a pouch of gold onto the counter. "Thank you for your services. If the opportunity arises, I would not hesitate to recommend your services." The gem cutter scooped up the pouch and beamed with pride. "Thank you, m'Lord! Thank you!" Kende turned and left the shop. He joined his men in the street, and they headed for the armorer. | |
| Kende Indirik (General of Darka) | |
| Roleplay from Kende Indirik | |
| Message sent to All nobles of Darka | |
| It took Kende a few hours to reach the armorer's shop. The wealthy and exclusive merchants of the lapidary's part of town would never have permitted the noisy, smelly armorer to ply his trade in their vicinity.
Kende didn't mind the walk. It was good to get some exercise. He'd been sitting around too much lately. The men were getting restless, too. Their pay was good, but they hadn't had the chance to hack apart an enemy's in a long time. Training dummies just didn't bleed enough for them. The smell of charcoal, hot steel, and preserving oils was more what Kende was used to, anyway. He hadn't been comfortable in the fancy, pampered atmosphere of the rich merchant's quarter. Out here among the armories and soldiers, he felt at home. The armorer's apprentice met him at the door. When he noticed who the new customer was, he quickly bowed, then ran off to get the master armorer. While Kende waited for the armorer to arrive he unbuckled his sword belt and removed it. The leather grip wrapping the hilt was worn and stained with sweat and oil from the palm of his hand. There crosspiece was nicked and scratched in many spots from deflecting the blades of enemy warriors. Still, it was well-built and solid. It was a warrior's sword, not a shiny parade show-piece, or the gilt frippery of some court fop. So many men had died on this blade, Kende was always surprised that the steel hadn't been permanently stained red. The armorer was the typical heavily-muscled man that came to mind whenever someone mentioned blacksmiths. He'd obviously been working at his forge, and only left to meet his prestigious customer. Kende held out the sword belt to the armorer. The man took the sword, drew it a few inches to see the blade, and cast an appraising gaze over it. After a few second he skid the blade back in, nodded approvingly, then looked up at Kende. "A nice blade, m'Lord. Does it need some repairs?" "Not repairs, no. What I need is for the pommel to be modified. I need the round knob taken off, and the socket for a large gem to be added, like so." Kende drew forth the gem and held it near the pommel of the sword. He held it near the pommel and made a few gestures indicating how the gem should be mounted. The armorer nodded in understanding. "Aye, m'Lord, I see what you're meaning. But I'm no jeweler. I can reshape the pommel so's it can be mounted, but I can't socket a gem like that myself." Kende smiled a bit at the thought of this gruff armorer doing that kind of delicate and detailed work at the anvil with his heavy hammers. "No, goodman, I don't expect you to do so. Just make the modifications to the pommel, and I will have a jeweler socket the gem itself. I will leave a pair of guardsmen here to take the sword to the jeweler when your work is complete." Kende returned the gem to the padded pouch where he had kept it. He handed that pouch, and another small pouch of coins, to one of his guards. He instructed the guards to retain possession of the gem themselves, except when the armorer needed to see it to measure for his work. When he was done, they were to deliver the sword to the jeweler he had been told of, and instruct him on the mounting of the stone. When that was complete, they were to head back to general's estates in the city and wait for his return. With a final nod and a farewell to the armorer, Kende left the two guardsmen behind and headed back to his estate. He needed to pick up a spare sword before he left for Bitana. | |
| Kende Indirik (General of Darka) | |
