Unti Family/Nerta/A2S2

Roleplay from Ryosuke Guile

Message sent to Everyone in the Agyrian Academy

Standing on the foredeck of the Dawn Rider, Ryosuke Guile stands with his hands clasped behind his back, his white hair blowing gently in the pre-dawn stillness. Wearing a heavy cloak over his black and green robes, he has more the aura of a scholar than a battle-hardened cavalier. Looking forward, he sees the imposing cliffs and towering silhouette of Agyr City’s Imperial Palace looming on the horizon. Whistles and cries abound across the ship as the sailors begin preparations for final approach, using their signal lanterns in a codified way to notify the Agyrian Harbourmaster that they come in peace, and for non-mercantile purposes. The vessel he is aboard is the private Beluaterran carrack of House Guile, the thick planks visibly scarred with the signs of battle against humankind and Daimons, some even before the Age of Ruin. The sailors on board are well-versed in port etiquette and the practices of all major ports in the North, and they dutifully fulfill their obligations on approach as a deputy harbour-master is sent out to verify their claims and give them final access to the docks themselves. Things proceed smoothly and without delay, the Baron of Gihalcert’s ship being ushered into one of the two larger berths just inside the mouth of the Golden River. Giving a quick nod to Captain Phineas as he disembarks, Ryosuke finds himself strolling along a boulevard in the Plebeian’s District with his attendant rushing to keep up. Taking a left at the first major intersection, a gate looms in the distance with several sharply dressed guards inspecting those passing through into the Equite’s District. Flashing the jade token on his waist, the guards on duty look shocked momentarily and then immediately usher the young man through. Briskly passing the famous Flying Needle tailor shop, Ryosuke’s broken rainbow eyes are locked ahead as though possessed, his feet faltering not once as he maneuvers through the growing morning crowds towards his goal. The broad avenue of the trading district of Agyr has wares of all kinds, and qualities that the young baron had not seen in his life so far. But none of the things on the side of the road could catch his eye as he doggedly moved forward, the calling that had haunted him for so long becoming increasingly pronounced as he walks. Soon enough, Ryosuke stands at the base of the Eternal Flame with his eyes closed in deep contemplation. The pressure on his mind has released some, but also shifted a small distance away. Snapping his head to the East, the pull carries him out of the Imperial District and into the Patrician’s District. The expansive streets here are far less populated, and much more grandly decorated, showing the wealth of gold and history that has accumulated in the Jewel of the North. The old Noble Estates lie behind ornate stonework and steelwork fences, hidden behind delicately maintained gardens designed to stimulate the sense and stymie the eyes from piercing what secrets lie within. Yet again, the young baron has his eyes set solely forward as he finally feels a sense of relief rising within him as he approaches the Agyrian Academy.

Ryosuke Guile (Baron of Gihalcert)

Roleplay from Ryosuke Guile

Message sent to Everyone in the Agyrian Academy

Waking from his stupor in front of the elaborate gates leading into the Academy complex, Ryosuke finds himself tremoring slightly as he catches his breath. A small age seemed to pass before his eyes as he gazes across the grounds, seeing things in the nighttime mists that befuddle and confuse him. Shaking his head to clear the phantoms from his vision, Ryosuke draws the small black buckler that hangs on his back and places it on his left arm. As soon as he finds his grip within the enarmes, the mists around him seem to dissolve and a clear trail is lined up ahead of him. Weaving through the complicated network of buildings, gardens, and pathways that make up the colossal Academy, none stop him on his progress…as none seem to see the smattering of starlight that crosses the ground in his place. Nearing an ancient and archaic reliquary, deep within the complex, Ryosuke suddenly finds himself stopped cold in his tracks. Having been rushing ahead at full speed, the young Guile smacks his face square into a barrier that he cannot see, knocking himself silly and sprawled out in an unbecoming fashion on the ground outside. A soft chuckle can be heard from just within the entrance to the reliquary, as a librarian of considerable age steps out and stares at Ryosuke with a glint in his eye. Thinking himself to still be in the realm of stars and shadows, and thereby not visible to average men, Ryosuke slowly gathers himself up and starts poking and prodding at the barrier in front of him. The old librarian doesn’t say anything, and doesn’t give any indication that he can see the young man, but merely chuckles every time Ryosuke fails to make any progress. Realising that something odd is afoot, Ryosuke releases the forward enarme of his shield and steps out from the patch of shining stars that had obscured his form. Having watched the whole process, the old librarian merely smiles knowingly and begins grilling the embarrassed youngster on his purpose. Getting quickly flustered by the content of the questions, Ryosuke flashes the jade token on his waist at the venerable elder and raises his eyebrows in response. With shock written all over his face, the nervous librarian steps back and bows low to the ground before heading into the reliquary. Passing by arcane artefacts, timeless tomes of knowledge, scrolls of such might that they seem to warp space around them, and countless other priceless items, the librarian stops to gather up a mirror and suddenly turns to Ryosuke and speaks, “Further within, there are others who have heard the call, your Lordship. I’ve left them waiting too long as it is. If you wish to be known, follow me. If you wish to wait, put your Buckler of the Stars back on and follow anyway. You’ve come this far already.” Having finished his piece, the librarian heads further into the depths ahead of Ryosuke. With a few seconds pondering, Ryosuke grasps his shield fully and disappears into a few motes of light drifting down the passageway after the librarian-turned-guide. Soon the librarian stood before a massive stone table littered with the discarded books and pages of chaotic research, alongside several others in the room. The scene was lit with braziers of violet flame that flickered and cast deep shadows along with their pale light.

Ryosuke Guile (Baron of Gihalcert)

Roleplay from Nerta the Weaver

Message sent to Everyone in the Agyrian Academy

Magic The fabled stone table dominated the small reliquary, dividing the group from the new arrival. As the flames gutter and dance the Old Man arches a brow while Nerta twists about and slips her spear into her hand to eye the fading twilight. Finding the darkness to become a man she tenses, “Who are you stranger?”

Nerta the Weaver (Foederati)

Roleplay from Ryosuke Guile

Message sent to Everyone in the Agyrian Academy

Slipping his hand free of his buckler, Ryosuke takes a single half-step forward and places his right fist against his open left palm as he bows before the assembled people in the room. The light from the nearby flames revealing a white haired man, clean shaven, and wearing a heavy black cloak over green and black silk robes, with a heavy golden chain pinned with silver fox-heads clasping his cloak at his neck. Putting his shield away quickly, he speaks to the woman who had addressed him. ”Apologies, for the attempted intrusion. I am Ryosuke, of House Guile. A humble Baron of Irondale, and keeper of House Guile’s reliquary. I have come here following the pull of the Cold Flame... and this seems to be the right place...” he says as he glances at Aldo’s mirror, and the individuals that are visible in the immediate vicinity. “And who might I be addressing? Courtesy dictates a return of cordiality.” The young Baron says softly, his shattered rainbow coloured eyes locked onto the spear-wielding woman’s eyes in front of him.

Ryosuke Guile (Baron of Gihalcert)

Roleplay from Wren the Watcher

Message sent to Everyone in the Agyrian Academy

The slight, birdlike woman stretches up on tiptoe to see the newcomer, her small pointed face appearing over Nerta's shoulder. Her round eyes widen at the Baron's splendidly-dressed appearance, and habitual suspicion creeps into her expression. She glances around at the collected adventuring party, all watching the new arrival with various surprised reactions, and attempts to find Aldo in the mirror. The Old Man, too, is quietly pondering the arrival. They would find out soon enough what this man's true intent was. Without guidance from the others, and feeling impatient to get along with their terrifying quest, Wren decides to move. Leaving the heavy tome resting on a chair, Wren steps to one side to be more visible, and approximates a curtsey (more of a crouch-bow) with mottled brown cloak spread out behind. Her melodious voice pitched quiet, she says, "I am the Wren."

Wren the Watcher (Foederati)

Roleplay from Ryosuke Guile

Message sent to Everyone in the Agyrian Academy

“Well met! Should I call you ‘Wren’, or would you prefer ‘the Wren’? It is a fascinating sobriquet, and one with quite a tale I imagine.” Ryosuke says in his lilting voice as he bows slightly to the curtsying woman with the birdlike appearance. Standing straight and not fearing the appraising glances coming his way, he continues speaking, not knowing if the group in front of him would accept him, his words, or his dao. ”I followed my heart here to Agyr, nay... to this very room...to all of you.” He says, frankly. “I assume that each of you has felt the shakings of the ‘web’ that lies across Beluaterra? My guardian, the rogue magus Woelfen, was delving into the deepest recesses of Jedinchel when he took the region from the rogues, and for a small age after. He found... many things, in the deeps...” Ryosuke says softly, shaking his head as he recalls the sleepless nights inside the Arcane Labyrinth underneath Guile’s Hollow. Deciding to not go down that painful road, he begins telling those assembled a tale that not many outside of the ancestral Kin of Thalmar would ever know of. “I once stood alongside my guardian in his laboratorium in Jedinchel, as he stood alongside his father Jaeger, the First Noble Warlock of the North, in his laboratoriums in Sandefur. House Guile holds texts and relics from Ages long past, many of our own design. Not least amongst our treasures is a scale. It is made of xuan metal, and hung from the highest arch in the ceiling of Nuzanki’s topmost throne room... the birthplace of the legacy I seek to follow.” “This scale shows those with sight... the very state of the world. On one side, the weight of humanity bears down like a million steel hammers. On the other... a force that I do not seek to name, as it needs no aid in its growth. In order to keep the Soulscale operating, it is kept directly above a brazier of Cold Flame... but mine own Cold Flame... went out recently.” Ryosuke says, dropping his eyes in shame, feeling personally responsible for failing the generations of Guile Scions that had taken up the post of Flamekeeper. “It was this tragedy that caused an insatiable pull in my heart to come to Agyr, the only other place left with any of the Arcane Flames, to seek...” trailing off, Ryosuke pauses and draws a breath, trying to formulate the clearest way to speak. “Now that the Heralds of Obeah have returned to the North, the balance of our world is broken to the point of excess. I have been selected from a group of my fellow patricians to lead a group South, in order to rectify this imbalance. Our realm-to-be, Prisma Noctis, seeks allies... and more importantly: information...truth.” Looking directly at the mirror with the visage of Aldo in it as he finishes speaking, Ryosuke bows so that his torso is parallel to the ground.

Ryosuke Guile (Baron of Gihalcert)

Roleplay from Jacinda the Driven

Message sent to Everyone in the Agyrian Academy

A tall, brawny woman with the gear of a seasoned fighter pushed off the pillar she had been leaning against. "I am Jacinda, sir. I think we're all looking for information. But how did you know to find us here of all places?" Her hands were not, quite, near her weapons.

Jacinda the Driven (Adventurer)

Roleplay from Ryosuke Guile

Message sent to Everyone in the Agyrian Academy

Raising one eyebrow questioningly at the muscular and heavily-armed woman as she speaks, Ryosuke nods his head gently to her question, setting his white locks tumbling around his face. ”I did not know I would find anyone here, Good Jacinda. Nor was I particularly looking for anyone to be here beyond the docents and book-keepers. Such places have usually been abandoned to my fellow scholars and the scribes, in my experiences... the Gods know that the libraries of Irondale are empty of people these days... As to how I came by this particular place, it veritably shines like a beacon to those who have the luxury of excessive study. I went through every tome in Firbalt, Heen, and Gethsemene... none could explain, nor begin to touch on the matter of the Arcane ‘web’.” Ryosuke explains, calmly holding his hands together behind his back and making eye contact with each person in the room as he speaks. “That left me with only two options.... come to the Agyrian Academy to look for information or travel to the nexus points myself and see if, and possibly how, they have been tampered with. That is my plan after I leave Agyr, anyway. But upon arriving at the Eternal Flame and seeing its wavering strength, it was as though I had been roped and dragged to this particular reliquary. I know not the how of it, and imagine a geas has been placed upon me...” he trails off, thinking back to the imperative that overtook him when he entered the city of Agyr itself. “Enough of me. What of you all? Be you friends or foes of the Arcane? What brought you to this holding place of legends, lore, and dangerous information? For all I know, you have ill intent and intend to rob the Academy. I have answered your questions, repeatedly and amicably, and courtesy dictates a return in kind.” Ryosuke says, the gentleness in his voice fading and turning to a frigid and perilous tone. His eyes begin to show the colour scarlet taking over in large quantities, smothering the wisps of other colours in his broken-iris eyes.

Ryosuke Guile (Baron of Gihalcert)

Roleplay from Nerta the Weaver

Message sent to Everyone in the Agyrian Academy

The Old Man’s enigmatic expression remains difficult to read all throughout the exchange. There is clearly a sense of mirth to it but there is something more as well, perhaps a familiar sadness? As the stranger puffs up his chest the ethereal words call from the mirror, “A fine show sir, you are fit for the stage. But herein is the puzzle: Are you the last samurai assembled for the quest, or a sinister sorcerer on the hunt for power. I have my guess…” Trailing off the specter chuckles, “But as to your question: you’re late to the party, I just explained this.” Nerta casts a sharp glance to the specter and cuts in, “Look Baron. You seem to know something about what is wrong with the world and if you want to involve yourself in this mess that’s your call; though it makes you a fool. At least you’re a well travelled fool so maybe you can brave Wudenkin to find its locus.” The specter rubs his chin, “Aye, better him than one of you, no doubt that cursed city will hold many dangers even for a man of means.” Drifting in and out of frame Aldo selects another set of books for Nerta to fetch, the woman rolling her eyes as she does so, “The Vault of Silantin might be your first stop. That old ruin houses many secrets and it may be that the corrupted wellspring of the web is in one of those twisting halls. Be wary though, there are traps a plenty and guardians beside. These journals may have some clues to help you survive the old terrors, but your wits will have to armour you against the new.” Nerta sighs and shakes her head, “Once we’ve found the loci then we’ll begin the task of strengthening them. That will take some work and maybe your fancy magic studies will help Baron.” The shade smiles faintly, “An extra pair of hands are always useful, wouldn’t you say Nerta?” The woman pointedly ignores the laughing shade.

Nerta the Weaver (Foederati)

Roleplay from Ryosuke Guile

Message sent to Everyone in the Agyrian Academy

Listening intently to the spectre in the looking glass, Ryosuke keeps his expression neutral as he absorbs the words offered. When Nerta calls him a fool, a soft smile crosses his face briefly and then vanishes into the stillness of his tranquil visage. When the journals are offered to him, he accepts them quietly and sets them on a nearby side table. “I am sure I shall have an easier time manoeuvring through the city, the Vizier of Vordul has personally invited me to stay as long as I wish. I intend to scour the city, yet things such as traps are well beyond my experience.” Ryosuke says, softly shaking his head. “I can offer aid in the rituals and in easing passage through the world of men, but I shall certainly need your help if there are obstructions on the way, such as you speak of...” “We could easily work together if you desire. Travel to Wudenkin with me, as part of my retinue, and we can work through this together. Leave at any time, with no drawbacks. Or not, the decision is up to you. I realise that we don’t know each other, but I shall uphold my oath to sever Beluaterra from the Outworlds until my final breath. I feel that all of you, having gathered here... at this precise time? This has the markings of the Eternal... it must be that we were meant to meet. I shall wait at the port, at my ship. I sail to Fronepu to make an announcement of my presence, and then overland to Wudenkin.” Picking up the journals he has been trusted with, Ryosuke waits to listen to any further replies before departing back the way he came, continuing down the road on his pilgrimage.

Ryosuke Guile (Baron of Gihalcert)