Plot 003: Arcane’s Assist

The drought that had settled into each sizzling crevasse of Sedo was finally reaching a critical point. For what felt like a lifetime, the citizens of Serora had wilted under the sharp merciless glare of the sun; The land had baked hard and dry. The crops had fouled, and fallen to dust. They had waited patiently, enduring as only Serorans can endure, and prayed for lifesaving rain to come.

Well, the rain hadn't come.

Perhaps Alya was testing them, pushing them to the limits of their survival. It disturbed Cardinal, but although the bookish Councillor was a natural scholar he had been born and raised by the faith, and was too deeply entrenched in the fate of Sedo to question it further. When the Sultan's commands had come for Cardinal, he regrettably left behind the familiar safety of his Library in Osulas, and headed North with a small party toward the Point. The trek was wearying for one more suited to reading than having an adventure, but the unicorn stallion was filled with the desperation of his homeland - Sedo could not afford to be turned away by the Breimians, not in its dire hour of need.

There had been a historical, ancient alliance between the two lands once - It was clear that Osprey hoped the ties still existed. In this sense, Cardinal felt somewhat at ease - Other missionaries had been sent to more distant, less familiar lands. Their quests would surely be filled with much more hardship than his own. The Sultan had seen fit to have his Councillor accompanied by two guardians. Cardinal knew very little of either Booker or Gael, but felt secure in the knowledge that they were very skilled in their respective fields, and that should the small party come across any troubling Vagabonds or the like, he - and their crucial mission - would be well protected.

It was not until they reached The Point that Cardinal's concerned optimism began to falter. It seemed the underground was a different world, and as their guide led them deeper into the earthen maw of Sirith’s Labyrinth the Councillor felt himself longing for the wide, endless skies of Sedo, and the hot desert wind that raced through their manes. As the earth closed over their heads, the trio were joined by a stranger - A Talorian Emissary, of all equines! Reflecting on this, Cardinal felt a deep pang of anxiety. The Talori were known to Serora for their barbaric sacrificial traditions, and though a fresh truce existed between their lands, it was an uneasy one at best.

"We’re close to Nariah," The guide's gentle voice broke through the stallion's thoughts, and his red eyes leaped eagerly to her dim form trotting ahead of them in the tunnel. This was exciting news - The small party had been winding its way through the endless cavernous tunnels for an age, and the scholar's mind throbbed with a headache from peering into the darkness that constantly surrounded them.

"We hope to speak with the High King as soon as he will allow it," The Councillor's voice echoed eerily in the caverns, and the guide did not reply. Unsettled by her silence, the unicorn turned his attention to the Heavy Hoof and the Screamer that had been assigned to accompany him. "Have either of you been to Nariah before? I hear the capital is a beautiful sight," His attempts at small-talk seemed feeble, for their need for assistance was so great that anything else was trivial in comparison. Still, Cardinal would not miss the opportunity to soak up as much of the Breim city as he could - For whilst books were a fantastic pasttime, not even they could reveal to him the hidden truths of such a strange and exotic place.

"Or you, Sir?" The Seroran asked softly of their foreign travelling companion, the Talorian, who had a rather striking look about him. "What brings you along this path?" It was a politely intended question, for Cardinal didn't truly mean to pry into the affairs of the Talorian court.

Kenji | Emissary | Second Prince of Talori

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Though Kenji's dark, dust-coated legs ached for rest, the young prince's mind seemed almost completely disconnected from the needs of his body.  And as much as he had complained about and chastised the idiocy of his guards and guide who had led him through the rocky, treacherous passages of the great Barrier Mountains, his lungs swelled with the air of new lands.  This was it.  This was what he'd been training for.  It was strange and odd and wonderful and, as much as he wouldn't admit it, a bit terrifying all at the same time.  He'd scoured book after book, collected artifact after artifact, but nothing could compare to the experience of actually stepping foot out of his homeland, from which he'd never been outside, and into the mysterious lands of Sirith.

Here, there was no salty scent of the ocean to dance on his tongue, only the damp, earthy smell of caverns.  Here, he was on his own.  No servants, not even his uncle, who had originally been designated as his guardian but had recently fallen too ill to make the journey.  Granted, he probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the fact that Talori was swarmed with unrest after the chosen pegasus sacrifice turned out to be a filly no older than he.  As conniving as his warped mind was and as strong as bias was against the pegasi, something within his selfish heart squirmed at the sight of one so innocent plummeting to her death, captured beneath the waves and screaming in agony for her last breath as Cascade claimed her for her own.  In truth, Kenji more and more found himself aligning with the great god of Breim, Argus, than Cascade, the one who had robbed him of his true hippocampus nature and then had forsaken him.

This storm of thoughts quickly subsided; however, as Kenji's patience began to wither.  Where were those blasted Serorans...?  Much to Kenji's dismay, he had arrived promptly at The Point only to learn that he wasn't the only one to be escorted through the convoluted maze of tunnels to the magnificent capital of Nariah.  Instead, he would be traveling with a group of Serorans as well.  Gritting his teeth, Kenji's pale, black-rimmed ears flattened against his skull in irritation.  As mature as the young lord seemed most times, he was still just a colt with a hot temper.  No one could deny that.

After what seemed like ages in Kenji's mind, the Serorans arrived and the group was on their way, and Kenji's excitement was recharged as soon no longer could they see the sky, but instead were swallowed by the grey walls of rock and earth.  He couldn't fathom the craftsmanship of the tunnels...how glorious the grand capital must be!  His pale white face reflected the light of the crystals lighting their way, while his black hooves and sooty legs seemed to blend into the shadows below.  After some time, however, the endless rock did tend become somewhat monotonous; and thus, Kenji's attention was turned to other things, such as the Seroran council member, whose glowing crimson eyes Kenji could feel boring a hold into his side since the moment he'd appeared.  Granted he did have good reason for doing so considering Talori and Serora had a...disgruntled past.  What also came to Kenji's spry attention was the fact that the Serorans seemed...somewhat rough in appearance.  Their hides lacked luster and every inch of them was covered in some sort of desert dust residue.  Hooves were flaked and eyes were red.  The young prince had heard about the drought in Sedo from rumors his uncle had picked up during his travels, but the state of these desert-dwellers...it confirmed it was worse than he had previously thought.  Whoever would want to live in the infernal heat of such a god-forsaken desert with no water indeed made no sense to the colt.  His mind drifting back to the sparkling cyan blue waters of Talori lapping on its tranquil shores, he felt a tiny pang of homesickness, though refused to acknowledge it.  He was an emissary!  From now on, his life would be primarily in Breim.  Something he would have to grow accustomed to..

As the guide updated the status of their journey and the Councilor began to rattle away at what Kenji assumed was an attempt at small talk, kept mostly to himself, keeping his ears and eyes open, though not really listening to the nonsensical babble of the Seroran, that is until he was abruptly addressed directly.  "Or you, Sir?  What brings you along this path?"  Turning his intense, emerald gaze upward to the taller equine, Kenji stretched his neck, attempting to appear as tall as possible, for a 15 year old.  "I am here personally on my father's, the emperor's, behalf to promote peace and solidify relations between my homeland of Talori and the stronghold nation of Breim," he explained nonchalantly though with an air of pride, as if it was something he'd been doing all his life.  Remembering his uncle's wary instructions, he was careful not to mention the current unrest within Aquore, something only for the ears of the Breim king.  Unrest meant weakness, and weakness was just what other nations were searching for to take advantage of, especially those whose pasts with Talori were unpleasant.  "And yourself...?  What brings a member of the Council accompanied by other offspring Sedo's airy, open skies here to the claustrophobic depths of Breim?" he then inquired in return, his eyes glancing back and forth between all the members in his party.  Knowledge was power, and Kenji intended to climb his way to the top.

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Post #1
Word Count: 960

Cardinal | Councillor | Serora | Unicorn Stallion

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It was impossible not to sense the reluctance that Booker emanated. Cardinal could not blame the fellow - It was appallingly difficult to leave their sweltering homeland behind, especially now when it needed them most. However, the Councillor consoled himself with the knowledge that the Sultan knew best; Although relatively young for a Sultan, Osprey was by no means a tactless sort of ruler, and he had at hand a great number of advisers to give him council. If Osprey thought that Breim might be a solution (even temporarily) to the pains that ailed Sedo, Cardinal would do his very best to act here on the Sultan's behalf.

This thin thread of belief in their ruler was surely what held the small party of three together. Even with his elevated rank, Cardinal felt rather uncomfortable in giving the Screamer or the Heavy Hoof any instructions. Besides, he didn't doubt that they would see any trouble arising a mile before his bookish ruby eyes did, and so he trusted to their expertise as bodyguards and travelling companions, and felt mostly safe and secure under their watchful gazes. Still, it was rather difficult not to grumble when the pair had set a speedy pace for their journey - The other two stallions were strong, ranger and warrior types alike, and in contrast to their great endurance the only exercise that Cardinal was truly used to was climbing up and down all the infernal winding stairways of Osulas.

In addition to being a strong type, Booker was also undoubtedly the silent type. In spite of all his attempts at chatter, the crimson-eyed scholar had barely managed to rouse one or two sentences from the stoic Screamer. As such, he was immeasurably pleased when the young Talorian Emissary joined him in polite conversation. In spite of the unease between their two lands, the foreign dignitary would know many things of great interest to Cardinal. The unicorn stallion's crimson eyes glowed curiously in the shadows of the great tunnels. "You are one of the Emperor's kin?" The Seroran Councillor started in surprise, his dark brows rising. "Beg our pardon, Sir - Prince. We did not expect that we would be meeting other royal dignitaries than the High King himself on our journey north - I hope our unkempt arrival did not overly displease you," It was the correct thing to say in such a situation, Cardinal knew, though it did not please him to say it. True, his party had a rather... Rougher appearance about themselves than the exceedingly groomed young Talori prince, but hardships did as hardships must.

Osprey had chosen him as a delegate for this journey, and Cardinal would throw himself into one of the deep voids here beneath the earth before he'd ruin the Sultan's ongoing attempts at brokering unsteady peace with the Talori.

Still, that did not mean that he needed to bare all to the young prince. The Serorans had their pride on the line, after all; And their pressing concerns were for the ears of the High King, not the waggling tongues of the sea-faring folk. "We're here on urgent trade business - You know how it is," The smile he offered the younger stallion was warm, but infinitely guarded, and his calm tone suggested that this particular line of inquiry was closed.

A glow alighted the end of the cavern before them, where the crystal-studded walls began to flare out and the arched stone ceiling overhead grew extraordinarily taller, soaring into the darkness where it could no longer be seen. Excitement grew warm as the desert sun in Cardinal's chest, and he shook a little of the remnants of Osulas' sand and dust from his pelt and perked up his dark ears. As though by magic, the great city of Nariah rose suddenly from the black stone before them; Their winding path, marked now by brightly colored lanterns, led from a lovely high vantage-point down into the neat cobblestone streets where civilians pandered and went about their business.

It was so splendid, so otherworldly, that it momentarily stole the breath from the unicorn's lungs.

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Post Count: 2
Word Count: 670
OOC: Sorry to skip ahead, player of Gael! Please jump in whenever you like, I just couldn't help myself ♥