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04.19.2127 - White Rascal

Started by Griznuq, March 23, 2008, 10:52:40 PM

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Griznuq

Almost as soon as the door closed behind her, Harrison began writing.

  Hello again! I managed to find a place at the Cathedral I could bed, so Clive will be able to get back and forth much faster! Oh, I didn't mention, I'm helping out with the prep work for the celebration coming up. Will you be there?
=]V[=

Dray

Less than a half hand later, Clive returned, successful on his mission.

You never cease to amaze me Harrison, I welcome you to the lovely prison of my father. All joking aside, I am so glad you chose this night to stay and send notes with Clive for I have so much to talk about. The book I am reading is an absolutely oddity. It details how to draw symbols in an exact method and procedure in order to commune with "spirits from beyond". What spirits? Our human ancestors fighting alongside Kaine in heaven? The first one doesn't seem complicated though, I found some chalk and was just about to try it when Clive came in, bye your next message I may have one heck of a story to scribe when he gets back!
-Emma

Griznuq

Whoa, you're just going to like, do it? You sure that's safe?? What if it's dangerous?!?
=]V[=

Dray

Clive didn't come back for an entire hand. The handwriting of the notes was very distorted, as if she had done it in a rush.

I made the symbol on the floor, I drew it exactly in the manner the book described. I didn't think anything would happen to be honest with you. I expected the entire thing to be nothing more than a childrens fairy tale book. I was so wrong. Feeling silly, I finished the "summoning of the manifestation" (these are the words out of the book Harrison) by speaking the "binding words". Much to my horror a ghostly visage of a woman appeared over the large symbol I drew on the floor! She asked me to accept her in a pact, which I had read in the book was the purpose. So I did....I feel so strange Harrison.

She didn't sign her name.

Griznuq

Harrison's mouth hung agape a moment. His skin tingled with goosebumps and his stomach did summersaults.

Emma, What does it mean? What's it do? You gotta keep reading for the antidote, or... whatever! WTF?
=]V[=

Dray

The writing that returned was a lot more calm.

I am sorry Harrison, I didn't mean to alarm you, and I think I am now under control of the situation. The magic wasn't like our divine casting you or I have ever performed, it was unexpectedly...different. Why does my father have these books? Is this magic the black sorcery of scripture? Anyway, I now sit here beside the symbol, the spirit still "within me", I can't seem to put it better with words. I am fighting a powerful sense of sorrow within me, emanating from the spirit. But the spirit also gives me "power". Now if I look about the room I can see it clearly without the use of a lamp, I also can "see" magic emanating from things. Two more of the books, for instance, glow with a beautiful magical aura. (I dare not touch them.)
This is the strangest experience I have ever had in my life, but again, I think I am alright Harrison, do not come rushing through the Elite Guard to save me just yet.

-Emmanuelle

Griznuq

I won't be doing anything that would make either of our situations worse, don't worry. Just be careful with those books... Now we know there's more to them, we can't afford to let them cause any irreversable damage.  You should probably get some sleep. Maybe things will be normal again in the morning.

Harrison didn't really want the letters to stop coming that night, be he couldn't deny the strong desire to sleep, and he was sure she was in the same boat.
=]V[=

Dray

Sleep? At a time like this?! Besides, I am not even allowed visitors or to go out of this study, I could sleep all day if need be. No, I can sense the spirit within me, and could never fall asleep with her there. While I was waiting for Clive to come back, I read more of the book, it appears that there are even more symbols within the book with instructions on how to draw them, some of them have extremely complicated instructions though, it will take a lot of memorization and practice before I could ever perform them. But again I wonder, why is this book in my father's study? Do you think he knows how to work these symbols? If so, wouldn't this qualify as dreaded black sorcery and therefore be destroyed? Harrison? I am becoming scared of my own father, being hit by parent is one thing, but what other magics has he acquired over the years? What if he is possessed by something stronger and darker than this book?

Clive again smelled faintly of Cinnamin, unlike Harrison, he didn't seem tired and looked eager to return to her.


Griznuq

I don't know. I think for safety, we have to assume he's versed in all books there. We have to use them somehow, to make things right. The only benefit that we have is that he doesn't know we know about them. There's no harm in reading them, as long as we don't follow any more instructions. I'd love to see any books about being a priest or a druid, especially if they contradict conventional wisdom. I wonder how often he goes in there? I wonder if he'd notice they were gone?
=]V[=

Dray

The spirit wants me to grab them all and run, I can feel her urging me too, I can barely control myself from running away with as much as I can carry...but Harrison, none of the books were the slightest bit dusty, what if that's because he was in there just a few days ago, dusting off his prized collection? I am frightened out of my mind as it is, what if came in here while I am reading this one? No, I think I will learn what I can from this and put it back in its place, I dare not take, or even read, any others. I will make a list of the titles though and send that back in the next note from Clive.

Griznuq

Harrison could see she was not about to heed any of his advice, and he was too tired to really keep trying.

Well you seem to know what you're doing. I'm afraid I have a very early morning, and if I do not get some sleep I'll be useless... Be careful, whatever you do.

Harrison let Clive run off, and fell quickly to sleep.
=]V[=

Dray

The next few days were more of the same as the two young kids from opposite worlds shared a common destiny that week, the Festival of Ascension Day. The festival ending with a grand ball on the Eve of the very day Kaine ascended to Heaven above over two millennia ago.

Surprisingly, Harrison's time at the church passed by quickly, he had been posted outside for merchant record-keeping duty for three out of the four remaining days of the week. Even the few days of rain couldn't put a damper on his spirit. The letters that he had exchanged back and forth with Emma, after that scary book night, were now a lot lighter and more fun. Within the letters born by Clive, Emma was taking pleasure in telling him how grotesque her bruises had become. She was delighted that her appearance in public on the night of the Ball would bring her father shame in the public eye. And in return Harrison kept her spirits up by keeping her entertained with white rascal.

The morning of the festival came and the final preparations became the work of absolute organized chaos. Harrison, along with two dozen other children, were given tasks, one after another, in such a dizzy succession that the festival had started before he even had time to get excited about it.

The carnival started in the Park District, followed each of the three major sidewalk rings and then routed through the Civic District before heading for its final destination in the Temple District, the Spire. It was a colorful extravaganza of colorful "floats", each a work of art pulled by a team of four horses. The floats were wagons that had been artfully changed and dressed up by either one of the many guilds in the city, or by one of the houses in the school, to depict their facet of everyday life. Each one was incredibly inventive, obviously taking some considerably engineering, and patient hands to create.

One wagon bore what appeared to be the top of a mountain with miniature trees on it. About mid-way down the rocky slope it had a working mill, small sticks, widdled to look like much larger lengths of timber floating down a small makeshift river. The water of which formed a waterfall almost at the edge of the float, dumping into a pool that obviously repumped sticks and all back to the top of the float to restart the whole illusion. As a new float in the festival that year, it received quite a lot of praise.

Another had working miniature siege weapons on a flat looking battlefield, miniature fireworks and small explosivea going off destroying small models of Karh'Thul that the float operators would then replace at intervals. A lot of children raced alongside it to watch the operators who were having so much fun playing their miniature war game, they appeared to forget they were in a parade.

Behind that one was a small show on a very small stage with real actors and actresses doing their best to perform the infamous love story known as Darkwell and Kithendria, a romantic twist on the old war-story fable .

Yet another float had a dozen representative of the Circle of Flame, sitting on a plush wagon of white silk cushions, pillows and fineries, with light silver streamers flowing from the half-dozen columns that made the float look like it came from a room at the church. The Deaconesses, all young teenage girls, each waved and smiled to everyone in the crowd while a small child threw out wrapped candies from the back, much to the delight of children in every district.

(OOC: Ok, you all get the idea)

On and on dozens upon dozens of floarts came and went through each district. Each float not only an advertisement to the guild or house it represented, but a testament to the gracious blessings of the Lord Kaine above.

Intermixed in, between and around these floats were a myriad of actors, singers, jugglers, and all sorts of show folk who kept the thousands of onlookers entertained.

And the show had its fill of smart looking marching companies from each Armed Force of SafeHaven, along with members of the clergy handing out pamphlets detailing their agenda for the Kingdom that year.

Kites flew, firecrackers were never out of earshot, a canon even fired once in awhile. Vendors from all over sold their wares on moving carts; glazed chestnuts, bacon-wrapped steak-tips, cakes and candies of every imaginable type, fried dough, flowing beer of many colors and tastes, pretzels, sugar sticks, just about everything one would want to taste was following the parade.

Harrison sat upon one the adjacent outer walls to the Temple along with the other kids who had helped all week, it was just about the best seat in the house. He drank in the sights, sounds and smells as it walked right underneath him in its path to the Spire only a hundred yards away. Millis even had a few of the kitchen maids get them all candy as they sat and watched on what had turned to be a gloriously sunny day.

It took almost three hands for the entire parade to reach the courtyard, but by the time it did, it along with the thousand of spectators completed filled and surrounded the enormous church. And as it gathered it didn't slow down in its frivolity as circles of floats formed areas where dozens of people began to dance about and make merry.

(OOC: Okay, I am pausing for a moment to give you a chance to absorb all that and comment if you like. Harrison is aware that this festival will shortly follow with a speech by Fresenius from the tower, then the party will continue until night fall. The grand ball is held in the church afterward. All this will be my next post, but again, I wanted to see if you wanted to comment).

Griznuq

=]V[=

Dray

Out came the massive Kettle Drums, gigantic war drums about as wide as Harrison was tall. The drums had a massive low-toned sound that could be heard for miles in every direction. He had never attended the festivals in his short past, for his parents lived so far away from the Capital City. Exactly two summers ago though, on an overcast festival night, even as far away as he was, he could hear the distant echo of these very drums.

The drums were rolled into eight positions around the church and without much ceremony began a rhythmic beating that all the citizens started to sing and dance too. The massive sound coming from the great drums sent shockwaves through Harrison as he sat on the wall. No wonder they used them in War, they inspired awe and fear.

As the afternoon wore on, Harrison made his way off the wall and mingled amongst the crowd, his empty stomach the instigator of his moving feet. He eventually made it to the gypsy kitchen which had setup shop under the large canopy that until yesterday was cover for merchant goods. Millis, as busy as she was, stopped what she was doing and shoved a plate of food, one that could feed to large men, into his hand. On it was an entire turkey leg that almost as big as Harrison's arm.

He thanked her kindly and found a table to sit under to enjoy his food. As people walked, danced and sang bye he chomped on turkey, mashed taters and squash, an ear of corn and a piece of honey-bread that was lathered in butter. He was so full by meals end he had a hard time convincing himself to not lay down under they table. Instead he made his way back to the wall to watch the festivities.

With the drums still going on, he found his way back and sat down as the sun vanished by the city's edge. It always amazed him that one could see the entire city from the Temple District, it's bowl edge reaching higher even than the massive temple which stood at its center.

The drums suddenly went into a changed rhythm and then a drum roll as torches were lit on a high balcony of the church. High Priest Fresenius would soon speak.

Sure enough, as the drums finished, almost every citizen looked up to see Fresenius, an aged man in all his white silk finery step out onto the platform five stories up. It was then that Harrison realized that he had absolutely no interest in what the child-beating blow-hard had to say, and left his wall perch to back to the kitchen.

"Citizens of afe-Haven, welcome to the Capital City of Our-Commons on this most blessed day of the...." Emma's father began, but Harrison tuned him out. Walking in between the gawking citizens he made his way to the kitchen with any problem. He even passed Millis who was hanging on the High Priest's every word.

He found Leslie in the kitchen, amongst many cooks and maids who stayed in doors in order to keep working...the Grande Ball was next.

"Hey'as Harrison, wasn't that parade just the grandest?!" she asked, her small face beaming with not only sunburn but joy from ear to ear.

Dray