07.07x2: Mage Towers

[ShadowOfPreservation]

Lyra begins her tour of the city with her temple. Eilistraee’s faith was likely unknown from Ruby’s time or at the very least it was significantly smaller. This affords her the opportunity to tell Ruby about her faith which will lead into a bit of her personal history. Their tour will progress through the inner city first, Lyra pointing out the different districts and guilds, updating Ruby on some of the more important figures in the city. In particular she describes some of the Mage guilds and their corresponding Mages that could be important allies to her.

Eventually they pass through the gate into the outer city. Almost immediately, there is an upturn in the number of non-standard non-human races. They eye the two with assessment as they turn towards a shop entrance. A wooden sign hands from a sturdy iron post above the solid banded oak doors of the half-timbered building depicting a smiling elf welcoming a cloaked traveler to the right of blue painted letters proclaiming it the “Wayfarers’ Welcome”. Below the nameplate is a smaller placard, carved with the crude representations of food, clothing, and supplies that are common to many other shops within the city.

Lyra addresses a man covered head to toe in ragged bandages as they enter and introduces Ruby to Benjamin before they head inside. She greets her friends and employees inside as they assist Ruby in replacing some harder to come by items long since lost. Lyra takes her measurements, explaining how she has arrangements with several tailors and armorers to custom make items for non-humans.

Once all of Ruby’s needs are seen to, Lyra will change to her hybrid form before touring the rest of the outer city, her personal experience having shown her that the bands of orcs and other more violent characters are not intimidated by a Drow but will pause before confronting an unknown Draconic creature. She picks up where she left off with her history earlier and speaks about her quest to uncover her Draconic heritage as they head towards the harbor, eventually pausing in an out of the way spot to view the floating island over the bay and discuss plans for re-introducing Ruby to her city.

[Rasanam]

Ruby is mostly quiet on the first part of the tour - listening, nodding at the right points, but not really engaged until Lyra gets to talking about the mage guilds.

At the "Wayfarer's Welcome", Ruby kinda blinks a bit at the introduction to Benjamin (she's got enough knowledge to identify him as a ghoul), but she doesn't comment on it. She does, however, comment on the clockwork wolf Rasanam left to help guard the place, quietly mentioning that, "It's odd to see such a basic automaton in use after the level of mastery your husband demonstrated earlier..."

And when the topic gets to plans, "Well... I was thinking of simply teleporting in tomorrow - once I have my spells back - and then heading over to the Ruby guild to demand restoration of my status. Still... you said that Lazarus speaks for the guilds as a whole, and that you're on relatively friendly terms with him? Perhaps it would be wise for me to introduce myself to him, first."

[ShadowOfPreservation]

"I suppose Rafe is a bit dated now. Maybe Rasanam can upgrade him. He's a bit special to me, being the first clockwork creature we worked on together." Lyra would pet the mechanical wolf fondly as if the steel were fur.

Regarding future plans, Lyra replies, "Agreed. He speaks for the other guilds mainly because the others don't want to take the position but he's still quite powerful and influential. He's a good negotiator. We can go see about meeting with him now if you'd like. I should probably leave my husband alone for a while so he can get some work done."

[Rasanam]

Ruby nods. "Sounds useful; I'm certainly happy enough to leave external politics to someone else. Yes, let's go meet him, then."

"And, if you don't mind me asking, what sort of work? Is there anything I could help with there?"

[ShadowOfPreservation]

"He's trying to help a friend..." Lyra watches Ruby and pauses, contemplating just how much she feels comfortable telling her. "It's an engineering project. Unless you know all about structural supports, compression, and load factors..." (OOC: Lyra truthfully doesn't really know what all these terms mean either, they're simply things she's heard Rasanam mention in the discussion of freeing Nate.) "He should be fine working on it on his own for the time being." Again she pauses, considering. "I don't suppose the name Nathrezell is familiar to you?" Regardless of Ruby's response, Lyra begins leading them both back to to Lazarus' residence.

[Rasanam]

"Ah," Ruby replies, "You do mind my asking. And no, I don't recognize the name." ((OOC: Should be good to skip to meeting Lazarus, now.))

((Edit: Further discussion enroute will reveal that, while Ruby has a fairly good understanding of engineering principles, she's never applied that to anything larger than a golem or clockwork horse or the like. And unfortunately, the spellbook she's currently working from is largely empty of the sorts of spells that would be useful to a large-scale engineering project.))

[Joshua]

Lazarus, head of the Amber guild, lives in the worst of the worst slums of Acra. Massive crime-ridden streets, beggers and cut-throats fill the neighborhood. Amid this, a well-built, expensive house sits untouched by the surrounding. Whatever threat or spell keeps it unmolested is completely effective. The poor area just stops, ending at a well manicured lawn that lasts for one building, then starts up again on the other side. none of the vagrants are willing to so much as set foot on that lawn. Most give it almost half-a-block distance.

Varrel, the paladin, answers the door if you ring the doorbell. (Well, more a rope to pull to ring the bell.) "Greetings Lyra, how can I help you today?"

[ShadowOfPreservation]

Before arriving at Lazarus' residence, Lyra will tell Ruby a bit about Nathrazell and the situation he's currently in, their conversation revealing Ruby's previously mentioned engineering knowledge.

When they arrive in front of the manicured lawn, Lyra looks a bit surprised that Varrel would recognize her in her hybrid form, but she just shrugs with her wings and asks, "Would Lazarus be at home? I'd like to introduce him to a friend of mine and have a small chat if he's free."

[Joshua]

"Come in..." he will invite. The sitting room is warm, inviting and just a hint of Stepford.

He will call to a nearby orc who is standing at attention. "Lorn, can you check to see if Lazarus can meet with Lyra?"

As the orc heads into the other rooms, Varrel will offer tea and cookies while you wait.

[Rasanam]

Ruby accepts the offer of tea, but not cookies, thanking Varrel politely for both, and introducing herself simply as "Ruby".