((Continued from here. There may or may not have been a stop at a hot springs inbetween scenes. The Raven may or may not be tagging along - though he should consider himself reminded that he's unlikely to do so without at least Alys noticing his presence, and if he wants to be here, he'll need to post that.))
Alys looks around with interest as Aibne leads her into the Market Library* and starts across one of the catwalks in the upper portion of the room. For a few moments she follows in silence, weighted ribbons** trailing behind her.
Then, "Interesting place," Alys comments. "How did it come about?"
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* First referenced here, and described as a large cavern, criss-crossed by steel walkways and platforms, some of which have rugs on them to prevent small objects from falling through. There are shelves lining many of the walkways and about 2/3 are filled with books. The entire place is crawling with goblins, dwarves, and many others (few orcs). Some of it is set aside for a continued market, and unlike a normal library, there is a roar of conversation and noise.
** Alys' current outfit is a set of dark red sashes winding around her body and limbs, anchored with bits of golden jewelry, and trailing weighted ribbons of varying lengths; it seems more like a dancer's outfit than a warrior's. Or would, if not for the pair of katars crossed on her back, and the fact that all of the ribbon weights taper to obviously sharp points...
07.08j: Cavern Tour
Re: 07.08j: Cavern Tour
"Well, it started when Morek set up his own private library," he says, shrugging slightly. "Then other people did, all in the same area. Private and semi-private collections conflated, joining up and meeting each other. Fights started breaking out, and then Shen Ruuul came, from... somewhere. He's actually..." He leads Alys to a side cavern, and gently raps on the wall. A massive yellow head, the color of aged parchment, looks up, tilting slightly.
"Aibne," he says, the voice akin to wind whistling against papers. "And his friend. What brings you here?"
The bear bows deeply. "Greetings, Honorable Shen Ruuul. This is Alys, of the court of Ht'Gon. I sought to show her much of Ht'Gon, the things that few others see, and felt that it would do well to introduce the both of you." The dragon nods slightly, glancing at Alys, but seems disinterested.
"You will explain her the rules?" Aibne nods a little. "Then enjoy. Fifth days at noon, if you are interested, but there is no need to come." With that, the head goes down again, disappearing into the cavern.
"That... was Shen Ruuul. He came, to be an arbiter of books, to work at organizing tomes based on their value. It's what makes it possible to have such a thriving market, with so many different printers."
"Aibne," he says, the voice akin to wind whistling against papers. "And his friend. What brings you here?"
The bear bows deeply. "Greetings, Honorable Shen Ruuul. This is Alys, of the court of Ht'Gon. I sought to show her much of Ht'Gon, the things that few others see, and felt that it would do well to introduce the both of you." The dragon nods slightly, glancing at Alys, but seems disinterested.
"You will explain her the rules?" Aibne nods a little. "Then enjoy. Fifth days at noon, if you are interested, but there is no need to come." With that, the head goes down again, disappearing into the cavern.
"That... was Shen Ruuul. He came, to be an arbiter of books, to work at organizing tomes based on their value. It's what makes it possible to have such a thriving market, with so many different printers."
Re: 07.08j: Cavern Tour
Alys nods politely in return, adding, "A pleasure to meet you, Shen Ruuul."
Once the bookwyrm is gone (or at least out of sight), she comments to Aibne, "Not much for politics, is he?"
Once the bookwyrm is gone (or at least out of sight), she comments to Aibne, "Not much for politics, is he?"
Re: 07.08j: Cavern Tour
Aibne shakes his head. "Shen Ruuul only cares for two things. Books, and education. He is the... um. The..." Aibne frowns, trying to figure out the word. "College?" he says, a little confused. "Maybe. Something like that. I'm not exactly sure, though..." The bear shrugs, thinking. "Rules. Um. No fire around the books heavier than a candle, and he doesn't much like those around them either. He uses magelights, generally, and wants other people to too. That's the big one... the other one is 'don't damage them'. The books, I mean. I don't think he cares much about the people who possess them." He pauses a little. "You probably shouldn't kill any of them, though. There's other people that watch for that."
He muses a little. "Although he did invite you to his classes, if you wanted to go. IT's the fifth day of the week, at noon."
He muses a little. "Although he did invite you to his classes, if you wanted to go. IT's the fifth day of the week, at noon."
Re: 07.08j: Cavern Tour
Alys looks thoughtful at the rule about no fire, but eventually nods.
"Classes on what topics?"
"Classes on what topics?"
Re: 07.08j: Cavern Tour
Aibne winces slightly, looking down. "I don't know. I'm not invited," he says, sighing softly, staring at his paws. "I'm not allowed in." He shrugs a little, shaking his head. "A-anyway... Do you want to look at the books? I bet shadow histories are going to go up in price really soon. I mean.. with the amberites, and all."
Re: 07.08j: Cavern Tour
"I'll have to tell you about it, then."
"Unless they go down in price due to greater accessibility." Alys shrugs. "Still, the histories of nearby shadows would be useful books to find; so far I've focused my attention on Amber itself, but its nearest neighbors are certainly nothing to ignore."
"Unless they go down in price due to greater accessibility." Alys shrugs. "Still, the histories of nearby shadows would be useful books to find; so far I've focused my attention on Amber itself, but its nearest neighbors are certainly nothing to ignore."
Re: 07.08j: Cavern Tour
The bear nods a little and fishes out a small coin purse. "Alright. I have my coin from my last job still, so... let's see what's available." He smiles a little and leads Alys into the market, slipping and weaving around much smaller people as he peruses the bookstands for things that look interesting. He's looking mostly at picture books, and endeavoring not to be visibly embarrassed about it, but Alys can tell that he is.
Re: 07.08j: Cavern Tour
Alys spends some time perusing books... but much more time simply talking to the various inhabitants of the market library. She doesn't seem particularly interested in purchasing anything; more in finding out what (and who) is present.
There are remarkably few attempts to bribe her; perhaps because the last time someone offered her a gift, she promptly incinerated it... though in this case, she merely turns down such offers.
Of course, the relative lack of attempted bribery doesn't mean a lack of people trying to better their lot by association; the most direct of which comes from a burly orc who seems to think Alys would make a perfect wife for his eldest son. Alys politely declines - by which we mean, decks him and moves on.*
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* Orc, remember? She didn't even draw blood, how much more polite do you want?
There are remarkably few attempts to bribe her; perhaps because the last time someone offered her a gift, she promptly incinerated it... though in this case, she merely turns down such offers.
Of course, the relative lack of attempted bribery doesn't mean a lack of people trying to better their lot by association; the most direct of which comes from a burly orc who seems to think Alys would make a perfect wife for his eldest son. Alys politely declines - by which we mean, decks him and moves on.*
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* Orc, remember? She didn't even draw blood, how much more polite do you want?
Re: 07.08j: Cavern Tour
Aibne will buy a couple of books - mostly very simple stories, but also a couple of Histories for nearby shadows. There's some commentary, and he fends it off by saying it's for Bonebreaker's class, which generally covers all of the questions. His purse is noticeably flatter when they leave the book market, and he sniffs the air. "It should be close to lunch time.. do you have anything you want to eat?"