Lady's Grace, cutters!

 

 

"Where's Zena?"

Factor Keldor, when he hears that a stray dog is roaming through the sheet-works

 

 

First Market Day of Retributus, 126 HR

 

It was almost anti-peak, but Ambar was still in the Foundry that day. Not in the entrance hall, but in the main hall of the Grand Forge itself, where work was still going on. It was not quite as busy as by day, but as the members of the Godsmen had different waking and sleeping hours like all the other inhabitants of Sigil, work was also carried out here at night. The factol's gaze wandered up to a huge steel girder, hanging from heavy chains. It was actually only part of a much larger beam ... a fraction of it. Because of the heat from the ovens and forges, Ambar had taken off his frock coat and vest, rolled up his sleeves and tied his shoulder-length hair back in the neck. Next to him stood his second-in-command, Ombidias, similarly casually dressed and with his arms folded. The voadkyn towered over him by almost three feet, and the bard could literally feel his gaze as he looked down at him.

Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't say it ..."

"Oh, but how I will say it," his longtime friend replied. "This project, my dear Ambar, is absolute madness. But not in a good way."

His deep voice was calm and even as always, but the factol could definitely hear that Ombidias was not enthusiastic. That well he knew the shaman after all these years. His disgruntlement was understandable, because Karan's idea of building seven steel spokes across the entire ring to make Sigil look like a giant wheel for the Surprise! of the Xaositects ... Of course it was madness, it was an idea of the Chaosmen’s factol. But the factol of the Believers had accepted the order to have these spokes made in the Foundry, and Keldor and Ombidias were not the only ones who had thrown up their hands in disbelief. Basically, he could understand them, but his concerns were not as great as theirs. Namely because Karan would certainly never wait for such an ambitious and lengthy project to be completed. Surely, he would not stay on one thing from Retributus to Capricious.

"Ombidias, never mind," Ambar explained lightly. "I give it another two or three weeks. Then Karan will lose interest and the order will be off. Then we'll melt the thing down again."

The voadkyn shook his head. "Seriously? I mean, yes ... It's quite likely that this will happen. But then why did you take the job in the first place, huh?"

The bard put his head back and looked up at his deputy. "Because the Xaositects are the only faction in the Hive with whom we can at least have a neutral to relaxed relationship. An alliance might be going too far, but you know that neither Dustmen nor Bleakers qualify for that sort of thing. Because our philosophies are simply too fundamentally different."

Ombidias nodded. "Granted. Does that mean you're interested in good relations with our neighbors in the Hive?”

"Basically, yes," Ambar replied. "For the first time in a long while, the Xaositects have a factol who has been in office for more than a year - albeit intermittently, but you know what I mean. Amazingly, he gives the faction something like stability. And he steers the chaos in a rather pleasant direction. More towards creativity out of chaos , less destructive than they've often been in the past."

"There's something to that," the voadkyn admitted. "If you look at the painting on the Great Gymnasium ... Well, to summarize it: You're hoping for improved relations with at least one of the factions in the Hive, which we're directly adjacent to after all. And so you took on this crazy project for Karan in the hope that he'll soon lose interest and we'll never have to complete it. But positive vibes between our factions will remain."

Ambar laughed when his friend and deputy made his point with a raised eyebrow, but in a humorous tone. "Straight to the point, Ombidias. So? Do I get your blessing or do I have to be prepared for a reprimand? You know, when you have that calm but scolding tone and draw your brows together the way you do when you're talking to a factotum who's messed something up."

"Ha ha," the voadkyn replied with a grin. "Besides, you're my factol. So I can't really reprimand you."

Ambar smirked. "As if that has stopped you before."

Ombidias was about to retort when one of the guards who normally stood at the gate approached them. "I’m sorry to disturb you, Factol," she said. "But your new protégé is here and would like to see you. Along with three other people."

The new protégé could only mean Lereia. Of course, it had not gone unnoticed that he had been supporting the young woman for some time. But why with three other people? Five of them had set off for the Hive. Also the fact that they turned up here at such a late hour, when the chances of actually finding him were not that high, when he just happened to still be in the Foundry ... He nodded to the guard and headed towards the entrance, beckoning Ombidias to follow him. In fact, there were only four of them: Lereia, Naghûl, Kiyoshi and Sgillin. Jana was nowhere to be seen. But since the four of them didn't seem particularly shocked or depressed, he could probably assume that nothing too bad had happened. He therefore approached them a little more reassured, noticing that they were all dressed in coarse, dark cowls, apart from Sgillin.

"Lady's Grace," he greeted the Chosen. "I wasn't expecting you."

They bowed and returned his greeting, Lereia smiling slightly. "We have some urgent information," she explained. "At least we think so."

Ambar nodded to her and couldn't help but smile briefly at the group's unusual choice of clothing. "Nice getup," he remarked, but then quickly became more serious again. "Urgent?"

He didn't get any further, because at that moment Kiyoshi threw himself on his knees in front of him and touched his forehead to the floor. Ambar paused and raised his eyebrows. He could almost feel Ombidias’ side glances, who wasn’t standing far away. His deputy felt possibly entertained, but Sgillin rolled his eyes briefly and Naghûl either seemed no longer amused by Kiyoshi's behavior.

The factol tilted his head and scrutinized the young man with interest. "My dear Kiyoshi, I am truly honored, but ... Tell me, hasn't Sarin knocked this kind of conduct out of you yet?"

Kiyoshi stood up, but did not look at him directly. "Forgive me, honorable Factol Vergrove Ambar-heika, but he only told me not to greet him with a kowtow."

"You are welcome to greet me with a kowtow," Sgillin interjected with a grin, whereupon the young soldier merely gave him a cold look with a petrified expression.

Ambar nodded to himself. Other worlds, other manners. He assumed that Sarin would still come to grips with that. "Ah yes," he said with amusement. "If I didn't know him better, I'd think Sarin was teasing me. Well, that's quite appealing, but I'm afraid I'm not quite ready yet." He pointed upwards, then realized that Kiyoshi, who was so new to Sigil, probably didn't understand this self-deprecating joke about his own faction philosophy. He lowered his hand again. "I mean, it's not common in Sigil, unless you're standing in front of the High Priest of the Temple of the Abyss or something."

"Forgive my ignorance," Kiyoshi replied seriously. "So I'll refrain from doing that in Sigil completely, venerable Factol Vergrove Ambar-heika."

"That might be a good idea." The bard nodded. "A bow is usually enough. And if you ever need to go to the Temple of the Abyss, we can talk about it again." His gaze wandered back to Lereia, who had waited patiently during the whole scene. She had described the information as urgent, so he didn't want to keep her waiting any longer. However, the large, public entrance hall of the Foundry was not exactly the right place for this. "Let's continue our conversation somewhere else," he said, giving Ombidias an apologetic look.

His deputy, who knew what it was about, nodded understandingly and made his way to the forelady Alissa to discuss the next steps for the Surprise! with her. Then Ambar went to Lereia, about to offer her his arm, but paused once more. It was a simple, gallant gesture that he often made without giving it much thought. But he reminded himself that Lereia was with Sgillin, and he didn't know what world and culture the ranger came from. Possibly he could take offense to that, so Ambar pulled his arm back once more and turned to the half elf. "Oh ... Do you allow that?"

Sgillin nodded with a smile. "With you, yes."

"Very kind," Ambar replied and then offered Lereia his arm again.

She glanced briefly at Sgillin and nodded slightly, then, a little shyly, hooked her arm in his. Naghûl opened the door for them to let them out. Ambar smiled. Quite the consummate Festhall manners. He led Lereia out and did not stop until they had moved some distance from the entrance. The cool air of Sigil at night was a noticeable contrast to the heat of the forges.

Sgillin promptly fanned himself. "By Rabudarak's stinking socks ..." he gasped. "It's hot in there."

"That's why it's called the Great Foundry," Ambar replied, amused. "But tell me, where is Jana? I hope nothing bad has happened?"

"She's still in the Black Sails ," Lereia explained. "Um, well ... have you spoken to Factol Terrance lately? After our conversation with him?"

Ambar guessed what she was driving at, and yes, it was a topic that could not and should not wait. However, he decided to take the opportunity to combine the upcoming conversation with something he didn't want to keep waiting either. "I have a suggestion," he explained. "Why don't we have this conversation in your new house?"

He had promised to provide her with a place to stay in Sigil and hadn't wanted to put her in the next best, small and dark apartment. So he had chosen a little house near the Foundry that had belonged to the faction for a long time, but had been empty for a while. One of the architects who regularly worked on the faction headquarters on the Ethereal Plane had been commissioned to renovate it. The floors had been refinished, the walls had been plastered and painted, the water pipes had been repaired and, of course, the house had been refurnished. It had been ready to move into for two days. He had already hinted to Lereia that the faction would provide her with an accommodation, but she still seemed excited and happily surprised.

"That would be wonderful!", she replied to his suggestion.

Sgillin looked at her, more than astonished. "You have a house?"

Lereia nodded excitedly, and Ambar had to laugh. "You obviously have a companion with many advantages," he remarked to Sgillin.

Lereia bowed her head slightly at his comment, but Sgillin grinned broadly. "Indeed."

Ambar led the group across the forecourt of the Foundry to a nearby alley. He stopped in front of a wooden door decorated with carvings and pulled the appropriate key from his pocket. Behind him, he heard Sgillin grumbling softly.

"I've already fought four wars for this stupid prime island and it's barely been enough for a place to sleep in the grove ... But she stumbles through Sigil once and gets a house straight away ..."

Ambar had to smile. From what Lereia had told him, Sgillin was probably talking about the island on the world of Toril that they had both inhabited until recently. Growing up in the forests of Fayrill, he had no objection to sleeping in groves, but he had also learned to appreciate the advantages of houses, so he could understand the ranger's thoughts. Well, at least his companion had a house now, which would also benefit Sgillin. He unlocked the door and opened it. "Please, the lady first," he said and gestured for Lereia to enter.

She nodded excitedly and hurried inside, but then immediately stood rooted to the spot and looked around, speechless. The front door led into a spacious hallway with a beautiful new wooden floor that gave the house a pleasant warmth. In addition to the kitchen and a bathroom, there were three rooms in total: a bedroom, a lounge and a larger room in which a natural environment had been recreated, with sand instead of parquet flooring, plants, stones and a watering hole - for Lereia's tiger side. One by one, Naghûl, Sgillin and Kiyoshi also entered and looked around. The tiefling praised the quality of the floors, noting that they had certainly been expensive. Ambar smirked at his Sensate expertise, which was quite accurate. In the bedroom, Lereia was still stroking the wood of the furniture in an almost shy manner, while Sgillin was particularly pleased with the fireplace. The young woman seemed excited and enthusiastic, but also still incredulous and a little overwhelmed by her new possession. Ambar couldn't blame her. If he had come to Sigil straight from the forests of Fayrill back then, he would have felt similarly. Back then, he had only known life in the woods, not even within the solid walls of a monastery like Lereia. The dense crowns of the trees had been the roof and moss and grass the carpet. His mother and he had only had a simple little house high up in the branches, just big enough to spend the night in when it rained. A house in Sigil would have been a big step for him too. Of course, those carefree years in the woods of Fayrill, together with his mother and later his wife Caye, had come to an abrupt and terrible end. However, his path had not led him straight to Sigil, but first far across the planes. To wonderful and dark places alike, sometimes alone, sometimes together with friends and companions, not all of whom had remained with him. Only then had he found the Believers of the Source and with them a new home.

Sgillin interrupted him in these digressive thoughts when he asked jokingly: "What does one have to do again to be accepted into your faction?"

The bard laughed while Naghûl praised the interior of the house. "The colors are very warm. It all reminds me a little of a savannah. Very well chosen."

The Sensate had unerringly hit the only point where the arrangement with the architect had not been quite as successful as desired. "Well, I told the architect: tiger." Ambar rubbed the back of his neck. "He must have remembered lion somehow. I mean, since tigers tend to live in the jungle, but ... I hope it's all right."

"More than that," Lereia replied with a smile, much to his relief, as she headed towards the bathroom and kitchen.

Naghûl also seemed very fond of the latter. He remarked that he was passionate about baking, which Sgillin acknowledged with a certain amount of astonishment. Lereia seemed equally enthusiastic and declared that she was already looking forward to her first home-cooked meal. She had learned to cook as a child during her years in the Eldath monastery. After looking at everything, she approached him and after a brief hesitation, she reached for his hand, a little shyly.

"Thank you so much, Factol," she said, touched. "You have welcomed me so kindly and generously. I will do my best not to disappoint you."

He smiled. "Lereia, you are most remarkable," he replied reassuringly. "I am sure I will not regret that you have found your way to us. But let's go to the common room so you can tell me what happened."

The others nodded and so they went to the third and last room of the house. There was a low table in the middle and beautifully embroidered cushions on the floor all around it. They took their seats and Ambar looked at Lereia, eager to hear what she had to say.

"Has Factol Terrance brought you up to date?" she inquired.

"That depends on what the latest update is," Ambar replied. "But if you mean about Eliath, he told me about that, yes."

Lereia nodded. "Well, we were in the Black Sails and actually discovered him there. Since my ability didn't work on the Chosen, we figured we could find out if Eliath was one of us that way."

Terrance had told him about these details regarding Lereia's gift, and he found the possibility very exciting. "And is he?" he wanted to know.

"Probably not," the young woman replied. "I was able to perceive amber as his soul signature. But there were three other Sinkers with him, including a medusa. She also didn't have a signature. However, I don't perceive anything in undead either, so I don't know how reliably we can determine this matter. I have to add that I've only tested it on two undead so far: on a female vampire named Zamakis, who is our contact with the Dustmen, and on a skeleton. I'll try it out on other undead as soon as possible."

During her explanation, Sgillin lit the water pipe, which the architect had obviously considered a valid part of the new interior design.

Ambar nodded thoughtfully. "Your ability seems to be about the soul. So if someone doesn’t have one ..." He frowned. "But that can't really be the case. Surely you have a soul."

"I assume that too," Lereia said with a gentle smile. "That's why we concluded that my ability simply doesn't work on the Chosen. Ah yes, and the Dustmen found out that Toranna was indeed a spy and allowed us to investigate her room. We found some interesting things there."

She nodded to Sgillin, who pulled some folded pieces of paper out of his pocket and handed them over to Ambar.

"Oh, now it's getting exciting." The bard took the documents with interest and read through them, first the letter and the short note with the sign in red ink. "I see... Marvent. I can't really pin down that name ...", he stated and then looked at the list.

"We didn't know what to do with the list," Lereia remarked. "At first we thought it was the murder victims. But because of the important people on it, we're no longer sure what it means. However, these people might be in danger."

Sgillin took the hose of the hookah and puffed on it, a bitter-sweet smell spreading through the room.

"That's to be expected," Ambar agreed. "A strange combination of names ... In any case, we should send a warning to the respective factols."

Lereia nodded. "That would be good. Who knows if these people need protection." Then she pointed to the small piece of paper. "Do you know who or what a Shadowknave is?"

"Unfortunately not," he replied with a sigh. "I couldn't even tell if it's a proper name or a kind of title." He took a closer look at the sign under the note. "It looks like a red sun ..."

"But the mark doesn't seem to have anything to do with the Chosen, because none of us have it," Sgillin remarked. "Maybe it's the mark mentioned in the letter."

"And probably the people with the mark behind their ear are the murder victims from the Hive," Lereia continued the thought. "If they were apparently dead, that points to some sort of magic that this dark-haired half-elf used to 'kill' the people."

Ambar nodded. "Yes, quite possible. I'll definitely make inquiries at the Hall of Information to see if anyone is using that sign as a signet in Sigil."

Lereia sighed a little. "I don't see any connections between the list and the murder victims or between us and the prophecy at the moment. But perhaps none of this has anything to do with the prophecy. We only came across Eliath because he supposedly had strange dreams. We could therefore have stumbled upon a sinister plot by Toranna, Marvent and this mage by chance. The only clue that really points to us is the medusa. Everything else is connected to the series of murders."

"I also think there may be no connection," Ambar agreed. "But since this Marvent's plans involve such high-ranking people from each faction, it's important to get to the bottom of it anyway."

Sgillin nodded. "I can't imagine it has anything to do with us either. Because then Marvent and the others would know what the Deus Machina is all about. And I don't believe that."

"No, I don't think so either," Ambar agreed with him. "I hope not. Because if the wrong people find out about it, it would be dangerous for you too."

Lereia rubbed her temples. "It's all so obscure."

Ambar could sympathize with her unease about it all too well. He himself also felt like he was mostly in the dark about this, and it didn't feel pleasant. So it was probably best to deal with what was right in front of them first. "I think you should talk to Eliath," the bard said. "And maybe to the medusa too. I'll pass on what you've learned to Sarin, Terrance and Lady Erin."

Lereia nodded. "Thank you. I just don't know how to approach Eliath. What could be the basis of a conversation."

"I'm still not in a faction," Sgillin interjected. "Maybe I'd like to join the Sinkers."

He winked at these words, but Naghûl tilted his head skeptically. "Dangerous, Sgillin. Some of them would make short work of you."

Ambar had to agree with the tiefling on that one. Of course, there was a profound aversion between Sinkers and Sensates, and even his own faction was not on decidedly cordial terms with the Doomguard. Naghûl and he himself might not be entirely unbiased. But caution could certainly do no harm in this case. So he nodded at the tiefling's words. "Just watch out, they might take your request seriously."

Sgillin shrugged his shoulders. "At least that would be a way to get to Eliath and the medusa."

"Eliath seems to be highly coveted," Lereia said with a sigh. "Besides, Toranna wanted us to believe he was dead."

"See if he can even remember all of this," Ambar suggested. "Maybe you can find a way to talk to him alone. Or to the medusa. My goodness, I hope we don't have to work with Pentar."

"Save us from that," Naghûl remarked immediately.

"Well, I don't want to prophesy doom ..." Sgillin swayed his head. "But I guess we'll have to work with all factions at some point."

"That wouldn't work, Sgillin," the tiefling objected immediately.

Ambar had to admit that Sgillin's remark hit on a point that had already crossed his mind. Not a particularly pleasant thought. But one they might have to face. Nevertheless, he was interested in what had led Sgillin to his conclusion. "What makes you think that?", he asked.

"As it stands, the Chosen are spread across the factions," the ranger explained. "We have one from the Harmonium, one from your faction, Factol Ambar, a Sensate, an Athar and possibly one from the Doomguard."

"And who do you belong to?" Naghûl wanted to know.

Sgillin raised his shoulders. "I guess I'll find out, like Lereia did."

It wasn't what he said, but rather the way he said it. Something seemed to resonate in that remark. It was elusive, but Ambar could feel it rousing his vigilance. He looked at Sgillin inquiringly. "What do you mean by that? Has someone approached you?"

"Lereia didn't belong to any faction when she discovered her ability," Sgillin responded. "Until she met you, factol."

"That doesn't really answer my question," the bard replied.

Sgillin shook his head. "No, not yet. But maybe that will happen."

Something was strange. Ambar played the game of the kriegstanz long enough to instinctively sense that there was more in play right now than Sgillin was openly admitting. "I have the impression that you are keeping something from us," he remarked directly and more seriously than was characteristic for him.

"I would not know what," Sgillin explained. "No other faction has approached me yet. So, as I said, it's just a guess."

Ambar let his green eyes rest thoughtfully on Sgillin. It didn't seem to him that there was any real deceit or even falseness involved. He didn't think the ranger was dangerous or ill-intentioned. But the feeling that he was hiding something solidified.

Naghûl, on the other hand, patted his friend on the shoulder. "Join the Sensates," he said lightly. "Then the issue is settled. Besides, it wouldn't be bad to have a faction behind you."

"Well, when I think of Lereia's path to the Godsmen ..." Sgillin swayed his head. "I don't think that decision is in my hands."

Ambar decided to leave it at that for now. "Very well, as you say," he remarked calmly. "But I ask you never to forget that your safety depends on who knows - or doesn't know - about this matter. As does the safety of your friends and your companion. If you get involved with the wrong people, you will be in danger."

Sgillin nodded gravely. "I am aware of that."

The bard hoped he really was. Certainly, Sgillin had not just stumbled out of a portal the day before yesterday. But then again, he hadn't been in Sigil long enough to be fully aware of all the pitfalls and consequences of this city. Ambar was sure of that. But for now, he could only hope that Sgillin knew what he was doing. He rose to his feet. "Good, then I will copy these documents now. Lereia, you can pick up a duplicate at the Foundry tomorrow for your investigation."

Lereia rose quickly as he stood up. "I will," she assured him. "If we learn anything dicey, we will contact one of the factols. I hope we can shed light on at least one of those matters soon."

Ambar nodded. "Do that. And watch yourselves, you are obviously treading on dangerous ground. I wish you success in your further investigations."

"Thank you," Naghûl remarked seriously. "And may Her shadow never cut you, Factol."

Lereia nodded at these words and smiled at him with that mixture of reluctance and cordiality that he had come to know from her. "Thank you, Factol. For everything."

He returned the smile kindly, nodded goodbye and then left the house to go back to the Foundry.

 

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(played April 4, 2012)

Kiyoshi was so quiet during the conversation at Lereia's house because his player had to leave early that night.