[Nyka Location] The Gates

[Akoni]

Akoni slowly approached the gate, slowly relying heavily on his cane to walk. Although he wasn't lame, far from it fact he was at the prime of his life physically. Still he looked to fool the guards with his act, Apon getting within 20 feet of the gate the guards called out

"Halt!" they met Akoni half way, and looked him over
When they had did so, Akoni simply removed his hat and leaned on his walking cane

"Well good day sirs, Is....is something wrong?"

The guard had looked Akoni over, with suspicious eyes "Err, yeha! what's your business here?!?" The guard obviously hadn't a proper reason as to why he would let Akoni pass through. But then again he didn't need one, he was a monk, so Akoni decided that he would indulge the monk.

"Oh! well im am here to spend some..." Akoni rubbed his index finger and thumb together, in a gesture that would be symbolic. Of any currency "and to acquire knowledge, and possible a traveling companion" of course Akoni left that part up for guess, it was likely. That the monk would know what he meant by companion.

With one more suspicious look over the monk waved him in "Alright, Alright. Go in." once Akoni walked by the monk mumbled "Its not like you will make it long in there, anyway.."

[Nirvesca]

Nirv retched over the side of the ship for what felt like the hundredth time. She scarcely noticed the horizon had been usurped by high cliffs that hugged the coastline. Had she cared, she would have surely spotted the sizable wall that encircled the place.

"Nyka is near. Present yourself properly, little spider. No one will wish to buy the sickly little creature I see before me."

The Symenestra ignored the biting remarks. She silently cursed her silly idea to ever leave Kalinor. It was a foolish naivete girl's quest. To leave the safety of her home to involve herself with the Dhani. She hardly knew herself anymore. Nirvesca was not that girl who left the underground city so many months ago. She was now jaded with the experiences life had thrown at her. One awful event after another. And now she was a slave. Nirv moaned when she felt herself being hauled up by the roots of her dark hair. She hissed and glared back at Sheshazeleira, clinging to the wood rail, but managing to stand.

"Hate me all you want, child. It will do you no good. The quicker you learn to obey, the swifter I can sell you," said the Dhani in her usual superior tone.

Nirvesca didn't speak. She had learned a long time ago that Sheshazeleira was far too clever to manipulate or deceive to get her way. She hadn't the energy to protest even if she wanted to. The bout of sea sickness had left her horribly weak. It was all she could do to lift her gaze to the city before them. Nyka, Sheshaz had called it. Sifting through the caverns of her memories where geography was stored, she hazily recalled Nyka being a city graced by Celestials. Beings said to have the blood of Gods running through their veins. Beyond that, Nirv remembered little else.

Throughout the process of the ship docking, lines being secured and filing out down the gangplank, her mind fantasized of poisoning Sheshaz and slipping away in the vast city. Those thoughts made her smile up at the smug Dhani whilst they made their way down the road to the western gate. Once there, a quartet of robed men greeted them with scrutinizing eyes.

"What is your purpose in Nyka?" came the surly voice.

"We are here on business. This girl is my slave," said Sheshaz with a condescending pat of her head and an uncomfortable tug on the metal collar about her neck. The Dhani offered the monk papers to prove her ownership of the Symenestra and shortly after they were told to "continue on".

The Dhani and Symenestra passed through the gates, into a new life.

[Wade Rystar]

37th of Fall, 515 AV

The journey had finally come to an end. It took a bit. Actually, it took a lot to hop on to that first ship from Alvadas to go across the Suvan and abandon everything he knew. It would only be for a while of course. Once he had accomplished his goals Wade would go home and live out the rest of his life, hopefully.

The bit probably referred to his quick passing through Syliras. Compared to Alvadas, it was disgustingly restrained and Wade had heard they were discriminatory against people with his practices. Certainly not the type of place he would like to spend more time than necessary in. It was amazingly dull.

But now he, "I'm here!" Nyka still felt a little like Syliras but at least it had something the man wanted which would make that little detail tolerable but for how long remains to be seen.

"I'm here to study the monster pit thing" Wade said at the gate before a few moments of pause from the guard who eventually laughed him through saying something about his funeral.

[Nicole Bellwood]

I walked up to the gates nervously shaking hoping they would that me in.

"What is your business here?!!" Asked the guard

"I've heard of this place, I want to live here!!" I said to the guard

"You may go in, but go in with caution...." Said the other guard opening the gate

"Thank you!!" I said happily walking through the gate

[Pulren Marsh]

Winter 1, 515 AV

The winds blew over the dock of the ship as it was moored into the small harbor of the mysterious city of Nyka. "Alright, we're here, lads. I don't envy you for staying here, Marshall. Especially in WInter." Pulren, under his usual guise as Palaren Marshall, could only shake his head and chuckle to himself as he tossed his stuff on the dock. "Yeah, well, I visited Sahova in Winter and I'm still alive. It's up to the Gods when I go." Gathering up his gear and weapons, he took the time to suit up into his armor and load up what he had left. It was a joke compared to all of his furniture that he had sold. He had decided to give up the homebody life for something more alive. There was an entire world of Mizahar out there and it was time to live it rather than read about it.

Slogging his way up the rocky hill path that led to the gates, Pulren knew that he was in for another adventure to be sure. He had survived Winter in Sunberth and Sahova, so even the cautionary tales of Nyka didn't frighten him. Not much did anymore, actually. When They chose for him to die, it would be his time, but even then he would fight to live and beat the odds. Once at the gates, he was greeted by some very serious characters that the ship'screw had warned him were the warlike monks of Nyka. The word thug had been tossed around but in some circles, Pulren could wear that title as well. A large man with a halberd squared up to the Zeltivan. "What's your business in the city of Nyka?"

Planting his trident beside him, Pulren's gaze didn't waver from the guard before him. "I'm a mercenary. Looking for fame and fortune in the city of the Celestials." Eyes scanned the tines of his weapon and the battle scars on his shield and armor. Maybe even more the scars in Pulren's eyes. Those who had faced battle and drawn blood knew each other in a way that others couldn't. They were all killers.

The gates opened. "Watch your step."

He would watch every step. It was a practice that had kept him alive for some time now.

[Faradae]

Faradae Winter 21, 515 AV Faradae’s steps, originally fast and firm, decreased in speed in proportionality to the shortening distance between herself and the city gate of Nyka. In the four years of her life, she had never been closer to the city than directly underneath the walls. A couple more steps and she would face strangers, talk to people, act by herself. She would need to leave her family behind. The young woman bit her lip. She had been so confident about this enterprise when setting up, so certain she could find an adventure of her own and enlarge her own horizon beyond the edge of the wheat field. She had spent enough time in seclusion, it was time to follow the call from within and leave all constrictions behind. It had been a spontaneous decision, made the last evening, shortly before nightfall, when she was glaring out of the windows, counting stars. She was used to a certain melancholy, but the feeling had been getting stronger in the past weeks, never quite leaving her. Her heart was yearning to see distant places, to spread its wings and fly. She had told her parents, and they had been alarmed at first, but once the shock eased, they had understood it was time to let their daughter go. Faradae was happy she had plucked her courage and told them instead of sneaking away in the shadows of the night. It had allowed for a proper farewell. And while her heart’s wings were purely metaphorical, Faradae’s certainly wasn’t. She knew it was hardly legal to fly into the city in bird form, and she did not want to face the problem of lacking clothes once she transformed back, so she took the more civilian approach and approached the gate like any outsider would, backpack tied to her spine, eyes wide with wonder. She would have passed as the perfect visitor, but she technically wasn’t. Setting her yaw and pushing her worries aside, she approached the guards. There was no use in delaying the necessary. “My name is Faradae,” she told them firmly, “daughter of Parakis and Vithe, farmers. I want to enter to run some errands.” The latter of which, of course, was a lie. She wasn’t planning to return home, but it was an excuse as good as any to see the city for the first time in her life. The guard to the left narrowed his eyes at her and addressed his colleague: “I’ve not seen her before.” Faradae’s heart sank. She was not going to explain the details of her lifelong absence from the city. Kelvics, her mother had taught her, were usually not met with the amount of respect and trust they deserved. The other guard made a sound that clearly signalled he did not wish to be annoyed with something as irrelevant as a rugged little girl. “Let her pass. What harm can she possibly do?” It almost angered her when Faradae realized they thought her harmless enough to not even bother checking her backpack. At the same time, she felt relieved. If the guards did not see her as a peril, others wouldn’t either, and she would stand a better chance of moving around in the city undisturbed.

[Sybel]

2nd Day of Winter, 515 AV

The wind was so sharp and cold, it blew right through both the horse and its rider. Her woolen cloak snapped in the breeze. Set against the early morning sun was the lone figure of Sybel as she plunged full tilt up the winding path to Nyka. Crossing the wide green field just before the city gave her a swell of nostalgia so powerful, she felt as if she were living a memory. There were those very same walls in the distance, ornamented here and there by the sentries bold enough to walk the cursed fortifications.

Delicately, she reigned in her steaming mount. It'd been a hard ride through Sylira. The Wildlands were even more troubled than usual, which was concerning. She'd gone most of the way with a large caravan and even then, they'd lost some on the road. Sybel stared at the looming outline of the ramparts impassively. It'd been years since she'd set foot in the city of the divine and the criminal. It wasn't her first choice but typically, she couldn't stay long in Syliras. She cut an austere figure against the sky, road-weary and covered in grime.

It was time to make her return and learn what she could of this place. She'd denied her own intuition on greater subjects in the past and her attraction to the city was inevitable. Knowing her own disposition, Sybel had strictly regulated her stays in Nyka in the years previous. Too much ale and dice had a tendency to land her in hot water and both were activities monks enjoyed. Ignoring the tightening in her gut, she continued at a steady pace toward the city gates.

It was onward then, for good or ill.

"What's your business in the city?" The man at the drawbridge said, his halberd gleaming menacingly in the fading light. Sybel eased back in the saddle, her face a thoughtful mask.

"I'm here to trade," she replied, Eplah whickering softly beneath her. She kept her voice even and her bags were laden enough that it wasn't too difficult to believe. The man scrutinized her for a few seconds longer before he seemed satisfied, stepping aside to let her make her way.

"Have a fine evening," she replied pleasantly as she rode past. If he heard her, he said nothing.

It was only a matter of time before she got into trouble.

[Carin Rander]

x

1st of Winter, 515 AV

He had been lucky to get out of the city when he did, to many back water politics had caused him to feel like a foreigner in his own home. He had traveled north to start over and reinvent himself. His journey was nothing short of difficult. The temperature had dropped quickly as the nights began to grow longer. Winter was coming and it wasn't going to slow down.

He had been lucky to make it to the city, now all that was left was for him to get pass the guards. The man walked up the well worn path that others have traveled. "Halt" a guard said stepping slightly away from the wall that was at his back. The gates of the city of Nyka stood in front of Carin now, the place he had heard rumors of while he was in Syliras. "What is your business here?" Carin cleared his throat and looked at the guard with a smile on his face. "Good sir, I am here to make a living in the city. I am a hunter and would be honored if I was allowed to put my skills to use for the city and it's fair people." The guards looked towards each other then back at Carin, they nodded their head and stood to the side allowing Carin to enter.

x

Carin Rander

[Khemkhaengawut]

17th - Winter - 515 AV

11th Bell

The wagon stopped at the commands of the Monks. After some chatter with the driver he finally gave the instructions for the passengers to leave the tight wagon in order for each of them to be inspected by the Monks, and at the same time allowing them to inspect the various wares the merchant carried. Three men left the wagon beside the driver, all humans salve Khemkhaengawut. The day was as cold as one could expect, the winds cold and harsh enough to pierce through the flesh and rattle the bones. Being by far the tallest of the four, the Chaktawe immediately felt the center of attention as all four armed monks stared at the copper skinned individual. By his part, however, only came a raised brow and an expression that clearly didn't approve of their behavior. One could assume Chaktawe weren't quite common in this part of the world, as they were a rather rare race that lived in lands far away. Retrieving his possessions that all laid dispersed in a large sack, said sack was brought to his left shoulder as he stood in line just like every other individual that wished to enter the city.

One of the monks moved to the back of the wagon and entered it, rumbling inside as he inspected the contents in search for something undisclosed. Two of the monks remained on each side of the gate, and apparently their boss was the one questioning the individuals. He asked names, purpose of visit... Insignificant questions that were nothing but a waste of breath. Eventually, the monk stood before Khemkhaengawut, looking at him from below. He stared into the jet black eyes, not afraid but rather confused as to what he was seeing. "What, never seen a True Man before?" Said the Chaktawe, adding his usual 'HA!' afterwards. Said remark immediately brought some anger in the monk, whom stopped pondering and instead began his questioning. "Name and purpose of your visit." he asked, in the usual tired and uncaring voice proper of those designated to guard duty. "Khemkhaengawut. I've come here to teach you how to properly forge armor." The statement was accompanied with a slight raise of the Chaktawe's head, whom clearly felt superior in both height and pride.

The monk raised his brows, not only by the man's pride by also by the strange name he couldn't even repeat. Instead of saying something, he merely pointed towards the sack Khemkhaengawut carried. Handing it to the monk whom now rumbled through the contents, the monk's suspicion over the male somewhat stretched out the usually short process of admittance. After returning the sack full of the Chaktawe's posessions, the monk limited himself to starting at the overgrown copper-skinned man before him. He was clearly deciding as to what to do, until the voice of the scavenging monk gave the clear on the wagon's contents. Nodding, the monk in charge would finally signal towards the city gates and plainly say: "Admitted."

[Gulle]

Winter 5, 515

The ship rocked slowly as the waves beat against it while Gulle stood at the bow staring out at their destination now in sight. The walls of the city rose far above them on the cliffs, Nyka the city of the divines. A smile spread across his delicate face as he stretched his arms out above him, calling out in excitement, "Yes we're almost their!!!" He had boarded the ship in Zeltiva, excited about the prospect of seeing the city he had heard so much about but the trip so far hadn't been at all like he was expecting.

He had gotten onto the boat hoping for a battle against a sea monster, pirate attacks, or maybe even just a monster-shark attack but so far nothing even remotely like that had happen. According to the sailors it was a good voyage, little excitement was always a good thing on the high-seas but for a young Pycon itching for adventure it was trouble. There were points on the voyage in which Gulle had tossed around the idea of trying to swim to land, at least it'd provide an interesting distraction, but he had given up on the idea when he remembered he didn't know how to swim.

And so it was with quiet a bit of eagerness he rushed down the gangplank as the merchant boat pulled into the dock. He tried calling up to various others along the docks but they all hurried about and ignored him and so he simply shrugged, tightened his backpack straps, and followed the flow of the crowd around the street and up to the western gate. He reached it with little incidence, though he did notice a lot of dirty looks shot his way, and when he did a guard stepped in front of him and peered down at him, "'Halt, what is your business in the city?'

Gulle took a step back quickly, not liking how close the guards boot was to squishing him before he cleared his throat and said cheerfully up to the guard, "I'm here to buy things and live and learn to worship the gods!" After speaking he waited while the guard just kept staring at him, causing Gulle to fill the silence " I swear!" With a grunt and a nod from another of the guards, the one in front of him stepped aside with a parting, "Stay out of trouble."

And so he walked into Nyka with his head held high as he looked around and observed everything, ready to start figuring out what secrets this place held.