Far from Home (Alvina Celandine)

[Veldrys]

„They speak a dialect rather than the kind of Common that is spoken in the rest of Mizahar“, Veldrys agreed. „The were secluded from the rest of Mizahar since the Valterrian and have only recently reestablished contact to the outside world. In all those centuries they developed in a different direction than the other humans, although their dialect may slowly begin to disappear or become weaker now that they are part of the world once more.“ He shrugged his shoulders, deciding that she most likely wasn’t interested in a lesson in linguistics or history. „Don’t worry though. You’ll get used to their way of speaking soon.“ As she voiced her interest in visiting the Labyrinth, he nodded. „Come with me.“ With that he led her through the city, past houses that would likely seem quaint, like awkward blocks of stone to a Symenestra that was used to the floating city of Kalinor. Occasionally they could see one of the Denvali or the visitors that came here every once in a while now that Denval was accessible once more. Veldrys nodded at them. In his experience it was most important to be polite if you wanted to be accepted and become part of a certain society. Soon they neared the entrance to the Road. Alvena could see the labyrinth now. It had been built with huge slabs of rock that had been maneuvered out of the painstakingly cut Road. Veldrys had, as he had told Alvena, never entered the Labyrinth, and thus he hesitated at the entrance for a moment as if he were worried that he would get lost. And then he turned to face the woman at his side. „Shall we see if we can reach the center of the Labyrinth?“ he asked her.

[Alvena Celandine]

Easily impressed by Veldrys' knowledge, Alvena listened intently as though his words were complete fact. She rarely took her eyes off him as they walked, though occasionally taking a glance at the streets around them, uncomfortable yet mesmerized by its foreign features. The Labyrinth itself was a beauty to behold. Alvena could only wonder how the Denvali managed to erect such large stone slabs, and so many, just for the sake of creating a visually pleasing winding path. Though she could not see the use in putting effort into such an endeavor, she was grateful that the creator followed through with his vision. "It's beautiful," she said, looking back at Veldrys. He had stopped short at the entrance. "To the center, then?" Alvena separated herself from his side and started walking ahead of him, her steps taken in long, silent strides. She turned around to face him, still walking away from him and into the labyrinth. "Are you coming?" She asked, her manner still polite yet with a hint of teasing.

[Veldrys]

„It is“, Veldrys agreed as Alvena called the Labyrinth beautiful. Of course the Labyrinth couldn’t compare to the architectural masterpieces in their native Kalinor. Compared to the fragile, cocoonlike houses that hung from the ceiling, almost anything that had been built on the surface looked awkward and clumsy, but it had its own, unique charm. There was something peaceful about it, an atmosphere that he had been looking for in vain in the underground city. There was something about it that gradually made his worries disappear, that made him relax in the presence of the young woman that had been a stranger only moments before. „To the center“, he repeated. „If we can find it“, he added with a small laughter. Since he had never walked through the Labyrinth he had no idea how complicated it was and how long it would take to walk through it. Was it possible to get lost among the stones? He took a look around and decided that it didn’t look that big from here. It was unlikely that they would get stuck in it and never find the way out again. „Of course I’m coming.“ He noticed that she had already started walking while he had been deep in thought and quickened his pace to catch up with her, and soon they were hopefully walking side by side again. „The Labyrinth is dedicated to Aquiras, one of the patron gods of Denval“, he explained as they moved past the stones, but he didn’t say anything more. For a few moments he was content to simply be next to her and enjoy their unusual surroundings. He wasn’t sure if he would find enlightment like other people that walked through the Labyrinth, but at least it calmed him down. „You still haven’t told me your story“, he asked after a while. His voice was barely more than a whisper, hardly sufficient to disrupt the silence of the Labyrinth. This time the servant of Viratas didn’t urge her to tell her story or was inappropriately curious – or worried – he was simply stating a fact, posing a question that she was free to answer – or not.

[Alvena Celandine]

Veldrys' short explanations pleased Alvena; she felt like she was learning quickly with his concise facts. He was acting just as a guide would, much better than she had anticipated. He actually seemed motivated to introducing the place to her. She leaned in closer to listen to what he was saying as he lowered his voice to whispering. Just like at the chapel, the place deserved their respect. He was still curious about her 'story'. It couldn't hurt for him to be enlightened on her little tale. "Mostly because I didn't enjoy how narrow-minded some of the people in Kalinor are," She started, not sure how to explain her impulsive actions. "I've never been very racist, probably because my father didn't bring me up that way. I didn't expect to just leave on those premises, though..." Alvena hesitated a little. She'd only told her father about her experience with Vadys and his little worshiping gang. "I had a bit of a run-in with some... I'd call it a cult. The leader was a psychopath. I guess that was sort of my last straw," She revealed, speaking as low as she could. She looked down for a bit as she said it, recounting the less than pleasant event. Perhaps she was revealing too much about herself to this Veldrys. After all, She had only known him for a short while now. Maybe his charming looks were what made him seem trustworthy.

[Veldrys]

„Some of the people in Kalinor can be very narrowminded“, he agreed. It was why he had left, because he had been unable to bear some of the things they did, because he had been unable to agree with them. In his opinion, they spent too much time on the Harvest and didn’t put enough effort into trying to save their own kind. They were too set in their ways to change anything, and he had been afraid that he would eventually become like them. He hoped that he would find enlightment here, on the surface. He leaned against one of the stones and looked at her, hesitating a moment before he added, „I have found that spending your whole life in an underground city can sometimes render you blend to the world around you. Maybe our people would be different if they paid more attention to the world above, apart from where the surrogates are concerned.“ As he said this, he watched her reaction carefully. They seemed to have similar views in this regard, but you could never be completely sure. He knew that his views hadn’t been particularly popular in Kalinor, that Old Hellebore himself had sometimes complained about him. „A cult?“ he repeated. He was about to ask her for details, but then he noticed that it seemed to make her uncomfortable, that the experience had apparently been less than pleasant, and thus he decided to let it be and simply remarked, „I never understood fanatics and psychopaths of any sorts. I don’t like people with extreme views, no matter in which way they are extreme.“ He didn’t like those that condemned all other races, but neither was he comfortable around people that claimed to love everybody. He was deeply suspicious of such people as well. There were some creatures in this world that deserved to be hated, such as the violent Zith. „Come“, he told her and stepped away from the stone again. „I think we should turn left. What do you think?“

[Tabarnac]

XP Award! Veldrys XP Award: Interrogation +5; Storytelling +1; Philosophy +2 Alvena XP Award: Intelligence +5; Storytelling +1; Philosophy +2 Additional Notes: I’m sorry this one petered out. Hopefully Alvena will return. She got Intelligence rather than Interrogation because she was attempting to hide more than he was. It makes sense to me, but you know where to find me if you want to argue. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or concerns. Keep writing!