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Center of scholarly knowledge and shipwrighting, Zeltiva is a port city unlike any other in Mizahar. [Lore]
Anselm peered out from under a burgundy silk hood at the man who sat down in front of him. A somewhat older man, close cropped hair, blue eyes, short with too much weight for his height. He shifted his view of the man so that he could get a peek at his aura.Ah,he thought.A Nuit.Anselm had met his fair share of Nuits over the centuries. But this one had visited him recently to have his fortune read. That narrowed it down considerably.
“Ignotus, I presume,”he said.“It appears you have acquired a new body.”
The undead nodded an affirmation. "The old one was getting a little tatty." Turning his still-pudgy hand over, he grinned at the fellow Nuit. "This one's much nicer anyways, no?"
Settling down in the seat opposite Anselm, Ignotus' brow furrowed again. "Anyways, I'm sure you're a busy man, so I'll get straight to why I'm here. It seems I've come to a bit of an... Impasse." he set his hands on the table, one on top of the other. "I'm slated to travel to Sahova with the Sylirans, but... Well, I've met quite a few people, and run into quite a few situations that demand I remain here, and... Well... I'm not sure which is the best course of action."
The younger Nuit grimaced, "I hope that's not too vague for you..."
A thousand thanks to Phoenix for the gorgeous blue frame, and a thousand more to Edreina for her beautiful magic-themed one!
“I have heard that fortune-tellers love vague questions,”The old Nuit said in his usual slow gravely voice.“It gives them free reign to make up anything they want.”This was about as close as Anselm was likely to come to humor. He pulled the hood back from his head, exposing a badly decaying face. His stringy hair was sparse. There were red blotches across the top of his head. The skin on his face hung off the skeletal structure as though it were melting and was about to drip off on to the floor. A large ugly puss-filled boil occupied a prominent place on his left cheek bone. His lips were dried and cracked. The stench of death wafted through the tent, overwhelming the apricot perfume's futile attempt to hide it.
“As you can see, I too am in need of a new body,”he said“Unfortunately, acquiring a new body usually requires one to leave the city so as to avoid awkward encounters with people who knew the deceased.”He picked absently at the boil.“I made plans to travel by ship to the western half of Mizahar with a new body. It is, I suppose, something of a given that we Nuits are nomads.
“But I do not wish to leave Zeltiva. It is the most Nuit-friendly city in Mizahar, outside of Sahova, and I have established a number of contacts and acquaintances here. I wouldn't call them friends, exactly. But they know what I am and accept me that way, a valuable thing that should not too quickly be cast aside. I have, in effect, found a niche for myself. And so I have set in motion a plan to secure a new body in a way that will hopefully allow me to remain in this city.”He pulled the hood back up over this head.
“Now what does this have to do with your dilemma?”he asked, almost to himself as he stared off into the distance through the tent opening.“Possibly nothing, except to offer you my own reasoning through my own dilemma.
“I will tell you a secret that I learned from a sage two-and-a-half centuries ago,”he said.“The secret is that it does not matter where you are. It only matters who you are. If you do not know yourself, then you will be lost and aimless no matter where you go. But if you know yourself, then you will find your way wherever you are. If a journey to Sahova will lead you to further self-enlightenment, then by all means go to Sahova. Otherwise remain where you are and seek further self-enlightenment right here in Zeltiva. One thing I can tell you: Everything you need is right here.”
The fortune teller's little joke made Ignotus chuckle a little, more out of politeness than anything else. Seeing the old corpse's less than exemplary bodily care, he winced. "I think I've a Drykas lying around somewhere. I'll see if I can get it to you somehow. That eye looks like it's seen better days..."
Upon mention of a journey by ship, the Hypnotist raised an eyebrow. Not quite a question, but an invitation to elaborate.
“I will tell you a secret that I learned from a sage two-and-a-half centuries ago,” Anselm said. “The secret is that it does not matter where you are. It only matters who you are. If you do not know yourself, then you will be lost and aimless no matter where you go. But if you know yourself, then you will find your way wherever you are. If a journey to Sahova will lead you to further self-enlightenment, then by all means go to Sahova. Otherwise remain where you are and seek further self-enlightenment right here in Zeltiva. One thing I can tell you: Everything you need is right here.”
So he really was that old. The little tidbit was tucked away in Ignotus' head before he got to focusing on what Anselm was actually saying. The old Nuit had a point. Why was he going to Sahova? "To get more power." he answered himself. But then, why did he have to risk his life in Sahova, when there were so many other people who would be willing and able to kill him if he got in their way, when there was a University filled to the brim with knowledge right here?
More importantly, when he thought about it, a certain roadblock had also been removed. Wrenmae would be away the entire season. With a bit of luck, he would never come back. If there was ever a time to act unimpeded, now was it. Anselm was right: Everything he needed was here! Now wasn't the time to go running off on a foolish little adventure! Now was the time to settle down, dig his roots in, and make himself intractable.
The wizard nodded slowly, "Yes... You're right. Going to Sahova would be silly at the moment." he smiled at the fortune teller. A real smile, not the sugar-coated falsehood he offered others. "Thank you, Anselm."
A thousand thanks to Phoenix for the gorgeous blue frame, and a thousand more to Edreina for her beautiful magic-themed one!
Anselm watched the young Nuit as he walked away from the tent in his latest body. Anselm was looking forward to getting a body that walked that well.
He wondered what Ignotus was up to. He always seemed to be working some new angle or plotting something. Not your problem, old man,he thought.At least not yet.As a general rule, Anselm preferred to live and let live. But Ignotus might merit a closer look. Not because Anselm cared what nefarious deeds he might be up to. But because Anselm wanted to preserve the relatively accepting attitude of Zeltivans toward Nuits. The youngster showed a tendency toward impetuousness. The last thing he wanted was for Ignotus to do something that would turn the general populous against Nuits.I think it is time I learned more about you, Ignotus Everto.
He pocketed the gold miza the Nuit had left on the table, folded his hands together and waited for his next customer.
by Anselm on September 9th, 2012, 8:14 pm 
