Nostrum: Tales of Valor

Herald

The man-sized hare drops several books onto the floor as he notices the reach Lee has made for his blade, then cowers.

"P-please don't kill me!" He begs, trying to look as defenseless as possible. In doing so, the guards begin to approach.

"No, no! Wait, everyone stop!" Samuel demands, managing to cease even the guards in place.

"Lee, come down from there. Everyone, please, return to the front here."

"Are... are you the Tsar?" Asks Marne, who has begun retreating to the red carpet and off the platform.

"I am. M-my name is Herald. Herald the Relic."

"Herald the Relic?" Hael asks rhetorically.

"Indeed." The curious creature seems to smile at them as it speaks, wanting to maintain a peaceful conversation as it wiggles its nose. "I was once nothing more than an ordinary hare, until my creator gave me new life."

"Your creator?" Yuler questions, intrigued by the strange beast.

"Yes, yes. My creator! What a fine man he was, or... or so I think."

"You think?" She asks again.

"Yes, well, I never really saw his face, aheh."

"Who was he?" Asks Hael, who now begins to approach the desk once more, but in a more cautious manner.

"Well, I couldn't tell you his real name, only that he was... otherworldly. Y-you might know him as one of the, er... Moon Children! He truly did enjoy splicing things up. If not for that then, well, I would have never happened." The Tsar points to his own chest with both thumbs and grasps at the corners of a blue coat, which remains to be the only clothing he wears. "Perhaps you've heard of them, hm?"

"Heard of them? We're searching for them."

"Really?" The Tsar swiftly climbs atop his desk and begins sniffing at the crowd before him, eager to hear more. "Well, have you found any traces of them? Any clues as to where they might have ventured off?"

"N-no," explains Hael with a slight bit of disappointment in her voice, "we actually thought that you might have some idea as to where-"

"Maciofim, Halisburg, Mordon. The last three cities where The Bethel still stands strong!" Herald raises a fist high into the air as he speaks these words, but is surprised that no one else has joined in on his minor celebration. "What's the matter?"

"Well," Lee now begins, "The Bethel might not stand so strong in Maciofim... any longer."

"Wh-what? What happened there?"

"We sort of... hurt it."

"It was an unintentional mistake on our part, one which we remain regretful of."

"Oh... dear Nostrum... how could you?"

"Listen, we said it was a mistake. Let us leave it at that." Lee demands, causing the hare to cower once more.

"F-forgive my intrusion. Information is sort of my thing." Herald motions towards the walls and the books that now litter the floor, then smiles once more. "There is not one thing that happens within this city that I am not made aware of... at some point."

"So, what of these other two cities? Halisburg and Mordon? What makes them so special?"

"Ah, Halisburg is where The Bethel took the Moon Children under their wings! It is the home of the Sigils and the birthplace of yours truly." Herald raises his chin proudly, then lets it fall once more as something else comes to mind. "Mordon, on the other hand, is where the Moon Children are believed to have perished."