Chapter IV: Welcome to Syndramire
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Jezran was not a natural born sprinter, making it easy for the party to keep up. It was a straightforward route, but it did take them several minutes of nonstop sprinting before they finally came to a stop in front of a nondescript wall.
Before anyone had a chance to question why they stopped, Jezran said, "The gates are closed by this hour, so we're taking a short cut."
He pulled out a small focusing crystal as he quietly whispered a spell and made sigils in the air with his free hand. After a moment, the crystal began to glow, and a passage seemed to grow through the wall in front of them.
"Hurry, no time to waste! I don't want to keep this open longer than I have to!" Jezran said as he ran through the hole to the other side.
The tunnel was not very large, so they had to enter in single file, with Hamish being forced to duck and squeeze through. A moment later, they were all on the other side. Jezran quietly whispered and tapped the wall, making the hole disappear.
The mists were thicker out past the walls, and it was getting harder to see past the nearest building.
"Come!" Jezran yelled after them as he continued sprinting, "We are now quite close!"
Mists danced about them as they ran. More than once, Selene swore she saw movement in the corner of her vision, lurking in the mists. Finally, they reached a dilapidated tower in the middle of an open area. Arcane symbols were carved into the ground around it, glowing vibrantly against the ever expanding mists.
As the party passed the symbols, a calm passed over them. Selene let out a breath of relief. She knew little of magic, but it was clear this place was safe. Jezran stopped in front of the door, breathing heavily.
"Good...good work everyone," He wheezed, "Let's get inside. I believe you'll be staying with me for the night."
They all entered without a word. The entire base of the tower was one large room that had been renovated as the wizard's study.
On one side was a mess of books, scrolls, and other things one might expect to find in a wizard's tower. Selene was enamoured with them all, but she knew to be cautious. She heard enough tales about wizards to know you don't touch anything they own. Whether you got turned into a newt, burned alive or teleported to another dimension, it was never worth stealing wizard trinkets unless you knew exactly what you were getting into.
On the other side was what appeared to be Jezran's living area, which included a small kitchen area and a massive dining table with several chairs piled high with books and dirty dishes.
"I'm sorry," Jezran said sheepishly, "I wasn't expecting any guests today, or else I would have tidied up."
He quickly ran over to make room for everyone to sit, then offered them all a seat at the table. Once everyone was seated, he asked, "Anyone hungry, or thirsty? I don't have guests often, but I can provide anything you need."
Collectively, they all realized they had not eaten since this morning. They all agreed.
"Very well, I hope you like stew." He rose from his seat and turned to the cooking area in the corner. With a wave of his hands, all the tools in the cooking area sprung to life and began preparing food for the cauldron. After everything seemed to be in order, he returned his attention to his guests, "Alright, now that we are safe, sound, and food is being prepared, can I ask who you are and what you want from me?"
Everyone quickly went round the table introducing themselves, then turned to Argent, who was seated on the far end. He leaned against the table, hands folded in front of him. "My name is Argent. I need to speak with an expert of the arcane and Syndramire," Argent said, his eyes meeting Jezran, "I was told you were in Lendrig's Hollow attempting to study the ruins and could assist me."
Jezran raised an eyebrow, "How did you know I was here, not many folk outside the College know."
Argent paused for a minute, choosing his words carefully, "Let's say I'm an old friend of your master."
Jezran's eyes grew wide, "You know Master Kalrei'beshiru?"
Argent nodded, "Yes, I've known him a long time, back when he was just known as Kal. He said I could trust your research."
"Wha-who-...wow." Jezran said, "I don't think I've ever met anyone who knew my Master before he gained his wizard's name."
Selene turned to Ari in confusion and whispered, "What's a wizard name?"
Ari shrugged then said a little louder than a whisper, "Famous Wizards have long names, so wizards need long names at the College in Dunbarrow for...some reason. Makes them feel special, I think?"
Jezran heard their conversation and was obviously offended by her answer, "No, it's how we separate levels of magical mastery. Each syllable after the first shows a wizard has shown a prerequisite level of mastery in magic."
Ari nodded, "Right, right. So...because it makes you feel special?"
He was about to respond when Selene jumped in, "Wouldn't that mean you aren't very high level, Jezran?"
Jezran turned to face her, flabbergasted. "I...what? No! I am a-"
Selene cut in again, "Also, wouldn't that mean Arifrenya here was a better wizard than you?"
The wizard began to turn a shade of red, "What? No, that's not..."
Ari giggled, "She's got a point, Jezran. My name is longer than your's and I practice magic."
Jezran turned a dark shade of purple, he seemed to want to retort, but instead his mouth just kept opening and closing for a minute.
"Leave him be," Argent said, a smile tugging at his lips, "Especially you, Ari. You know how Dunbarrow wizards get about their names."
"I do?" Ari thought for a moment then laughed awkwardly, "Oh yeah, Kal always hated when I called him that, especially that one time I did it in public."
While Ari was lost reminiscing, Jezran regained his composure and returned to Argent, "Anyway. Argent, I have a million questions to ask, but first I must know. How do you two know my Master?"
Argent thought for a moment, then said flatly, "It's a long story. To make it short, I helped him with an errand a long time ago and he's owed me ever since."
"I...see." Jezran said, deflated. He sat back down in his chair, clearly dissatisfied.
Returning to the present, Ari tried consoling the wizard, saying, "Don't worry, he does that to everyone."
"He is like...rose bush," Hamish explained, "Pretty flowers, but watch out for thorns."
Argent made a face at that comment, "Pretty flower?"
Selene giggled as Ari snorted.
Any further conversation was interrupted as dinner was soon ready. They all ate in silence. Selene found the food bland, even by her standards. Based on the expressions of her companions, she concluded she was not the only one.
"So to start, Jezran," Argent said, breaking the silence, "I need to know what's changed. What has been happening in Syndramire in the past year?"
Jezran had been lost in thought and jumped when Argent called him, spilling soup on his beard. Cursing, he quickly grabbed a napkin and began to dab it dry. As it dried, Selene couldn't help but notice something was off about that beard.
"I can't speak much for Syndramire proper," Jezran said, still dabbing at his beard, "News travels slowly, but I can tell you there has been significant increase in activity here in Lendrigol."
"Wait," Selene said, confused, "I thought this place was Lendrig's Hollow?"
"Hm?" He looked up due to her question and noticed confused glances from Hamish as well, suddenly recognition flashed through his eyes. "Oh! Sorry, I forgot you all are not from here. Please understand, you are the first group I've met travelling through here in quite a while."
He rose and grabbed one of the ancient maps from his desk. Holding it up in front of him, he said, "Allow me to explain, here's a map of Syndramire. Lendrigol is one of the ancient city ruins found throughout the land of Syndramire. It traces its roots back to the Ancient Era of Lords and spreads across several miles of coastline on the southern border," He then pointed to a large portion of the southern coastline. "The Hollow is the area around the port, it was cordoned off by walls crafted by dwarves and reinforced by magic several centuries ago in the hopes to regain a foothold in the country," He gestured towards a small portion near the center of what was indicated as Lendrigol.
Argent cleared his throat, cutting off the excited wizard.
"Right, sorry. Got a little carried away." Jezran blushed, "Getting back to the point. Well, you've seen part of it. The mists are much worse inside the Hollow now. Just a year ago, you could wander the city streets and not see a touch of mist inside the walls on a good day."
Jezran paused, rising to his feet, and looking staring into the embers of the small cooking fire. "The city has also seen a strange string of worsening nightmares. The numbers of affected has grown to the point that everyone now seems to suffer from them. Even the races that do not sleep like elves now suffer similar effects. I have not determined the source, but I have determined it is intentional and not some side effect of the mists. When it first occurred, nothing I used to treat people were successful, until I realized my own magical dampeners stopped it from affecting me in my home. The algae inside the city seems to adversely affect magic, so I devised a potion that stimulated a similar effect."
Suddenly his fists clenched, "But it's getting stronger. My potions last shorter and shorter periods, and now even my circle does not protect me entirely. I can't tell you how many have already lost their minds or disappeared under the cover of darkness since this all started. I've pored over everything I could get my hands on, and I've tried every spell and incantation I know. I am now convinced I have only one option left."
Jezran then turns to face the group, "I have searched every corner of the Hollow for the cause and found nothing, so the source of these nightmare must be hiding in the ruins of Lendrigol. Of course, considering the size of the ruins, it would be impossible to search everywhere. Luckily, I requisitioned an item from the college that arrived this very day."
He pulled a large orb from his robes, "Whatever is causing this must be expelling massive amounts of magic or psionic energy. Enough to create nightmares that break through protections spells and affect non dreaming species like elves. This orb acts as a kind of dousing rod which will guide me to the strongest flows of active magic. I plan to travel the ruins to seek out this source and put a stop to it."
At this point, Jezran, cleared his throat awkwardly, "Look, I know you all have your own reasons for being here, but would you be able to assist me in finding this source? I am skilled in magic, but my experience in combat is limited. Considering where I'm going, I really could use the aid of anyone still free from the effects of the nightmares."
Argent was stone faced for a moment, then nodded, his eyes glimmered, "Actually, I believe our goals might be one and the same, so I can certainly assist. But I do not speak for everyone. They will need to decide for themselves."
Ari shrugged, "My goals are the same as Argent's. Of course I'll join you."
Selene was silent for a moment. She was searching for adventure, but that did not mean she necessarily had to join this one. Hamish said nothing, but eyed her expectantly.
After a moment, Selene met Jezran's gaze, "Let's make a deal, wizard. I scratch your back, you scratch mine."
"What do you mean?" Jezran asked, confused.
Selene pulled the strange, archaic knife from her boot, "It's simple, I help you out on this dangerous quest, and you tell me everything you can learn about this knife. Where it comes from, what it's made of, what that symbol means, anything you can dig up."
"Hm, I see," Jezran walks over and eyes the knife, but does not take it from her, "I can't guarantee anything, I'm afraid. Weapons and history are not my specialty, but worst case I can probably point you to a few people who can help."
Selene expression soured, she should have known it wouldn't be that easy. Still, a direction is better than nothing, but before she could respond, Jezran said, "I can tell this means a lot to you, but it's clear you're not as well equipped as the rest of your friends. It may be better if you didn't come."
Selene gawked at him and blinked, "What do you mean? We're just exploring a crappy ruin full of monsters. Typical adventuring stuff, and you said you needed all the help you can get!"
Jezran nodded, "True, if you agree, I will not stop you from coming, but what you said about Lendrigol is simply not correct. I think you need to see something. In fact," he looked to everyone else, "You should all come, it's best we all go into this with our eyes wide open, knowing the risks."
Jezran moved to the back of the room, toward a large stairwell, "We can take these stairs to the top of the tower, it should give you a good view of what I mean."
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It was a longer walk than anticipated, but they all reached the top in relatively short order. The stairwell opened up to the top of the tower. Little else was here beyond walls reaching to about Selene's chest on all sides.
"I think this was once used for an observatory, but for now it gives us a safe seat to view the city," Jezran said, gesturing for everyone to approach the nearest edge.
Selene noted the mists were now remarkably thin, allowing a clear view of the night sky and what lay below.
The mists covered the streets of Lendrigol like a silver sea, obscuring those things that wandered beneath. Across the ancient ruins, lights flickered like sparks of flame in distant corners. Signs of movement could be clearly seen bubbling under the surface of the mists. Massive creatures stalked and scuttled across buildings, appearing briefly above the mist's surface.
But the most terrifying sight of all were the batlike creatures moving and hovering just above the rooftops. To call them large would not do them justice, shadows cast in the pale moonlight made them appear larger than city blocks. They moved unnaturally through the air, unbound by the laws of nature. At different intervals, purple energy streaked from them towards the ground below, revealing for a moment the shambling corpses that wondered the misty ruins.
As far as the eye could see, dozens of these creatures moved about as if swimming through the air, hunting the world below. Screams could be heard in the distance, though it was unclear their origin.
"From what I've gathered," The wizard said behind them, "Many of these creatures are similar to those found beneath the waves, which partially explains some of the strange patterns of movement. Regardless, you can see why I'll need assistance traversing here. I can recreate the arcane sanctuary spell when the fog descends, but if it fails...we will need to face this together."
A pause followed and he added quietly, "I don't blame anyone for wanting to avoid this, but should you join me, I will do whatever I can to assist you or whatever it is you need of me."
Doubts filled Selene's mind as she remained transfixed on the world below them.
"My answer has not changed," Argent said.
"Agreed, I knew what we would expect." Ari followed up.
Hamish remained silent, then came to stand beside Selene, after a moment he said, "Would be good to help these people, but I made promise to you first. I go where you go, Selene."
As she gazed once more upon the nightmare unfolding in the distance, Selene muttered to herself, "I'm going to regret this, I just know it," then turned to Jezran, "I'll do it."
Hamish chuckled softly, his expression unreadable, "That is spirit, friend. I go as well, wizard!"
Jezran smiled, "Excellent! Thank you all. For now, I'll get some rooms set up so you can all have a good night's rest. We can discuss the plans for the journey tomorrow morning."
Everyone nodded and began descending the stairwell. Selene was the last to depart, taking one final look at the city before following. This was not exactly what she expected for her first adventure, but she would see it through, and it would lead her one step closer to answers.
Resolved, she turned to descend the steps, when a voice called out behind her.
"Welcome to Syndramire, Selene Bryseis."
From her periphery, Selene swore a figure was standing behind her. Without hesitation, she turned sharply to face the figure, but the rooftop was vacant.
She was alone.
A shiver crawled down her spine. Selene pulled her cloak tight around her, and descended the stairs quickly to catch up with rest of the group.