Oath of the Augur

There was a quiet calm throughout the airship’s travel. While the crew worked diligently on ensuring the trip would be smooth, the various hirelings worked through each day to check with Rhokhishi and the party about any needs they may have. Considering her life of minimalism and the vows of her past, this was a pleasant change. Each morning, she woke to food prepared, and a list of information on the weather, their travels, and a brief summary of everyone’s plans.

Rhokhishi’s mind felt plagued by silence, though. She tried in vain to reach out to Ananke, to anyone, but felt alone. It was a new feeling, to have contact with a deity, but its absence left a hollowness that she hadn’t known before. Also, Rhokhishi found herself to be fidgeting more with each day, as they reached closer to their end goal of making it to the Pluxver Wastes to speak with the Hag Countess.

The Polyanthus traveled Southeast for only a few days. As they turned East, the weather changed from icy cold to pleasant, and Rhokhishi saw the Esterhold Peaks to the South. Further, they passed over a small village, near a forest, which she was told by the ship’s navigator, a male leonin named Daxor, was Kelna. She gazed at the field of tree trunks, cut down to fill the lumber yard in which the village was known for, then saw a new field of trees, where regrowth had started, causing an endless cycle of death and rebirth that gave her a sense of calm as she stared.

The arrival to Aramore started with the return of the cold weather. While the skies were bright and blue each day of their travel, the ground was blanketed with snow that covered everything North and East of them as they traveled further in. When she saw the small village in the distance, the sun was already to their backs, and the light colors of purples and pinks that stretched across the sky faded into black when they stopped. Hovering in the air, only fifty feet or more above the ground, the dwarven captain spoke to everyone on deck.

“We’ve made it safe and sound!” She started. “Let’s get the ladder unloaded, and we’ll keep the ship in place for the night. It’s been a short trip, so why don’t y’all keep your heads down, get whatcha need, and we’ll get outta here by the afternoon tomorrow. Alright?”

Rhokhishi followed her friends down the ladder, until her boots touched snow for the first time in two weeks. They paced slowly into the village, unsure of what they would find. To her surprise, she found the village to be alive with people running from place to place. She heard laughter of children in the distance, and music playing from various streets. Before Karthmere Keep, Rhokhishi noticed the large platform still stood, once covered in the bloodshed of the Anti-Arcana Association, now clean and filled as people stood in a line and met with Medusa.

Her complexion had changed as much as the village. No longer covered in dirt and grime, her skin was like porcelain, and she adorned fresh, new clothes, with a floor-length, light blue coat that made her both imposing and welcoming. Next to her was a guard, one Rhokhishi remembered seeing before, but in new armor as well. On the triton’s chest was a new, large pendant, which she recognized as something Count Godfrey was wearing before. On closer inspection, she saw the title “Warden,” and she beamed with pride to see they’ve already quickly changed so many things.

“Friends! Hello!” Medusa’s voice rose above the chatter, causing a silence as others turned to follow her gaze.

“Hello, Medusa,” Leaf stated with a slight bow and smile.

“Oh, please, call me Circe. Medusa was only a name given to me by Cecille, and I’ll be quick to rid myself of it.”

“I like it,” Lyla added.

“Me too,” Rhokhishi said.

“It’s been only a couple months, but so much has happened. How are you?” She asked the party, who answered with various nods, shrugs, and looks between themselves.

“It’s been a busy time for us as well, Ma’am,” Rhokhishi answered.

“I’m just glad to see you all safe and well. Come! Let me show you the town since your last visit.”

With a small gesture to the triton with the new guard uniform, she stepped away from the platform to the party. Rhokhishi noticed that she moved elegantly, as if hovering above the snow to contain complete composure. She wondered what Circe had been like before Cecille had cursed her.

They walked through the small village, mostly just around the square and down one of the alleys before returning to Karthmere Keep, where the gates were open wide.

“With Cecille’s foolishness, she commanded all of the Anti-Arcana Association to attack you, and only one survived the explosion. She’s in our jail now, but she already seems to be understanding of our new ways, and we hope to rehabilitate her and find her a home away from Aramore, where she can live peacefully when we believe she’s served an adequate amount of time for the many crimes she committed.”

“Rehabilitation?” Myla asked.

“Yes. I was never fond of the ‘Throw them in the dungeon!’ style of politics. I do believe that she had only acted out of what she knew, and while her crimes were severe, I really have hope that she has come to her senses. She’s young, and has only known what Godfrey and Cecille told them of the world. It makes sense that she would assume negative things from magic.”

As they turned the corner, a small child turned and bumped into Rhokhishi. She was laughing, smiling wide, until she looked up and saw the half-orc’s towering form. Gasping, she took a step back.

“Elly! You gotta watch out for- It’s you!” A man exclaimed.

Rhokhishi took a moment to glance over his features. He looked familiar, but they had traveled much lately, and she was unsure. Rather than leaving them confused, he lifted the girl up in his arms, and explained.

“I was hoping to get a chance to see you all again! You saved Elly and I, as well as my family in the caves.”

Rhokhishi recalled a tired and scared man with a child in the lair of Zidingris. He looked different, clean and happy. She smiled.

“It’s good to see you again. Were they able to-?”

“Yes! My wife and son are safe as well. They’re over at The Scattered Crow right now! Come by, and we’ll get you a round on us. It’s the least we can do.”

She nodded, then caught up with the rest of the group. Turning back one last time, she saw the girl in her father’s arms, playing with a small mote of fire. She lifted her hands into the air, and it ascended a few feet, before exploding and sending colorful lights into the air, like a firework. As she caught up to everyone, she jumped back into listening to Circe as they turned back to Karthmere Keep.

“-and while everyone’s happiness has been wonderful, we still had many worries. How were we going to make food in an area that never stops snowing? Well, we figured that out too.”

Rhokhishi walked through the open gate to see many small buildings made of glass. Inside, she saw wooden boxes full of soil and vegetation. People moved in and out of the buildings, throwing their coats on as they stepped into the cold, some of them covered in sweat.

“We created greenhouses on Karthmere Keep’s grounds. Many of the village’s citizens came together and helped in the creation of them, and have helped me keep them going. While my gifts can help grow the plants, it’s their love and compassion that caused them to grow so quickly. Within weeks, we’ve already started growing enough to feed a decent amount.”

“This is amazing! Are you using the electricity from the waterwheel to heat them?” Mr. Muffins asked.

“Yes! Granted, the waterwheel had received some damage recently,” Circe stated with a wink. “But we’re working on those repairs, as well as the ones to the castle. Funds are low, but we’re making progress.”

Rhokhishi looked at the castle, where the top floor was still open from the explosion Cecille had created at the end of their fight with her. Some areas were fixed, but it would be weeks before they were finished.

“We came, because Mr. Muffins was curious about the automatons,” Gisela mentioned.

“Yeah. If you’re not using them, do you mind if we grab one or two?” Mr. Muffins asked.

“Of course,” Circe replied. “We’ve moved much of the contents of the castle to the first floor, in order to identify any magic or curses on the items, but most of it seems harmless. I have no need for them.”

“Thank you, Med- I mean, Circe,” Lyla added.

For the next couple of hours, Rhokhishi and Myla helped Mr. Muffins as he went through the various items piled at the first floor of Karthmere Keep. She watched as Lyla stood near the kitchens, staring quietly at the floor. Myla stopped to check on her, then returned. Rhokhishi recalled the fight that transpired here, the area where Lyla stared at being the place where she almost died.

Had it not been for divine intervention from Odin, Myla would not have been able to help her sister in time. She thought back on her own magic, fighting Zidingris and the issues that came with reviving Ana. Rhokhishi wondered if she was okay.

They retrieved anything Mr. Muffins might have needed or wanted, and took the items to The Polyanthus, where it was lifted up by a platform connected to the side of the airship. They returned to the village quickly, and followed the sound to The Scattered Crow, where they all decided to step in and get warm with some food and drinks.