I
Lainafin Shoenerin had forgotten all about his upcoming apprenticeship to Marneas the moment he got myself on deck. Against his cheeks the temperate winds of the river Naranios blew, and he beheld the many colors and sizes of the buildings of Dranistos. He was at the end of a long sea journey which originated in Jentria, the imperial capitol of Rindon, and was now at an elven city state allegedly settled long ago by intrepid colonists from Anathas, the elven realm to the north. Rindon was to the west, on the other end of Andarow, and this was in the east. The language of the elves of Dranistos was known to him, but that of the men of the bordering nations were unfamiliar to him. He could get by so long as no mishaps occurred. Laina, as he was known to his friends, was in correspondence with Marneas, a master of far-seeing, a field of the magical sciences used both in mentalism and in hard science. Marneas mastered both, using his abilities to study the natural world beneath the surface, as well as the mysteries of the mind. He was both a geologist and psychologist, and now he was taking on a new apprentice. Laina was a student of geology and far-seeing, and sought to learn under Marneas to further his education in this field. He had less interest in the mind-reading of far-seeing, and hoped Marneas would not be too nosy.
Laina stepped off the ship and onto the stone pier. Dranistos was a busy port and there was great potential for misplacing one’s self, in more ways than one. He was met with the urge to take his time and explore, for Dranistos was nearly as wondrous as Jentria. He eagerly strided out of the harbor and walked into the city center, ready to enjoy the many places the city had to offer. It was after he inspected storefronts that jewels on display in a window reminded him of his field of study, and thus why he was there in the first place. He was now redirected and on the hunt for his destination. Laina carried with him a recent letter from Marneas containing instructions. He followed them, making his way east away from the docks, and towards the hill slopes on the other side of the city. He stuck to the main avenues and kept the hills in sight. The further he went, the thinner the crowd became, and the less frequently he was distracted by sights and smells. He had heard that elven architecture was an esoteric art which produced elegant and curvaceous structures, but Dranistos seemed to be an amalgamation of the architecture of all Andarow, with some buildings that seemed elven, and others that seemed familiar, taking from Rindon, and others that seemed only vaguely familiar, perhaps inspired by Andarow’s southern coast. Few were orcish in appearance. He took less notice of the kinds of establishments inhabiting these structures, as he was eager to find Marneas’s manor. He promised himself he would explore more later.
Once the streets started to become inclines, Laina looked to the next step: locate a stout tower of obvious elven appearance in these hills. He could see none and was lost. His solution was stubborn: he would simply ascend the hill further until he could see all of the city. This took several hours and the day was reaching an end, but eventually he reached a satisfactory peak. He then could see it: a tower that was not exceptionally tall but cylindrical and the color of marble. It was not far from where he started his hike, but certainly obscured by the adjacent structures. He took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the city now that he could see much of it, and enjoyed the sight of the river valley and the endless forest that surrounded all of Dranistos. Assuming that this tower was the abode of Marneas, he jogged down the hill and located it quickly. He was surprised by what he found.
This was no home. There was a large entrance with people walking in and out busily. Those exiting were taken aback by the sun as though they spent a month in a cave. Laina entered and found a cool, plain and dimly lit interior. In the center was a very large circular stairwell descending into the ground. Laina was at first puzzled. The instructions ended there, and this was clearly not someone’s house. He decided he would descend the stairs. He approached the edge and looked down, and was taken aback. This stairwell was deep, and there was a faint light some way towards the bottom. It spiraled downwards many steps. If he couldn’t find his destination immediately, he would at least explore.
The walk down the stairs took time but he made it to the bottom. Once his feet were planted at the floor of the pit, he was astonished. He beheld a massive cavern. All along the edges were numerous underground rivers flowing down the sides and collecting into a lake. Built all along the sides, and likely into them, were houses of varying sizes, and were quite different from what he saw above-ground. These structures were aggressively elven, with winding and pointed roofs that resembled the roots of trees, while the windows were large and made of glass. There were many walkways of dark stone and varying patterns. The buildings beneath their roofs were wooden and had all sorts of different polygons as shapes.
At the middle of the cavern’s ceiling was a giant glowing orb, suspended by what appeared to be tree roots. This illuminated the cavern. This undercity was truly a city into itself, although it seemed only residential. It occurred to Laina that it probably exists in the first place out of a sense of novelty. It is not often you find a subterranean natural wonder of this size, so why not live inside it? It then occurred to him that the appeal is not just romantic, but also healthy. Perhaps it was a kind of sanitorium. It was beautiful and quiet. Although there were people out and about, no one was loud. Unlike on the surface, this place sounded like a library. One could find rest and peace of mind here, as though Dranistos’s undercity was a graveyard of trauma. Once his feelings of awestruck passed, he remembered that he was lost and had a goal. He could only ask around.
He exited the stairwell and stepped out into the undercity. He looked around and figured out that he was near the western edge. The city center seemed to be suspended on giant stilts, partially covering the lake. There were fewer buildings towards the center, but more frequent gardens and other beauteous locales. He approached a solitary stranger and softly spoke to him: “where is the manor of Marneas?” and the man, looking bothered, simply pointed in the direction of a manor high up in the eastern edge. Laina thanked the elf and the elf ignored him. Laina walked quickly with newfound purpose.
Knowing that the first stranger he encountered knew where the manor was gave him suspicion that he had landed a truly prestigious apprenticeship. He wondered what kind of privileges this would earn him, and what kind of luxury he would be living in. He imagined that if rude denizens gave him trouble that he could simply tell them off by announcing who his master was. He smiled. The gardens and gazebos and markets and statues he passed by did not distract him from his destination. This was a venerable paradise and yet his future allured him more. He got over to the other side of the city center and began to ascend the complex network of stairs. He was by now out of breath but didn’t notice. He was exhilarated and full of anticipation.
He finally found the edge of his new master’s property, and got a look at it. It appeared on the outside to be a tower, with a tall spire atop several stories of a wooden cylinder, with elegant windows. He tried to see through them from his distance and could see artwork and books. On the outside nearest to him was a terrace garden, but this one was much more impressive than the many others in this place. Although not huge, it was very diverse and clearly maintained by an expert, and featured numerous excotic plants unfamiliar to Laina. Was Marneas a gardener too? Beyond it was a balcony with furniture and what appeared to be a pool. Branching from the stepped path was a walkway, which led a short way to a waist-high gate. This gave access to the garden, and to the front door. He stepped past it, closing it behind him.
He was generally a polite person but he did not want to transgress towards Marneas whatsoever, and would leave nothing to chance. He did not want to lose this. As he found himself before the front door, he was now very anxious. He was not ready to knock, and didn’t know what to say to whoever Marneas when it was opened. He paused for a few moments and imagined what he would say. First he imagined a rambling speech, and then decided on a pithy introduction. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.
