more preparations, and a look at Genathiel

[cellio]

June 18 (Wednesday)

Dorla has been in Cardior for a few days now and she seems to be adjusting. She hasn't left the palace; she said she's not ready to face crowds yet, especially when she is obviously deformed. I feel so bad for her; I wish that she weren't so magic-resistant, else I could at least make her some sort of device that would let her project the appearance she prefers. I wonder if this is something Agondre could help with; he's given me enhanced magic, so could he also overcome her magic resistance?

Liandra (lady, not queen, of Oakhame, I learned) came for a visit today. Mairead came too, and they both seem very happy. Mairead was radiant, actually -- while her largest burden over the last year came from the poison in the land, there appears to have also been some burden just from ruling Oakhame for so long. She was happy to relax and not be in charge of anything.

Kyle has been in Oakhame since Liandra's coronation. Liandra said he seems to be happy there and he spends a lot of time in the woods alone, but she doesn't know if he will settle there. We both wonder if someday he's going to go back and find that halfling girl in Edwest Burrows, but he doesn't seem to have immediate plans.

There are two dukes we haven't met with yet. Alaria is largely absent (he spends little time in his capital), but Seamus found him and made arrangements for us to see him tomorrow. The other is Genathiel. None of us have ever been there, and Seamus' stories of the place (also second-hand) make it sound like a pretty wild place. I'll definitely want Turok along for that one.

June 19 (Thursday)

Turok suggested that we invite Nathan to our meeting with the duke of Alaria today. Nathan was only too happy to join us; it gave him a chance to let the duke know, not so subtly, of Aulos' role in saving the land. That, in turn, helped us.

The duke of Alaria is a tall, svelte man who flies through the air with a magical glider. The glider is part of the regalia, it appears; it goes back through many generations of dukes, and its origin has been lost. The magic of his duchy enhances its power; he can fly higher and longer at home than anywhere else. Apparently he spends much of his day doing just that, sailing through the hills of his lands.

This is the most laid-back duke I've met. He said that if the empire does not make unreasonable demands of him he doesn't care who rules it. If Alaria's help is needed in difficult times, he said, he will be there in proportion to the other duchies. That's fair. His son and presumed heir is but a teen, but he will stay in Cardior for a while after coronation.

He asked if it would be possible to take a ride on the flying ship, and Nathan agreed to take him out in it. So we all teleported to Aulos for that. The duke commented that teleportation seemed rather different from gliding and a bit disconcerting, but he quickly apologized for any slight and said he of course fully trusted Agondre's magic to convey him safely.

June 20 (Friday)

Tobin's three students seem to be acclimating. They do, in fact, have a gift for language when properly taught; it's only been a few days and already I can hear progress. After I first met them I began thinking about a magical device to understand all languages, and I may yet make such a thing, but it seems less critical now. And they seem to be motivated; I overheard Tobin tell one of them that speaking to me in my own language was a sign of great respect.

Turok brought two more Claw candidates to Agondre today and both passed. They are both fierce warriors who will serve the empire well. I'm still a little self-conscious about having a private guard, but Turok is right and I'll get used to it. I wish Charlos could have stayed; he would have been tireless in that task and yet familiar. I miss him, but it's better that he be at peace now. Ghostly form is never a natural state.

Olver and I talked again about resetting the geas trap. He learned a lot from Delyan before she faded and we have all the resources we need to do it now. I decided to wait a few days -- long enough to have all the initial Claws, but before coronation. Once we set it there'll be a delay before any new claws can meet Agondre, and coronation is in a bit over a week.

Tomorrow Turok and I go to Genathiel. We do not actually meet the duke until the next day, but Seamus strongly recommended that we go early and explore the place. He also strongly advised potions to stem the effects of alcohol, and that we always have a sober guard with us. Hmm.

June 21 (Saturday)

Oh...my.

Genathiel is in the far south of Agondre. The climate is hot and many of its people seem hot-headed to match. The capital city, Port Royale, is bounded on the south by an inlet of the western sea. It is easier for them to trade with Taelyn and the Gastreyr by sea than overland, and there seems to be a lot of activity at their port. (That traffic can't all be bound for Taelyn and the Gastreyr, but I didn't inquire. And not all of that activity is about the official shipments, either.)

The city is large and crowded and loud, and in some quarters there seems to be a party in the streets at all hours of the day and night. There is music -- of a sort very different from Seamus' -- and and drink and food, and gambling, and many meetings that take place in shadows between small numbers of people.

I knew some of this, so I came with a larger group than usual: along with Hrolf, Turok, and I, we also brought Karameikos, a warrior named Galen (who Turok is considering for the Claws), and a specialist in intrigue named Eva that Captain Jorvik spoke highly of. (He said he sometimes sent her as an envoy in negotiating with the other two armies and he often came out the winner in those negotiations.) Kyle also asked to accompany us but said that he'd like to go as a tourist, not as a royal retainer. I said that was fine and, anyway, we're keeping the royal thing low-key until we meet the duke.

We arrived at the edge of the desert outside of town so that we could scout invisibly from the air a bit before going in. I then raised some magical protections for all of us and we walked in. I worried that people would want to know how we got there, but no one seemed interested. In fact, we drew little interest at all, except for the street-corner game-runners who wanted to part us from our money. And they didn't care how we got there.

Karameikos and Eva split off for a bit to learn more of the city, and later we all met up at a raucous tavern for dinner. We learned some of the better and worse taverns and gambling-halls in town, and Kyle and Galen went in search of a game of cards. I made Kyle take a charm that would send me a message instantly if he crushes it; that was Seamus' suggestion.

Meanwhile Turok, Karameikos, Eva, and I settled in to see what we could learn from the other patrons here, while Hrolf stood guard on the roof and told me of doings in the streets. We learned that most people give the empire no thought at all; when they do think about it, it's to remark that they feel no one else cares about them. So instead of trying to be part of the larger empire, they just make their own way. Some people are happier that way; they said they don't really want official eyes cast on some of the doings in this town. I stayed very, very quiet.

This made me wonder how people here view their duke. Eva was already on it, and after a few rounds of drinks (she nursed hers) with some men who, err, did not seem to value her for her mind in particular, she learned that the duke is, in their minds, part of the solution -- he likes a good party as much as anyone, and he sees his job as keeping the people safe from interference. That's valuable!

While I've tried to downplay myself, I've felt many eyes on me since we first set foot in this city. At least a dozen men -- and three women -- wanted to spend the night with me, or at least an hour or two if they couldn't have all night. A couple of them were quite forceful, and I was glad to have friends here who could make a show of normal force so I didn't have to apply much magic to deter them. It seems that in this town, force of will backed by big swords will do the job.

Eventually we retired to a room in a different tavern, where Kyle and Galen joined us. They appeared to have consumed quite a bit of alcohol, which made me wonder how they returned safely with their winnings, but Galen revealed to me privately that he only appeared to be drunk. He said it made for easier gaming, but he was not about to abandon his responsibility to Kyle. I think Turok may be right about Galen's suitability as a Claw.

So tomorrow, the duke -- and then home!