• Solo • A Promise Kept

[Doran]

Vhalar 11, Arc 721

Doran had realized that his research for Qylios would take more time than he had originally anticipated – even though he finally had a first lead of sorts. After his meeting with Stan at the Glass Temple the season before, he had come to the conclusion that his next step should be a meeting with a history professor at the local university. After he had given the matter some thought, he had realized that there was someone that might be able to help him even more though.

Enri von Smooglenuff who he wanted to try and find – Qylios wished to understand how he had been involved, and he had come to the conclusion that the best way to learn what she wanted to know would be to talk to the man himself – was a person of historical significance. That was why he had originally planned on arranging a meeting with a history professor.

Professor Tag Fridson who had helped him prior to the Forging as well as on the trial when the fate of Scalvoris and maybe the entire world had been at stake specialized in Original Beings. He was also quite familiar with the Immortals and quite a knowledgeable man in general though. This here was not just a matter of history. Enri von Smooglenuff was a person of historical significance, but also Xiur’s son, Qylios’ nephew and Fei’s grandson.

You couldn’t research him properly without also researching his ancestors.

Besides, he had told him that he would talk to him. Once it was over, assuming that they weren’t all running from the island for their lives, he would drink tea with him, he had said, and talk to him, about the Immortals, Emea and everything in between. He intended to make good on that promise now. Besides, he was honestly looking forward to seeing him again.

Tag Fridson was kind, intelligent and insightful – what he had said about how the Immortals dealt with grief had been most fascinating, for example.

He had sent an invitation to his mortal colleague a few trials prior – he had reserved a table at the Knight’s Rest that evening for them. Cally’s was a more upscale restaurant, but the Knight’s Rest had become a source of comfort to him. There was something about it that relaxed him and put him at ease. Before he had bought the former lighthouse right outside town, he had stayed in one of the elite rooms whenever he had visited the island.

~~~

The sun was just about to set and painted the sky in a multitude of shades of orange, red and pink when Doran arrived at the place that he considered to be a former home of sorts. He briefly glanced upwards as he noticed that – dusk was Xiur’s time of the trial as well as one of his domains – before he pushed the door open and stepped into the common room in order to look around.

He was garbed in a suit that trial, dark grey and silver, well-made, but somewhat understated – this was an important meeting, but more on the informal side, with someone that he got along well. He was not wearing a coat or a hat – it was still quite warm this early in the Cold Cycle – but he had brought his domain bag that contained a couple of his notes.

He wanted to share them with Professor Fridson.

With that thought in mind, he approached Zana, one of the waitresses. The mortal woman who had little in common with his former research assistant that had the same name, neither as far as her appearance nor as far as her personality was concerned, smiled in a friendly, but slightly shy way and mumbled something before she cleared her throat.

“We’ve reserved that table over there for you, professor”, she told him and pointed him towards a table in the corner, away from the rest of the patrons, where they would have a bit of privacy. Doran thanked her and moved towards it. Just as he did that, he noticed how the door was being opened again though. Tag Fridson entered the Knight’s Rest, carrying a big leather messenger bag. When he noticed him, the mortal man smiled at him and raised a hand in a greeting.

[Doran]

Doran walked up to his colleague in order to greet him and shake his hand before they made their way to their table together and sat down. “I’m paying”, Doran said in a polite, but nonetheless firm tone of voice once Zana had brought the menu (He thanked her, of course). “It’s only fair since I want something from you. I’m quite fond of the Knight’s Rest Elite Cheeseboard and the homemade pickles”, he added in case the mortal man had trouble deciding what to eat.

“I actually think that I’ll take the House Speciality”, Professor Fridson said. “And a glass of Ashan’s Twilight. I don’t want to drink too much alcohol as I have to teach a class early tomorrow morning”, he explained as to why he had picked a wine with low alcohol content. “And maybe, we could drink tea afterwards?” he wanted to know.

“Of course”, Doran replied and inclined his head.

“So, in your invitation you mentioned that you need my help with a task that Qylios gave you after the Forging”, Professor Fridson remarked once Zana had taken their orders (Doran had decided to eat his favourite meal, the Elite Cheeseboard, again.), his eyes shimmering with unveiled curiosity. “What exactly do you want to know?”

“Lady Qylios wishes to understand how Enri von Smooglenuff was involved in the events in question”, Doran replied. “I found out that he is Xiur’s Mortalborn son. I learned about his adventures, and that he is likely still alive somewhere, but I have little idea where he could be now so far. I was hoping that you could help me with that, and that you would be willing to share some of your knowledge about the Immortals and the Original that he is connected to with me”, he admitted.

“Speaking of the Originals”, he remarked in a calm tone of voice, remembering his promise again, as well as a particular part of their conversation – he decided to address the matter now, before he forgot all about it again. “You mentioned that you didn’t have a name for the eighth Original, the one that you called The Sorceress or The Ambitious One. According to my father, her name is Delana. She never created any Immortals to his knowledge, and it’s possible that the Shattering never took her.”

“Her fracture at least has yet to be discovered”, he added, automatically lowering his voice as he spoke about the most mysterious of the Originals, although it was unlikely that anybody would be able to listen in on their conversation – the neighboring tables were not occupied.

He briefly wondered if he should have invited Tag Fridson into his home instead and asked his private cook to prepare a meal for the two of them, or if he should have rented a room – they would have been completely alone there - but such an intimate setting seemed inappropriate to him. Besides, there was nothing questionable about his research, or his findings.

On the contrary, they would help Scalvoris, and maybe the entire world.

[Doran]

Professor Fridson just looked at Doran for a moment, sitting completely still, before one his eyebrows practically shot up, and his eyes widened so much that they nearly threatened to drop out of their sockets. “This is … this is extraordinary, absolutely extraordinary in fact”, he finally remarked, having regained the ability to speak that he had temporarily lost. “I … a part of me wants to jump up from this chair, run all the way to the university and start researching right now”, he admitted, shook his head and chuckled a bit.

“With your father you mean Lord Ziell, I assume?” he asked in a calmer tone, once he had regained his composure to some extent, quickly pulled a notebook out of his bag and started to write something down. “I hope that you don’t mind that I’ll take a couple of notes as well. When did your father tell you about Delana, by the way?” he wanted to know.

“I do”, Doran replied, referring to Professor Fridson’s question as to whether he had meant Ziell, and paused briefly when Zana returned and brought them their food and drinks. He nodded at her, and once she had left, he took a sip from his drink (He had decided on a glass of Moseke’s Harvest, a fine white wine.) and resumed the conversation.

“Father told me during the feast in Telka last cycle”, he said. He had actually invited Professor Fridson as one of his guests (He had also brought Jacien and Rose LeFluer, the librarian, along.). Jacien and Professor Fridson had not shared a table with him though.

“And I don’t mind. I understand what it’s like to be so excited about something that you want to write everything down and go and research right now. I’m much the same sometimes. There are a few more things that I thought might interest you”, he added in a good-natured tone of voice before he turned his attention to his cheeseboard.

Famula had removed his spark – and the mutation that affected his food preferences with it – but he had found that he enjoyed fine food and fine drinks, regardless. Once upon a time, he had simply seen food as a necessity, but he couldn’t imagine ever returning to that mindset. His life seemed richer now that he allowed himself to enjoy such things.

“I appreciate whatever information you are willing to share”, Professor Fridson admitted. “But I suppose I ought to answer your questions first. So, you said that you’d like more information on the Original that Enri is connected to – that would be his grandmother, Fei. I’m afraid you know almost as much as I do after the Forging – and you have my notes where I listed the titles of the Originals as well.”

“I brought my notes on a trip that I took to Fei’s shrine on Immortal’s Tongue with a group of students a couple of arcs ago with me though, among other things”, he said, briefly rooted through his bag, removed a couple of pieces of paper from it and handed them to Doran. “Maybe, you’ll find something helpful in them. I’d suggest going to Immortal’s Tongue yourself and talking to Reza. She might have more information”, he added.

“Thank you. And I might do that. I’ve been wondering if it would be a good idea to talk with the former Devout for a while”, Doran remarked and cleaned his hands carefully. While he began to look through Professor Fridson’s research notes, the mortal focused on his food (He seemed to enjoy the Crythiam fish with cocolime glaze and a paprika crust quite a bit, judging by the look on his face, and the little sounds that he made, Doran observed).

On the trip to Immortal’s Tongue that had taken place in 717, Professor Fridson had been accompanied by Faith Augustin, Arlo Creede and an Eidisi named Taelis (That briefly amused him. One of his closest acquaintances in Viden was also named Taelis.) Judging by his notes, he subscribed to much the same view – that one could come closer to understanding the nature of the world one lived in by looking back into the history of Immortals and Originals and learning their stories.

The way that Professor Fridson described the shrine surprised him. It was simple on the outside, but inside, every square inch was covered with paintings, of people and of animals, some recognizable and some strange and mysterious – including a painting that showed Fei herself with another Original, Anox, and another one that showed giant winged lizards. He furrowed his brow as he dove deeper into his colleagues’ notes. At one point, his mouth stood open a little. Apparently, there were temples with paintings just like those all over the world. According to his notes, Professor Fridson believed that they had been built by humans who lived during or even before the war of the Immortals.

“My comment about being so excited that you want to go and research right now?” he asked once he returned the notes to Professor Fridson and smiled slightly. “I feel exactly like that at the moment. I want to see the shrine with my own eyes. It sounds quite fascinating. Those winged beings in the one of the paintings that you described … are they dragons?” he wanted to know. He had heard vague rumours about dragons recently which was why he was especially curious now. Could dragons actually be real, and was there anybody who might be able to tell him more about them?

Or did some of those paintings depict purely mythological beings?

“So, you find my notes helpful?” Professor Fridson asked.

“Not in regard to my research of Enri von Smooglenuff”, Doran admitted in a calm tone of voice – he saw no reason to lie in that regard. He hoped that researching Enri’s family might help him understand and ultimately find him. There had not been a lot of information on Fei or on her descendants in his colleagues’ notes though, at least none that he wasn’t already aware of. “But in regard to my studies of the history of Idalos? Absolutely. More than I expected, in fact. Thank you for showing this to me”, he added and inclined his head in a gesture or gratitude before he produced his notebook.

In the meantime, Professor Fridson carefully put his notes back into his bag before he remarked, “You told me that you learned about Enri’s adventures and that he is likely still alive, but you didn’t tell me any details. What exactly did you learn, if you don’t mind me asking? I might be able to help you more if I knew what you have already found out – and subsequently try and fill a few gaps in your knowledge”, he explained.

[Doran]

“According to what you said to me, Enri told his daughter that he wanted his children to have a chance as well. He wanted to go on adventures, but he said that he’d never stop caring. Stan saw him or at least a man that was very likely him at the Glass Temple for several arcs in a row. Everything that you said to me so far gives me the impression of Enri being someone who would help the island during times of crisis, even after he stopped being Baron. I agree with you that he is still alive, by the way”, Professor Fridson remarked in a serious tone of voice once Doran had provided him with a summary of his research and shared some of his notes with him. They had finished their meals now, and drunk their wine, and moved on to the tea.

“I’m afraid that I cannot provide you with any historical information on Enri, at least not with any that you do not already possess, but there is a story that immediately made me think of him”, he admitted and took a sip from his cup – he had chosen a fruit tea that had been sweetened with honey. “There was a man that helped out during the collapse of the docks. He helped look for survivors, comforted them and visited the children that had been affected by the catastrophe and told them stories. He seemed to have a gift for them, for stories I mean”, he clarified. “There was said to be something quite extraordinary about him.”

“The Order likely still has records of him”, he pointed out. “When I read your notes, I almost immediately thought of him. Maybe, he is indeed Enri von Smooglenuff?”

“I’m sorry if you expected more from this meeting”, he added in an apologetic tone of voice.

“You helped me more than I expected”, Doran disagreed in a firm tone of voice, pretty much repeating what he had previously said about the professor’s visit to the shrine of Fei. “I agree that the man you mentioned could be Enri himself. I will visit the Order as soon as possible. I think I have an idea”, he murmured and stroke his chin thoughtfully for a moment as he considered this new possible lead and how he should go about dealing with it before he turned to focus on his colleague again.

Both of them had finished their tea now, and the food and the drinks had been paid.

“You helped me, so I think that it’s time that I finally filled some more gaps in your knowledge”, he spoke. “I have some more notes that might interest you with me – pertaining to the research that I did prior to arriving in Scalvoris. I can also tell you about Emea and the Veil”, he offered and handed him the rest of the papers that he had brought.

“Perhaps we could talk on the way to the university, provided that you’d like to accompany me?” Professor Fridson asked. “After so much time inside and such a filling meal, I need some fresh air. And there are a few books about the Immortals in my office that I’d really like to check now that I know more about the eighth Original. Thank you again for inviting me”, he added.

“I have to admit that I’d like to get a bit of fresh air and stretch my legs myself”, Doran admitted and smirked before he rose to his feet and grabbed his things. A few moments later, after he had asked Zana to let the cook know that the meal had been quite excellent, they were outside and walking through the streets of Scalvoris Town together. The sky was completely dark now, and the first stars were starting to appear, he noticed.

“When we first met, I told you that we’d talk, about the Immortals, Emea and everything in between. I’ll start with Emea, if that’s alright with you. I’m a dreamwalker. I was initiated nearly two arcs ago. Did you know that the Veil, the place from which one can travel to different dreamscapes, looks different for everyone?” Doran began. Upon hearing the Professor’s answer – he knew some things about Emea, he had been the one who had first told him that the Originals had come from there – he continued to speak, telling the mortal man whatever he was interested in.

He had an even better and more recent lead than before now – the collapse of the docks had only taken place a couple of arcs before – but he would ponder that in more detail when he returned home. For the time being, the entirety of his attention was focused on his colleague.

Tag Fridson, he decided, was someone that he enjoyed talking to.

[Jackalope]

]

Experience: Tier 2 plot progression.

Magic xp? No.

Collaboration: No.
Renown: +5 for a public dinner and fruitful discussion with an eminent colleague. He’d better give you a citation.
Injuries/Overstepping: None.
Loot: No.

Skillplay: Appropriate to level.

Knowledge:

Tier 1 Knowledges:
Detection: Noticing that sunset is approaching
Detection: Signs that someone is enjoying their food
Etiquette: Thanking a waitress for bringing the menu
Investigation: When trying to find a Mortalborn, talking to someone who researches the Immortals and Originals can be helpful
Investigation: If you share the details of your investigation with someone, they are more likely to be able to provide you with a new lead

Tier 2 Knowledges:
Research: Professor Fridson’s trip to the shrine of Fei

Comments
That sounded like quite a tasty fish that Professor Fridson had! You narrated a thread where you invited a colleague to dinner, and you remembered to tell your readers about the dinner part. Good job!

I laughed a bit about the whole Zana vs. Zana thing.

The explicit progress of your Main Quest is fairly limited here, but it might be crucial: Enri himself may have been sighted around these parts quite recently! Recently enough for people who might have seen him to remember him. Although the Professor doesn’t seem to think he’s helped that much, it is possible he may have helped quite a bit.

The other bits of lore, the temple with the dragon images, the eighth Original, and so forth, was quite interesting to read as well, even if it didn’t directly advance the Tier 2 plot.

Enjoy your rewards!