The Great Parhn Gate

[Korin Nji'hadi]

The 20th of Vhalar, 717

The cool air comforted Korin as it ruffled her feathers and she cam in for a clumsy landing at the gates of Etzos after a short flight from the river, She hoped the rumors of the city were true, that all were accepted. She also hoped her Avriel heritage in particular wouldn't garner any suspicion of wrongdoing. Several guards hung about, at ease, but still confident and alert. One fixed his gaze on Korin as she landed and approached him. His eyebrow quirked up in confusion, but he made no comment on her strange appearance. A few of the guards started muttering as he spoke in brief concise words.

"Name?" He asked, looking upward at the young girl that was half a head taller than him. She met his gaze with her own, eyes an anxious blue.
Korin knew enough common to be able to at least introduce herself, and she was familiar with how these exchanges usually went.

"My name Korin, I come for hunt and trade. I stay on boat down by river, come to city for supply" Her words came clipped and accented, her tone shy. She was anxious about how she would be received.

"Right then, a hunter. Anything of value?" He followed, scratching some notes down as he looked her over. Korin was surprised he had nothing to say on her manner of speaking, as her common wasn't all that strong.

"I bring only tools of trade" Her reply came simply. She didn't care to try and embellish on anything. She didn't know the vocabulary to do so anyway. She waited nervously as he scribbled some more notes down.

"Right, check at the Citizens Commitee for employment, don't cause any trouble" He said blandly as the massive wrought iron gate opened to admit her. She breathed a heady sigh of relief as she entered.

[Quio]

Vhalar PH.

Who knows if I can put a placeholder in the gates but you know what, I'm gonna.

[Guillermos]

The moment the walled city of Etzos loomed against the skyline, a testimony of what can be achieved when a bond is formed and people of all backgrounds work together, Guillermos let out a weary stressrelieving sigh. It had gotten quite dark out during the last few bells of travel from the river to the green bastion leading towards the great gate beckoning him. The warm beacons of dancing flame lit up the nightsky and covered a wide range in all directions around Etzos, effectively revealing any possible weasels trying to sneak in, or out, of the city during darkness' fall.

The beacons moonlighted as well as an omen of safety and arrival for weary, peaceful travellers. Lowering his quick stride to a strolling pace, Guillermos admired the impressive grandour of the city's protective exterior. When smaller, more exuberantly dancing flames greeted him in the distance, he realized he was really close now. Figuring the torches to be held by patrolling guardsmen, Guillermos once again shifted his pace and sped up a bit, eager to greet the Etzori guards and be allowed entry into their haven and community.

The massive stone walled passage almost made him feel he was being embraced with both stretched out arms of the city wall itself, it had a genuinely warm sensation to it. As odd as it may be, surrounded by stones cold to the touch. Must be a result of being weary from travelling and traversing much of the beauty that nature has to offer, and even more of nature's innate brutal nature. As he was swiftly approached and greeted by a guard clad in a black armor decorated with the Etzori tabard, Guillermos almost managed to overlook the enormous statue that would put the statue of Ethelynda protecting Little Ivorian back home, in Rharne, to shame. It was equally well maintained, nearly spotless and free of bird droppings and most other blemishes on this apparent great man. The difference lied mainly in its size, this statue and homage was many times greater than that of Ethelynda.

'He truly must be a man of legend.' He couldn't make out many of its features due to night's blanket covering more and more of Etzos, the guardsman before him didn't seem like the type of person that would just patiently smile and wait his turn when bluntly ignored in favor of sightseeing anyway. In a way he reminded him of Yllek, the socially awkward but truly decent person and guardsman he got to know a bit before leaving Rharne. It had to be noted that even though the greeting and approach this Etzori guard used on Guillermos didn't leave much to the imagination to misinterpret, it was many times better than if Yllek had truly been standing here. He would've probably just 'greeted' with "Break the city's rules, I break you."

Guillermos stated he was a journalist of profession, held no noteworthy posessions or riches, doesn't have an issue with not publicly showing affection to Ilaren and gave any other information the guard would need to jot down on his paper before letting him in. Once everything was formally done, the guardsman guided him to the officials to get everything sorted and boom, the gates literally and metaphorically opened to let him in as the guard walked away and the large black gate opened to allow him entrance in the city of Etzos.

[Ivanthe]

On the flatlands, the wind sang so deep and hollow it felt as if Ivanthe’s entire chest echoed. The sweeping plateau, however, was shriller––where the dark towers of Etzos sliced open the starlit sky like knives, the wind whistled shrilly against his ears and made him grind his teeth.

The walls were high and sheer, pressing in on both sides while also being wide enough to allow the entire wagon train through. Ahead, a colossal statue looked down sternly on any approaching visitors, guarding the great gates of Etzos with an unwavering stare.

Ivanthe was near the back, so was afforded a view of the gateguards making their way through the group. He heard the incoming questions and knew what to expect when at last he was approached by a tall, tired-looking guard who seemed very much like he just wanted to stop squinting at his parchment.

“Name, purpose, history of visits,” he said flatly.

“Ivanthe. Huntsman and fieldman for hire to caravans, here with my father.” He made a vague gesture toward the rest of the caravaners, letting the guard assume what he wanted. “I haven’t been in Etzos before, sir.”

“Hmm.” He jotted a few words down. “Any noteworthy possessions with you?”

“Er… my horse? She’s worth the most?”

“Hmm.” More jotting. “You understand that public worship of Immortals is not permitted in Etzos, yes? Any you follow, you are to keep to yourself.”

“Hah. I’ll keep that in mind if I start caring about Immortals.”

A nod. “Good lad. You may pass.”

[Adruria]

17 trial of Cylus Arch 718


Eyes. They were everywhere. Staring her down and judging her by her illusion. Adruria could feel the all the eyes. She gave a quick glance around out of the corners of her own large purple eyes. Well this was certainly a bit of a confidence breaker. At least after the initial look over they seemed to relax a bit. Good, she wasn't any threat to them. At least not that many... or so soon. Now that they found little to no interest in her, Adruria continued on, getting ever closer to the city ahead.

At the sight of the gates thrown open Adruria quickly went through quickly, but not too quickly she reminded herself. Sure she was tired and wanted to get settled and sit in the shadow to relax. Moving too fast might give the impression of running from someone or something and she didn't need that right now.

Adruria turned her attention to the large statue. Somebody had spent a great deal of time carving this. Not because of it's giant stature, but because of all the small details. "Such a serious face..." Adruria quietly remarked to herself. The temptation to reach out and touch it came to mind, but was quickly dismissed. No need to get into trouble before even getting her foot inside the city, she reminded herself again.

As a solitary guardsmen approached Adruria took note of almost everything about this man. The way he walked, the way he spoke, and the way he looked. Then came her conclusion that he was boring to her and not of much worth. She'd listen for safety's sake, but had he been in chains back home for sale she would of passed on him. The same could be said for a great majority of the other guards.

The guard in front of her spoke and in a soft and gentle voice Adruria answered, "Our name is Adruria, spelled A-D-R-U-R-I-A." She watched him make note of this on his parchment. "It's our first time visiting your city. We had just intended to visit, but perhaps if we find it suitable we might stay long term." She gave a soft genuine looking smile. Adruria paused thinking, "No, we don't believe we have anything noteworthy, but feel free to look if you want." She gave an understanding nod to the man about Immortal worship. "We understand this is your city's way. We shall respect it." After a few basic questions about the outlay of the city and where she could find some food Adruria politely thanked the guard and finally entered the city.

[Yndira]

10 Ashan 718

Shawl wrapped tight around her, the naerikk regarded the guard at the gate for a moment before turning her gaze to the taller woman beside her. She was met with a blank stare that seemed befitting of the woman but useless to her now. As if she expected the other to do everything. Yndira understood that this was all supposed to be part of her being forced to work on her Common, but she would have preferred to do that with someone not a city guardsman or official, or whatever he was supposed to be. Imposing as he was, the pair couldn't be bothered to muster up much humility in front of him. With an slight tilt of her head and a nudge, Nadine forced the naerikk a step ahead to answer the questions she had just barely understood.

"Yndira; Nadine. Have nothing but clothes on back and in bag. Here for..." At this, she turned again to Nadine who merely looked on expectantly as she struggled with the word. A short hiss of frustration later, and she had decided she didn't much like common. "For trip. Just...visiting. No worship immortals; understand." With a nod and a raise of her brow, Yndira shot her companion a glare before the guard let them through. Nadine slung both bags over her shoulders, acknowledging the guard with a nod of her own before walking through the gate after her charge.

[Lowell]

Date: 718th Ashan, 69th trial

In a clearing of a random forest in the northern region of idalos a man stood bare chested as he trained, standing under the scorching rays of the sun he felt quite at home as he kept changing forms and stances, sometimes quickly and forcefully almost to the point that the air made a satisfying hissing sound as his fists ripped through it and sometimes he moved slowly and gently giving his movement a mystical sense to them, the man suddenly stopped as he heard the sound of footsteps on the soft, humid dirt and grass

"You know? I never seen an aukarian sweat, i mean, you'v been training for 30 bits under the ashan heat without even showing symptomes of dehydration, lowell, most people would'v had a heat stroke by now"

a human female said in vauni as she stepped out of a nearby foliage, she had leather armor that fit quite nicely to her curvy figure and long jet black hair that was tied into a ponytail with eyes as black as her hair holding a hint of intelligent and cunningness behind them, she could be considered to be quite to seductress if she wasn't carrying an intimidating long bow and an assortment of dagger all around her waist and thighs.
"Oh, Valecia" lowell grumbled as he looked at the human female, the source of all of his problems and worries, it was because of her that he had to leave his hometown and stay on the road or else his head will be put under a guillotine, unfortunately, he couldn't kill her since he needed someone who knew the outside world and it's cities.... yep, that's totally it, that's the only reason, there is no other reason besides that.... lowell let out a sigh of defeat as he kept stealing side glances at her figure while wearing his garment once again"sweating is a somet'ing used ta cool down the body when it's hot or when it's working, unlike yer fragile race there ain't no need fer us ta cool down, in fact we quite like it when it's hot" lowell said with a hint of pride as he looked up towards the suns, valecia only replied with a soft

"hmmm"

sound and the scribling of a pen on paper, when lowell looked down again he found her writing the information down on her notebook, somehow the action of frevently jogging down and reviwing notes made her seem kinda cute..... lowell let out another breath in exhasperation as he tried to busy himself with tying the laces on his leather armor with a new pinkish flush to his cheeks that wasn't there before, a couple of trills pass by in awkward silence with the only sound being of paper being flipped, unable to take the silence lowell decided to break the ice "didja clear da camp?" He said in inquisitive tone, fully knowing the answer

"ah"

the female human seemed to finally remember his presence

"yeah, i also made sure to remove any signs that might lead *hem* to us"

she stressed the word them with a hint of worry and tiredness

"why didn't we stop at hiladrith when we had the chance? Our supplies are kinda running low and a little bit of rest would'v also been nice"

Lowell rolls his eyes, how did she even manage to survive this long? The reason is obvious but it seems like he needs to spell it out for her and so he does, in the most annoyed tone he could muster "because dey would'v anticipated dat being our first resting spot, if we stayed there then we mighta been caugh' by sem aukarian assassins in hidin' " this time it valecia's turn to roll her eyes, which still actually seemed cute in Lowell's distorted vision of her

"Cmon, it's not like they'll be able to chase us when we have such a huge headstart, i mean, they probably just recently discovered thei-

"before ya say anyt'ing else, dey have da mark, dat shit ain't a one way street, faldrun can sense us as much as we sense'im so da bit those two died was the moment that faldrun knew of ma desertion, dere was no headstart, dey been chasin' us since day one"He said flately "we been at a race since we started runnin' away, im su'prised we made it dis far......" a single

"Oh"

was all that he got as a reaction before she again started noting down what he told her in her notebook, with a third sigh to kick off the day, Lowell finishes gearing up as he proceeds to ask a less headache inducing question "how far'r we from der?" Valecia jerks her head up from her notes

"we should be less than a day from here"

she says before going back to her notes and all the theories about immortal and aukarian culture "well what'r we doin' yappin' about, let's go, i wanna be der before midni't" Lowell grins as he turns towards his gorb mount, despite the precarious situation, he couldn't help feeling extremely excited about the first town he'll visit, after a few moments valecia silently noded before mounting her own gorb and they start heading towards etzos.....

[Lowell]

Date: 718th Ashan, 69th trial, Night time

The night was still as the three moons hung above etzos like guardian watching over it with the only thing that could match them being the giant highly detailed statue positioned at the gates that exudes an aura of reverence, an all encompassing silence shrouded parhn’s gate with the only exceptions being the clanky sounds of the guards boots as they patrolled the wall and the occasional yawn.
Slowly another sound of rhythmic footsteps joined in as two hooded figures appeared on the horizon mounting a horse-dog abomination, the two guards stationed in front of the gate regarded the newcomers lazily as they approached and ultimately halted after reaching the gate, the two guard looked at each as one of them mouthed a few words to the other the former sighed and started speaking ”Names and reasons for entry” the guard grumbled in a harsh tone as he glared at the two in annoyance as if they ruined his whole day

"Name’s Lowell"

Lowell stepped forward as he met the guard’s gaze with a glare of his own, not intending to let someone he just met talk him down

"we’r ‘er ta-"

color=#80BF00]

"we are a pair of travelers who had been hoping to rest in etzos for a few days before continuing our journey, i am Valecia"

[/color] Valecia replied courtely as she butted in fear that Lowell might say something brash or worse, completely exposing their actual reason for coming here. The guard kept glaring at the two, at first he was just gonna mark their names down then let them in but he didn’t like Lowell’s attitude so he decided to make it hard for them ”Why are you hiding your faces? reveal yourselves!” the guard ordered in an authoritative and somewhat pleased tone. Before Lowell could say something in protest Valecia glanced at him, indicating that they should comply for now and so they did, as Lowell took off his hood and revealed his fiery red hair the guard let a smirk adorn his face ”what do we have here? Red hair ain’t something you see everyday and those mounts you guys have are more suited for hiking places like the rocky regions of serothelle, ain’t that right? the guard remarked and before Lowell could reply he added ”how about you come down here and show me your wrists” he said with the cocky smirk still plastered on his face, Lowell took a glance at Valecia as if consulting her on what to do and after receiving a nod he dismounted his gorb and walked towards the smirking guard, he grumply pulled up his sleeves to reveal the well toned muscles beneath them and turned his hands to show empty wrists with no signs or marks

"anything else, officer?"

Now it was Lowell’s turn to be smirking as he looked at the quickly souring face of the guard. The guard didn’t respond immediately but instead took a closer look to make sure there was nothing hidden then raised to look at Lowell’s face, since aukarians always had their immortal, faldrun’s mark it’s safe to assume that this guy was probably a human with ginger hair especially since he’s in the company of another human, speaking of which-the guard turned to stare at Valecia’s figure- is extremely hot, since he can’t mess with Lowell he can have his fun in other…...ways ”yes, there is something else, im gonna need to do a body search to make sure your not carrying anything….dangerous” the guard said while looking at Valecia’s body with eyes full of lust, causing the latter to involuntarily shiver in disgust

"Oh that’s bullshit!"

Lowell bellowed out, quickly realizing the guard’s intentions, he started speeding towards the guard intending to smash him to the ground

"LOWELL!!"

Valecia shouted at the top of her lungs, causing Lowell to stop in his tracks

"it’s….fine, i'm used to it"

she continued in a shaky voice, causing Lowell to become even more furious

"ya can’t seriously be thi’ing of lettin’ dis creep have ‘is way, are ya?!?"

Lowell protested, veins pulsating on his forehead

"i told you it was fine! We need to get more resources, plus if you don’t get in there, he’ll catch you"

Valecia replied in as calm a voice as she could muster despite her obvious anger at the situation, implying the importance of hiding in this anti-immortal city, Lowell looked at her for a moment as many conflicting emotions and thoughts passed through his mind, why was she going this far for him? Is it because she feels guilty about dragging him into this mess? "that’s right, i'm just following the procedures, you should listen to your friend, she seems to have a good head on her shoulders….. among other things" the guard gloated with a perverted expression plastered all over his face causing Lowell to glare daggers in his direction before closing his eyes and clenching his fists

"Fine!"

he spat the word with fury practically dripping from his voice like venom, the guard grinned and motioned for Valecia to dismount so she could be ‘checked’, Valecia hesitantly got down from the gorb and with unsteady steps walked in front of the guard, she kept her arms tightly hugging her chest as she glared at the guard but that only caused his grin to grow wider ”now listen here missy, i need to check every inch of your body, you covering up your chest only make you seem more suspicious and i’d have to check that area even more thoroughly” the guard cackled as he forcefully took hold of Valecia’s arms, penetrating through her defenses and wrenched them off her chest, Valecia closed her eyes as she seemed to completely give up as she waited for the guard’s leech like touch upon her body in shame, however that touch never came and instead a popping sound was all she could register in the darkness, she quickly opened her eyes to the sight of Lowell’s metalic fist standing erect off his body as it connected with the guard’s jaw in a jab causing several of his teeth to fly away and making him fall to the ground like a sac, passed out. The second guard that was standing at the sidelines watching the previous scene with an amused expression now’s calling for backup and hurriedly drawing his sword from its sheath however Lowell reaches him first and with the sound of metal hitting flesh the guard falls to the ground with a sunken cheek, dazed, however, not unconscious as he kicks Lowell behind the knee from his position on the ground with as much force as his half conscious body could muster causing the latter to involuntarily fall to his knees, they then started grappling on the ground, at that moment three other guards rush in and seeing the situation quickly join the downed guard in fighting Lowell as they jump above him, pinning him to the ground Lowell struggles with all his might which somewhat shakes the three guards but unfortunately wasn't enough to get free, Valecia tries to get them off of him but due to difference in strength she quickly joins her companion in the damp floor

"let ‘er go!"

Lowell started panicking once he saw his companion getting pinned to the ground with him, he didn’t want to do it since he’d risk exposing himself but it started to seem like eruption was the only available option to him now, he closed his eyes as he prepared to summon his inner flame but he was interrupted "WHAT’S GOING ON HERE!!!" as the two were struggling suddenly an authoritative and threatening shout resonated through the gates as a goliath of a man walked through the gates with veins bulging all over his neck, he was carrying a steel longsword that didn’t seem so long in the hands of his massive frame he was also wearing wearing much the same as the guards armor except that it was of a higher quality and with more decorative pieces, indicating a high position in the ranks, the perverted guard that was previously knocked out from Lowell’s gauntlet brought back from a state of unconsciousness by his fellow guards nervously stepped forward and did a salute "captain willforow...errr...sir...uhm...i was just doing my shift guarding the gates as i always do when suddenly these two shifty characters appeared, naturally i started questioning them to make sure they wouldn’t be a danger to the citizens when suddenly i was attacked by that man" he said in an innocent tone that seemed comedic with his new lith appearing thanks to the empty spaces between his few remaining teeth as he pointed at Lowell

"dat’s not true...dat perv was harrassin’ me’n ma buddy, he even trie’ta touch’er inappr’priately"

Lowell managed to say in broken common while being pinned under two guards

"that is right, my friend only tried to protect me from that creep, we did nothing wrong"

Valecia said, she wasn’t that physically strong so it only took one guard to restrain her "Lies! I did no such things, i was only doing my duty" captain guard willforow took a glance at the pair of traveler being smothered under a pile of guards then shifted his gaze to the perverted guard before looking back at the two, finally a resounding “thwack” sound reverberated through the area as the captain guard slapped the perverted guard with his giant, meaty, armored hand causing another couple of teeth to fly off "Do you think of me a fool?! this is the third incident involving YOU this season! How many times do i have to beat it into that thick skull of yours to stop harassing travelers! Go back to the ward and remove your gear, you are no longer a part of the guard militia!" the captain guard shouted every word which the bulging veins on his neck to become more prominent, he then turned and started addressing the pile of guards atop of Lowell and Valecia, apparently ending the conversation with the perverted guard "what the fark are you doing!?! Get your hands off of them and start acting like proper guards!" he shouted the orders causing the rest of the guards to quickly get off of the pair and stand in line by the wall, each of them shaking in fear from the man, once Lowell and Valecia stood up and dusted themselves the captain guard walked up to them and in a completely unexpected turn of events did a short curt bow and spoke in common "ma’am, sir, my name is willforow and i deeply apologize for my subordinate’s unethical behaviour, i assure you that you will receive no further trouble from the guard militia and i hope you can later visit the guard’s ward to receive 100 gold nel as compensation for your trouble, i hope you can also keep this incident under wraps once you get into the city as we don’t want citizens to start distrusting us for the actions of one corrupted individual, one who shall no longer be part of our organization" the captain guard said in polite yet firm words and with as much charisma as a natural leader, Lowell stayed silent as he didn’t understand even half of the complex words coming from the giant’s mouth, he only kept staring at his body wondering how could a man become this big but Valecia quickly return the bow….albeit a bit awkward and rigid as she clearly wasn’t used to the action

”we appreciate your...assistance and we’ll make sure none other shall hear of this but for now me and my companion are exhausted especially after that whole….uhm...ordeal and we would really love it if we could enter the city and...errm....retire in an inn, right, Lowell?"

she said nervously in a rare show of emotion contrary to her usual apathetic self

"uhh...right, we’re t’red"

Lowell awkwardly nodded "of course, once again, i apologize for wasting your time" the captain guard then turned to face the walled city "OPEN THE GATES!" he shouted and a few trills later a heavy screeching sound that caused any listener’s ear to tingle initiated followed by the heavy steel reinforced gates to open up allowing view of the inner city, the captain guard quickly duided them through the death zone and through the second gate into the actual civilian area and after that departed as fast as he appeared, leaving the two in awkward silence

"well that was certainly…..quite the encounter"

Valecia said as she hugged herself, shivering after remembering the creep’s harsh grasp on her arms, Lowell just silently looked at her before gazing back at the gates

"that ain’t gonna be da last t’me we be meetin’ dat creep"

Lowell spoke in a hushed tone to no one in particular

"what do you mean?"

Valecia asked in confusion but was only met with silence as Lowell started walking deeper into the city, she quickly followed after him and they kept randomly walking through the streets in search of an inn to rest at….

[Ohua]

71st of Ashan, 718

“The Tunawa could see nothing. There was nothing in front, behind or beside her save a rough cloth of darkness that rasped by her ear loudly with each swish of her masters arm. She longed to move, to peek at this new city, to smell the crisp air of the forest before entering but she was bound tightly. Her chain kept her woven to her owners arm like a demented piece of jewelry. The tiny woman had voiced her irritation at this way of travel several times and had her vocals torn out in reprimand. It was smart of him because even Ohua knew if she had half the chance she would have screamed simply to spite him for tying her to him. As it stood at the moment she was forced to suffer in silence as she unwillingly was brought to the gate, sniffing at the odor of his jacket and cocking her head to noise in on the conversation.

“State your name, purpose, and possessions.”

She hears her masters voice, the rumble of his chest and cloth muffling his low voice too much for her to make out whatever lies he spews. But the guards words are loud and cutting, Ohua is sure he is on her side of her owners body.

“Leave any zealotry here, make no trouble, and you’ll be on your way soon. Do you want directions to a carpenter or an inn?”

Bitterly the Tunawa notes not much else is said, her master does not end up in chains though she’d like him to so he could how humiliating this way of sneaking in is for her. Thunking her head back against his arm she finally settles. Ohua would certainly pay him back for this slight later but for now she contents herself with a job well done, her first task of getting in without being seen completed. Now she could move onto the other tasks.

[Vidao Reymisi]

14th Trial Season of Ymiden, Arc 718

"Viddy."

The guard, Vidao was sure, glanced up at him with annoyance as he spoke. The hulking warrior realized what he had done, then corrected himself.

"Vidao. Vidao Reymisi." he corrected. Just then a young woman, dressed well above his realistic expectations, walked by with her rich husband holding her hand. Vidao looked her up and down slowly, then winked at her as she glanced his way. She frowned, then briskly turned her face from him, and moved on. Reymisi chuckled. Though he had never been here before, the mercenary knew he was going to like this place. The guard indicated he was finished, and so Vidao moved along. He walked slowly, taking in the larger statue that loomed above, looking down on all who entered.

"Nice axe." he said under his breath. Reymisi paid little more attention to it, and simply headed in on through the gate, to whatever might wait for him on the other side...