Ashan 23, Arc 721
The last time that the son of Ziell had visited Scalvoris the arc before, it had been under entirely different conditions. The Council had already declared war on Slag's Deep, but things had still been largely peaceful regardless, and the volcano on Faldrass had not erupted yet. He had held a series of guest lectures at the local university back then, on Blood Magic which was the branch of alchemy that he specialized in. He had fond memories of that time, despite everything. It was one of the reasons why Scalvoris occupied such a special place in his heart.
This time, he would not return in order to teach though, at least not mostly.
After his conversation with Xiur who had become one of his patron Immortals and whose blessing he bore nowadays, he had realized that he needed to visit the island again if he wanted to help its people and prevent the worst, that there was only so much that he could do if he stayed in Viden. He was under no illusion that war could not be avoided sometimes, that it was in fact an unfortunate necessity sometimes, but he still believed that a peaceful solution could be found, or that the bloodshed and the suffering could be minimized, at the very least.
Xiur had told him about his mother, Fei, and that her grave was located below Scalvoris. He had told him of his sister and her fury and her anger and how what she had done had acted like a stopper on a bottle – and what might happen if the creature who wore the face of Warden’s daughter were released. He believed that that might be why Chrien was angry, because her mother had died – and because people planned on fighting a war and committing a sacrilege on her grave, because they planned on desecrating it.
He didn’t think that they knew what was under Scalvoris – he preferred to believe the best of people – but even so, Chrien’s anger was understandable, and one of the reasons why it should end differently – and why learning more about Fei and the others of her kind, and the past of Scalvoris and the world was paramount. The university that offered people the opportunity to study Immortal History as well as the Original Beings was the logical place to start in his opinion.
~~~
The locals considered the beginning of Ashan to be rigidly cold, but the Mortalborn who had spent the past couple of arcs in Viden found the temperatures comparatively pleasant, like a gentle spring trial. Normally, he might actually have enjoyed his walk to the university, but as it was, he could not help but be in a thoughtful and slightly somber mood. Besides trying to find something that would help Scalvoris and give its people, all of its people, hope, he had also come to the island to pray for a woman that had died more than a millennium before. In his opinion, Fei had been more than just something to be researched. She had also been a mother, a sister and a friend, and her descendants still walked this world.
He was dressed as he usually was, in fine clothes, a bespoke suit that was made of dark wool with hints of silver, black boots and a dark coat, and his hands were encased in gloves. He had no interest in showing off his wealth, but he believed in upholding certain standards (although he would not judge people that had a different attitude in that regard; in the end, your actions mattered more than any exterior factors in his opinion).
The Institute of Metaphysics, he noticed and furrowed his brow fractionally, was comparatively small. It might even have been the smallest institute at the university, which made it easier for him to find his way around, but it still took him a while to reach the office of the professor he wanted to talk to. He had been told that Professor Tag Fridson, one of the Professors that specialized in the study of Original Beings, had actually visited the Shrine of Fei on Immortals Tongue with a group of students a few arcs back. The university employee that he had talked to remembered it so clearly because one of the students had been Faith Augustin, although she had been less famous then.
Considering the questions that he wanted to ask once again, he raised his hand and knocked on the door. He had inquired if Professor Fridson actually had time beforehand, of course, but he considered it to be polite not to enter the man’s office unannounced, nevertheless. He only opened the door once he heard his colleague’s voice – and closed it behind him again as he had no interest in the people in the hallway listening.
“Good trial”, he spoke in a calm and utterly polite tone of voice and inclined his head slightly. “Professor Doran Thetys from Viden. I asked if you had time to talk about the Original Being Fei with me. I learned from Xiur that her grave his located beneath Scalvoris”, he continued, pausing briefly to give Professor Fridson time to think about that as he realized that someone talking to an Immortal might be a somewhat unusual occurrence. “Fei’s grave and the powers it harbors – and what happens when they are released – seem to play a central role in the current conflict. I was hoping that you’d be able to tell me more about her and the other Original’s fate – and what Scalvoris was like before. I heard that you explored Immortal’s Tongue a while ago and are familiar with the shrines there, among other things.”
Those were not his only questions, of course – he had more, a lot more – but he did not want to overwhelm his colleague, and thus he decided to only pose one or two at a time and start with the reason for his research and what he considered to be the most important questions of all. The power that originated from Fei’s grave – and Chrien’s anger – were not the only things that mattered. In her fury, Chrien had ravaged something, destroyed something. Scalvoris’ past – or what had been there before Scalvoris had existed – played a part as well and constituted another piece of the puzzle that he was trying to solve.
At least that was what he thought right now.
The last time that the son of Ziell had visited Scalvoris the arc before, it had been under entirely different conditions. The Council had already declared war on Slag's Deep, but things had still been largely peaceful regardless, and the volcano on Faldrass had not erupted yet. He had held a series of guest lectures at the local university back then, on Blood Magic which was the branch of alchemy that he specialized in. He had fond memories of that time, despite everything. It was one of the reasons why Scalvoris occupied such a special place in his heart.
This time, he would not return in order to teach though, at least not mostly.
After his conversation with Xiur who had become one of his patron Immortals and whose blessing he bore nowadays, he had realized that he needed to visit the island again if he wanted to help its people and prevent the worst, that there was only so much that he could do if he stayed in Viden. He was under no illusion that war could not be avoided sometimes, that it was in fact an unfortunate necessity sometimes, but he still believed that a peaceful solution could be found, or that the bloodshed and the suffering could be minimized, at the very least.
Xiur had told him about his mother, Fei, and that her grave was located below Scalvoris. He had told him of his sister and her fury and her anger and how what she had done had acted like a stopper on a bottle – and what might happen if the creature who wore the face of Warden’s daughter were released. He believed that that might be why Chrien was angry, because her mother had died – and because people planned on fighting a war and committing a sacrilege on her grave, because they planned on desecrating it.
He didn’t think that they knew what was under Scalvoris – he preferred to believe the best of people – but even so, Chrien’s anger was understandable, and one of the reasons why it should end differently – and why learning more about Fei and the others of her kind, and the past of Scalvoris and the world was paramount. The university that offered people the opportunity to study Immortal History as well as the Original Beings was the logical place to start in his opinion.
~~~
The locals considered the beginning of Ashan to be rigidly cold, but the Mortalborn who had spent the past couple of arcs in Viden found the temperatures comparatively pleasant, like a gentle spring trial. Normally, he might actually have enjoyed his walk to the university, but as it was, he could not help but be in a thoughtful and slightly somber mood. Besides trying to find something that would help Scalvoris and give its people, all of its people, hope, he had also come to the island to pray for a woman that had died more than a millennium before. In his opinion, Fei had been more than just something to be researched. She had also been a mother, a sister and a friend, and her descendants still walked this world.
He was dressed as he usually was, in fine clothes, a bespoke suit that was made of dark wool with hints of silver, black boots and a dark coat, and his hands were encased in gloves. He had no interest in showing off his wealth, but he believed in upholding certain standards (although he would not judge people that had a different attitude in that regard; in the end, your actions mattered more than any exterior factors in his opinion).
The Institute of Metaphysics, he noticed and furrowed his brow fractionally, was comparatively small. It might even have been the smallest institute at the university, which made it easier for him to find his way around, but it still took him a while to reach the office of the professor he wanted to talk to. He had been told that Professor Tag Fridson, one of the Professors that specialized in the study of Original Beings, had actually visited the Shrine of Fei on Immortals Tongue with a group of students a few arcs back. The university employee that he had talked to remembered it so clearly because one of the students had been Faith Augustin, although she had been less famous then.
Considering the questions that he wanted to ask once again, he raised his hand and knocked on the door. He had inquired if Professor Fridson actually had time beforehand, of course, but he considered it to be polite not to enter the man’s office unannounced, nevertheless. He only opened the door once he heard his colleague’s voice – and closed it behind him again as he had no interest in the people in the hallway listening.
“Good trial”, he spoke in a calm and utterly polite tone of voice and inclined his head slightly. “Professor Doran Thetys from Viden. I asked if you had time to talk about the Original Being Fei with me. I learned from Xiur that her grave his located beneath Scalvoris”, he continued, pausing briefly to give Professor Fridson time to think about that as he realized that someone talking to an Immortal might be a somewhat unusual occurrence. “Fei’s grave and the powers it harbors – and what happens when they are released – seem to play a central role in the current conflict. I was hoping that you’d be able to tell me more about her and the other Original’s fate – and what Scalvoris was like before. I heard that you explored Immortal’s Tongue a while ago and are familiar with the shrines there, among other things.”
Those were not his only questions, of course – he had more, a lot more – but he did not want to overwhelm his colleague, and thus he decided to only pose one or two at a time and start with the reason for his research and what he considered to be the most important questions of all. The power that originated from Fei’s grave – and Chrien’s anger – were not the only things that mattered. In her fury, Chrien had ravaged something, destroyed something. Scalvoris’ past – or what had been there before Scalvoris had existed – played a part as well and constituted another piece of the puzzle that he was trying to solve.
At least that was what he thought right now.
