Norvgard 4336

Norvgard 4336

Jayal’s pure grey eyes surveyed the damaged stone acropolis from beneath his inky hood. His grey hair and beard were damp and dripping. Jayal’s features were like a well done steak, tough and leathery and his dark complexion looked grim in the dim light. Raindrops dripped off his hood to rejoin their brethren on the broken ground below. A chill wind blew them into Jayal’s back, both darkening and weighing down his black cloak. Weianw could have told him how rainy this forsaken planet was. Jayal sighed and continued to study the ancient architecture. He only had 23 hours.
He stood in what was presumably a staging ground several centuries ago, facing the Southward wall. A monolithic structure of green-grey stone, even crumbling as it was, the outer wall was a good 30 feet tall. Stunning. A hexagonal tower graced each corner of the hexagonal acropolis. The closest tower had deteriorated so much that it was barely taller than the wall surrounding it. Each side of the outer wall had a hexagonal gatehouse with 3 gates on either side of the wall. 6 palaces, 6 keeps, and 6 cathedrals of the same green-grey stone arose evenly from within the outer wall. From the very center, a hexagonal castle with six towers arose from atop a hill.
Jayal walked carefully across the uneven ground with his staff in hand. He occasionally came across larger cracks and would have to leap across them. It was times like this, cold, tired, and aching, that made him consider retiring to some quiet planet like Karthaf or Pon-Lin.
Jayal chuckled to himself and fiddled with the silver chain around his neck. Who was he kidding? He would never be able to sit still for long. The universe held to many mysteries for him.
There was a wet slap behind him and Jayal peered behind him, careful to keep the hood sheltering his eyes. Keelan had slipped and landed on his backside when leaping the rift. Jayal shook his head and continued to walk towards the acropolis. He had been so focused on the mysteries that this city could hold that he had forgotten about the young man.
Keelan wanted to learn how to traverse the universe as Jayal did. Jayal had been skeptical enough as to refuse Keelan initially, especially when Jeoung sent a message for him to take Keelan on as an apprentice. An endorsement by the trickster was not exactly a boon in Jayal’s mind. He had changed his mind at Liaolp’s request. One did not refuse Liaolp. Plus Liaolp was unlikely to be swept up into the games of the likes of Jeoung or Daiunt.
So Jayal now had an apprentice. A clumsy and overeager 32 year old pup.
Jayal adjusted his chain necklace and peered up at the gatehouse. It loomed over him as he approached its base. Each gatehouse had to be as wide as the wingspan of a phoenix. Jayal found himself wondering how such a magnificent city had managed to fall so far.
“Master Traveler?” Keelan’s falsetto voice broke the persistent pattern of the rain.
Jayal turned and regarded Keelan. Keelan was half a head shorter than Jayal, but was far thicker. Jayal was always surprised to hear the dainty voice come from the burly lad. Two red teardrop tattoos below his pale purple eyes, marked Keelan as a member of the Hiindan tribe of the planet Dareth. It was one of the few planets that had teleportation magic. An invaluable skill for planar travel, and a decisive reason for Jayal accepting Keelan as a pupil.
“Yes?” Jayal asked.
“Are you sure it is safe? I mean, I do not wish to sound like a coward, but if it is in fact true that Norvgard is less than a day from imploding…” Keelan trailed off, nervously glancing around as if he would see the signs of the planet falling in upon itself.
Jayal laughed, “This is hardly dangerous. Get used to this boy,” Jayal continued into the green stone city, “There are far more dangerous places and creatures that you will interact with than an imploding planet,” he clutched the ring that hung on the chain and whispered, “Far more.”
“Sorry Master Traveler, I could not hear the last part over the rain.”
Jayal ignored the implied question. They had entered the abandoned city. It was stunning. It was sad. Less than 23 hours to find a mysterious artifact. If they managed that in good time, perhaps they could even find the central mage chamber in the castle and save the planet. Only if they had time. An unlikely reality when exploring a city with a mile diameter without any clue as to what the artifact looked like. The damn Feiagolites enjoyed being cryptic too much! Then again, Jayal wasn’t much better.
Jayal grinned to himself and marched into the first district with a confident stride. He loved a good challenge. He palmed a smooth circular stone in one of his many pockets. There were no Feiagolites nearby. They would come to watch the planet implode. It would be a warning for him to leave if his timing was incorrect.
The ground shook beneath his confident stride, throwing the Traveler off balance. He braced himself upon his staff and surveyed the sky for any falling debris. He was safe. For now. A groan brought his attention back to Keelan who was picking himself up off the ground. The boy needed to give in and get a staff, especially considering how clumsy Keelan was.
Jayal brought his attention back to the large hexagonal stone buildings. They were structurally sound despite the magnitude of the quake. The architects of this city were brilliant. Each building was akin to a small fortress, even residential homes or small shops. This city was designed to withstand any non-magical assault. Unfortunate that it would soon be lost, Jayal would have enjoyed studying the infrastructure and engineering of this city longer.
The district appeared to contain everything necessary for a self-sufficient city. Access to the wall, a market hexagon (because nothing in this city was square), smithies, various residential areas, chapels, barracks and guard posts, wells, manufacturing shops like mills and carpenters, and more. It was eerie to explore a city that was still so fully formed yet absolute in its desolation. Only the wind and rain made any noise. Other than the occasional grunt of Keelan. Jayal wondered if all the districts were self-contained.

This sixth was devoid of life, items emanating magic, or anything else of interest beyond design. Jayal began to search the second district. 18 hours left. Far too little time if he had to explore every section. Hopefully the artifact would not be in the final section. As wonderful as it would be to retrieve a powerful artifact of a bygone era of a lost people, Jayal would have to choose safety if time became too tight.
“Master Traveler?” Keelan whispered as if in deference to the subdued hush of the acropolis.
“What is it, Keelan?” Traveler replied as he surveyed another hexagonal civil building. They were already beginning to all look the same. He pulled out a short rod from the planet Kier-Anoth and a small blue topaz, tapping them together. Shortly, the topaz was glowing a gloomy blue. Its glow fit the atmosphere. “Why did they build everything with six sides?”
“They viewed six as the perfect number. It permeated every part of their society. Architecture, religion, government, economy. Everything was designed around the number six. Or so I have been told by rather reliable sources,” Jayal held the gem outstretched as if it were his eyes. He watched it closely for any change. It brightened ever so slightly to the Northeast.
Jayal began to walk in that direction. In his heart, he hoped he would have to walk a long time before the gem began to shine a beam towards the artifact. The longer he had to walk before the gem began to show more than a slight glow, the more powerful the item was to attract its attention.
“Why did they view it as perfect Master?” Keelan inquired as he followed Jayal.
“Well, they were a race obsessed with mathematics. And mathematically speaking, six is a perfect number. It is an even number. It goes into many numbers, and is easily divisible. A mathematician would probably be able to rant at you about its magnificence for hours if given the chance,” Jayal chuckled at the thought, “More importantly, you should be asking about this gem and the rod I used. Magic will be of far greater utility for your future endeavors than a bit of math.”
There was a bit of a pause, Keelan was still learning what really mattered and was probably suppressing several useless questions about the mundane before finding the correct question.
“So what does the gem do and how does it work?” Keelan asked dutifully. His passion was not in the question, but at least he was asking the right questions.
“The people of Kier-Anoth developed a magic which was suited to discovering, finding, and other such endeavors. It is a worthwhile planet to visit,” Jayal looked back at Keelan meaningfully, “The rod is a physical manifestation of their magic. When it comes into contact with an appropriate medium such as a gem, it directs the the caster towards a magical items whereabouts by way of a beam of light emitted from the medium. It does have limitations upon distance. It will only glow slightly when held in the direction of a magical item outside of one mile. The item has to be within five miles of the caster, unfortunately, so it cannot be used to find any magical item upon an entire planet. The more powerful the item, the more likely it is to dominate the medium’s attention at greater distances. A few times, I have had magical items completely ignored by my mediums because I was within range of incredibly powerful magical items. A blessing and a curse at the same time. It is very useful for what we are doing right now. You should acquire one for your own use, along with any other seeking magic you can. Very useful in our line of work.”
Keelan did not ask a follow up question. Jayal was a bit disappointed, but he had to be patient with the boy. Time would allow the boy to realize what was really important in research. Jayal did not expect Keelan to follow his path precisely, everyone had their own interests, but he did hope to guide Keelans’ mind towards the more important aspects of the universe. Magic would be the deciding factor in the universes’ fate, not mundane calculations. Mundane calculations were only as useful as their ability to provide information when deciphering and calculating magic systems.
The pair wandered through the district, across another, and were emerging into a final one. The one likely to contain the artifact. A dim flickering beam was begin to guide them. It was faltering and hesitant, but it was there. They were just coming into the shorter radius. Jayal wished he had remembered this before wasting several hours searching the first district.
Keelan was whispering again, why did he insist on whispering? “Master, someone is following us!”
“Following us?” Jayal did not even break stride.
“Yes, master. I was uncertain at first, but I am positive now. We have been followed since we left the last district,” Keelan said.
“Well, if they meant us harm, they would have struck before you had a chance to notice them, I expect. Stay aware of them and alert me to any alteration of behaviour. I will keep focused on our mission. Alright?” Jayal replied coolly.
“Of course, Master Traveler.”