Previously:
Culture lessons.Inn of the Foxes, Silver Trailings, outside the Realm Below the Mountain
Kazimier sat in the common room in his formal white robes, sipping on an after-lunch glass of red wine as he waited for Nyssa to arrive downstairs. The midday crowd thinned as people left to return to work. Sorcha made a circuit of the common room, collecting used dishes, mugs, and utensils, a wisp of her red hair escaping her pony tail to fall in front of her face.
The sound of heavy footsteps came from the staircase. Nyssa took each step with care, her helmet tucked under her arm. Her plate armour shone even in the dim light from the common room's lanterns. Kazimier drained the rest of his wine before he stood up. "Over here, Dame Knight," he called.
Once on the main floor, Nyssa had no problem joining the elf. "You look impressive, Chaplain."
"It's just Kazimier, Nyssa. There's no hierarchy back in Wildwood beyond the Elder."
"Now, now, Chaplain. There's an image we need to maintain with the Niceans. They will be expecting proper titles. We should oblige."
"The Niceans will know that I'm lying about the title, Nyssa."
"Nonsense! You are a priest, thus you have the title of Chaplain, at least in these lands, mine, and theirs. You don't have to tell them anything."
Kazimier narrowed his eyes. "You're hoping that the wizard's spell won't detect a half-truth as a full lie."
Nyssa grinned. "It's only a lie if I believe it's a lie. If I believed with all my heart that the sun rose in the south, even if I'm wrong, then the spell won't detect it as a lie. It measures untruths, not wrongness."
"Shall I remind you that wizards tend to have a very short temper when it comes to other people finding ways to break the usefulness of their spells?"
"Wizards have other weaknesses, too, lad." Nyssa patted her sword. "They are allergic to metal, especially when it is forcibly thust within them. Shall we go, lad?"
Kazimier walked to the inn's entrance, Nyssa following in step behind him. The walk through Silver Trailings became easier when the crowds parted to let the heavily armoured knight pass through. Both Kazimier and Nyssa noticed the town guard watching them while keeping a respectable distance away.
After an half-hour's walk, the pair reached the Middle Gate, a large stonework structure built into the side of the mountain. The traffic had died off to almost none the closer Nyssa and Kazimier approached the gate. Half a dozen guards stood at attention, watching anyone who neared the Middle Gate. Two guard, one human, the other a dwarf, both clad in chain mail, lowered their spears and stepped towards Kazimier and Nyssa as they walked towards the gate, "Halt!" the dwarf said, his voice loud and brooking no dissent.
Kazimier stopped a few feet away from the guards. Nyssa took a couple more steps, enough to get the guards to menace with their spears without forcing them to become hostile. "We have an audience at the Nicean embassy," the knight said, her voice as steady as the dwarf's was. "We were summoned by Iskander."
"Hold here," the dwarf said.
The human guard dashed back and into the gatehouse. He returned a few minutes later. "What are your names?" he demanded.
"This is Chaplain Kazimier Starpetal, of Wildwood. I am Nyssa, Dame Kellus, of the Seven Dominions." The knight held up her shield to let the guards see her coat of arms.
"Let them through." The human guard stepped aside. The dwarf raised his spear, pointing it at the sky.
Nyssa resumed walking. "A pleasant day to you both," she said. The dwarf only grunted.
The Middle Gate towered over Kazimier and Nyssa. The grinding of gears echoed through off nearby walls as the gate opened, revealing the Entry Cavern to the dwarven realms beyond. Kazimier bowed to the guards on the other side of the gate as he passed them.
The Entry Cavern was lit with globes floating overhead. The cobblestone road turned to smooth rock past the Middle Gate. Inside, the clanging of anvils could be heard. The cavern itself was warm, heated by dwarven furnaces further below. The road soon split in to directions, a slight ramp up and a curving slope down. Ahead, Kazimier could look over the edge of the road and down on the Realm Below's Merchant Quarter, where people haggled over the cost of raw goods.
Taking the road up, Kazimier and Nyssa marched towards Embassy Row. Many nations had delegates in the Realm Below the Mountain. Some were trade missions; others had full ambassadorial staffs to work at getting the dwarves into an alliance. Between the two of them, Kazimier and Nyssa recognized the crests of the various nations represented along Embassy Row.
The Nicean embassy was a thin building built from wood, separated from the underground street by iron fencing. The gate stood open, with no guard near it. Nyssa walked up to the embassy's door and entered. Inside, the reception hall was functional, with a white wash applied to the walls and a simple desk for the lone woman in the room. She looked up from her scroll. "Nyssa, Dame Kellus, and Chaplain Kazimier Starpetal," the knight said. "Iskander told us to be here. We have news about your ambassador."
The woman stood up. "This way." She led the knight and the elf deeper into the embassy. Beyind the reception, the embassy was brightly lit, with magical light keeping the interior as bright as if it were out in the sunlight. The woman knocked on a heavy wooden door. "Minister, the representatives have arrived."
From beyond the door, a deep masculine voice said, "Send them in."
The woman opened the door, ushering Kazimier and Nyssa inside. She left, closing the door behind her.
Behind an ornate desk made from a dark mahogany and carved with intricate arcane symbols sat a wire thin man, tanned with blond hair. "Dame Kellus, you have word about Ambassador Cahya?"
Nyssa and Kazimier stood in front of the ornate desk. "We do, sir. We found his body at an abandoned farm a week's journey south[?] of the Realm Below the Mountain. Iksander confirmed the identification he carried when we spoke."
"Iskander also mentioned that you killed the $humanoid_02s that murdered Cahya. Is this true?"
Kazimier nodded. "It is, sir."
"I find it hard to believe that such creatures could remove Cahya from the Realm Below, let alone Silver Trailings, without anyone noticing."
"We do, as well, Minsiter," Nyssa said. "We've been noticing that many nations are being plagued by mysterious deaths, including my home, Chaplain Kazimier's, and even the Nicean Islands. While death is the only constant in the world, Minister, deaths that are designed to provoke nations to war are not."
The Minister leaned forward in his chair as he stroked his trim beard. "And just who are we, the Niceans, to blame for the loss of ambassador if not the $humanoid_02s?"
"The Accursed elves, Minister. We found a dagger of their manufacture. However, the mark on it didn't specify which family you should have focused your ire on."
"You are an expert in the ways of the Accursed, Dame Kellus?"
"We have had an expert in our company for the past week," Kazimier said. "If one of the dark elf families was involved, they would have framed a rival. The dagger only had a trade marking on it." The elf removed the dagger, still sheathed, from his belt and laid it on the Minister's desk. "You can have your own sages examine it."
The Minister waved his hand at two chairs in the corners of the room. "Please, have a seat," he invited. Once Kazimier and Nyssa were settled, the Minister asked, "If the Niceans Islands is to make war, who should we be fighting?"
Nyssa set her helmet on the floor. "That is the question, Minister. So far, we've been able to eliminate a number of suspects."
"We doubt whoever is behind the conspiracy targeted the Nicean Islands out of malice," Kazimier added. "The motive appears to be chaos, pure and simple. The Seven Dominions is being prodded to move against the Realm Below the Mountain. My home of Wildwood should be after the Cleaven Eye Clan. You are being prompted to attack the dark elves. Members of our company foiled a second attempt at framing the dark elves, though we are still working out who was the target of the ruse. The only common element here is that every army would have to travel through another nation's lands."
"The Nicean Islands will take your information under advisement," the Minister said. "The Nicean Islands and I thank you for bringing us the news about Cahya. He will be mourned."
"I regret that we did not arrive at the abandoned farm sooner," Nyssa said. "If we had known, Minister, we would have hurried to prevent the ambassador's needless death."
"Your regrets are noted." The Minister stood, straightening his gold robes with his hands. "You may leave."
Next Week:
Sneaking out without permission.
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