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charlequin It is a matter of perhaps five minutes from when the Arbiter of Stones departs the chamber and when a reasonably well-decorated Hrak enters and announces loudly, "Cerin the Wolf, please follow me."
Cerin rises fluidly from his seat, undoing the manipulation that periodically stole planet's from Zahara's constellation and following the Hrak from the room.
charlequin The insectoid creature leads Cerin through a heavily-guarded side exit to the great ballroom, and up into the maze of hallways that fills the upper part of the palace. Following the twists and turns of the halls, Cerin is fairly certain he is being led into the centermost of the five towers. Eventually, he is brought to a small room (...)
charlequin with little in it: a simple desk, a chair, and a locked cabinet against one wall. The Arbiter awaits within, his back to the door.
Cerin makes no sound to indicate that he is present, instead taking the time to study both the room and the Arbiter, especially interested in how such a construct might be made and how it is animated. And how it can manipulate Essence.
charlequin Cerin looks down to the most intricate level as he scans the Arbiter's Essence. The overall effect is quite unusual and absolutely new to Cerin, though parallels to the Exaltation process are definitely apparent. The entirety of the construct's body seems to function much like a large and intricate channelcage, using subtle differences in physical shape to maintain (...)
charlequin complex weaves of Essence. The actual pattern itself is also unlike anything Cerin's seen before, though he easily commits its details to memory. It is a focused pattern, designed to create extremely potent feedback loops of Essence in multiple places and then link them with one another dynamically -- this soul was clearly intended to maximize Essence capacity from the ground up.
charlequin He continues to stand motionless.
Cerin wraps a most subtle weave of essence around himself, one that none the less pervades the small room he finds himself in and more specifically the construct in front of him. It will answer his questions -- all of them -- as and when he asks them. "You sent for me, The Arbiter of Stones, Emissary of the Fifth Lineage." Cerin says quietly into the room, from behind his sapphire mask.
Arbiter Of Stones "Yes I did. Be seated."
Arbiter Of Stones turns and gestures to the empty chair
Cerin seats himself easily
Arbiter Of Stones "You must agree that it seems quite odd, this turn of events, yes? A group of emissaries arrives from a world silent to us for thousands of years, and within hours, an attack is made on our ruling families."
Cerin "Of course. I would assume events of this kind are almost unheard of? Though when was the last?
Arbiter Of Stones "Perhaps two hundred of your 'years' ago. Though those who made that attempt were apprehended and dispatched almost immediately afterwards."
Cerin "You have a peaceful and ordered society then."
Arbiter Of Stones "Yes, very peaceful. It has continued on to great heights while the society of Meru has torn itself apart with strife."
Cerin "It is something we are trying to set right."
Arbiter Of Stones "So you say." He pauses and paces back and forth across the room for a moment before continuing. "And yet you are currently involved in a great war in Meru, no?"
Cerin "Indeed. We have been for over a year now."
Arbiter Of Stones "It is always greatly amusing to me, when warmongers speak of bringing peace and order." He stops his pacing for a moment and looks directly at Cerin. "So what truly brings you to Xara?"
Cerin "To see what we can find here. The other planes have been, almost without exception, immensly interesting to explore."
Arbiter Of Stones nods slowly. "Yes, yes, I am certain." He looks Cerin over, from head to toe. "What do you believe occurred in that dance hall?"
Cerin "I am not entirely sure. I was rather distracted dancing with my love. I would guess that method of death was poison or sorcery, though if it were the latter then it was most subtle. I do not know enough of the physiology of the people of Xara to know how such a poison would be introduced."
Arbiter Of Stones "And of those present, who would have most been capable of such a feat?"
Cerin "I would have been, and I know that I did not kill them." Cerin says calmly. "None of the others who travelled with me are capable of such a feat of covert killing."
Arbiter Of Stones The Arbiter nods slowly. "That is the answer I suspected."
Cerin "If we had not been present, who would you have suspected?"
Arbiter Of Stones stands up fully straight. "I cannot reveal such information to you in the midst of my investigation." Meanwhile, in Cerin's head, the answer he receives is unclear, obfuscated -- but it points towards one of the other Lineages....
Cerin "Of course."
Arbiter Of Stones The answer does not come through in clear language, but Cerin is fairly certain he'd look towards the Scions.
Arbiter Of Stones "Very well. I thank you for your time. You may return to the hall."
Cerin nods and rises from his seat.
Tags: (:tags Arbiter of Stones, Xara, Hrak, Scions :)
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